It seems the wait for Apple’s second-generation tracker tag will be longer than previously thought. A trusted Apple tipster predicted Wednesday that AirTag 2 won’t be out until 2025.
That’s somewhat surprising considering the original model has been very successful.
AirTag 2 is on the way, just not soon
Attach an AirTag to an item you either misplace frequently, or to something that you’d be very upset if you lost. Popular choices are keys, purses and AirPods, but there are myriad possibilities. It can then be located with an iPhone, rather nearby or around the world.
And there’s a new version of the tracker in development, though it seems that process is taking longer than expected.
“The mass production schedule for AirTag 2 has been postponed to 2025,” said Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with TF International Securities, on X (formerly Twitter).
Prediction update:
The mass production schedule for AirTag 2 has been postponed to 2025. https://t.co/TF2uSuSEvX
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) October 18, 2023
Previously, the tipster said the product would go into production in the fourth quarter of 2024.
As for the question of possible new features, the iPhone 15 series includes a new ultrawide-band chip that makes finding one handset with another more accurate than before. It’s a sure bet this will be included in AirTag 2.
Also, a previous unconfirmed report indicated that the upcoming model will be better at working with Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro AR headset. Details are scanty, though.
Kuo has sources in Apple’s supply chain that enable him to make generally reliable predictions about the company’s future actions. He was talking about the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus months before Apple announced it, for example.
A surprise hit
Apparently, it’s not a question of whether Apple will make AirTag 2 but when. Because the first one is quite successful.
Apple hasn’t revealed how many units it’s sold to date, but Kuo said recently that 20 million shipped in 2021 and 35 million shipped in 2022.
The original AirTag is $29, or a pack of four is $99.
