AirTag 2 to Debut by Summer 2025 with Smarter Tracking and Enhanced Privacy
Over the years, the original AirTag has received a handfulof software updates, such as firmware improvements and the recent 'Share ItemLocation' feature introduced with iOS 18.2. But in terms of hardware, not muchhas changed. That's about to shift with the upcoming release of AirTag 2, whichpromises a more refined and capable experience.
According to reliable sources in the Apple ecosystem,including tipster Kosutami and tech analyst Mark Gurman, the AirTag 2 isnearing mass production and is likely to hit shelves in early summer 2025.Gurman, who has a strong track record of accurate Apple predictions, hadearlier suggested a mid-year launch window, and recent developments seem toback that up. In terms of design, the second-gen AirTag is expected tomaintain its signature compact, circular shape. While some users have requestedtweaks—like a built-in keyring hole or a flatter profile—Apple hasn't confirmedany physical redesigns yet.
However, what's more likely are internal upgrades. TheAirTag 2 may come equipped with a new wireless chip for extended range andquicker connectivity. Enhanced privacy features are also anticipated,addressing past criticisms about the device being misused for unwantedtracking. In previous updates, Apple added sound alerts when an unknown AirTagwas nearby, but these could be easily bypassed by disabling the speaker.
The new model is rumoured to include a tamper-resistant speaker and more robustsafeguards. With a smarter design and stronger security, the AirTag 2looks set to improve on what made the original a favourite, making it even moredependable for everyday use.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
Apple cites Supreme Court's birthright ruling in fight over Epic Games injunction
Apple is hoping a new U.S. Supreme Court ruling curbing the power of federal judges to issue nationwide orders will help the technology giant win an appeal in a lawsuit requiring it to revamp its lucrative App Store. In a court filing on Tuesday, Apple told the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the Supreme Court's June order in a case involving birthright citizenship bolsters the iPhone maker's arguments in a high-stakes standoff with "Fortnite" game developer Epic Games. The Supreme Court limited when judges can issue so-called universal injunctions that apply broadly, and not just to the parties in a lawsuit. The justices did not rule on whether the Trump administration can legally terminate the right to citizenship for people born on U.S. soil, but the decision was a win for the administration, which had complained about individual lower courts blocking its policies nationwide. Even though the case at the high court had nothing to do with Apple, its appeal could test the scope of the justices' ruling. Apple and Epic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Apple in its appeal is challenging a U.S. district judge's order in April that said the company must open its App Store to more competition, allowing all developers - not just Epic - more freedom to steer consumers to alternative payment options outside of an app. The appeal also challenges the judge's finding that Apple was in contempt for violating a prior injunction in the same case. Epic Games sued Apple in 2020 to loosen its control over transactions in applications that use its iOS operating system and how apps are distributed to consumers. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in 2021 said Apple must allow developers to more easily steer consumers to potentially cheaper non-Apple payment options. Apple defied that court order to maintain a revenue stream worth billions of dollars, Gonzalez Rogers ruled in April. Apple has denied any wrongdoing, and defended its compliance with the court's orders. Apple told the 9th Circuit that, after the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship decision, judges no longer have freestanding authority to issue universal injunctions. Apple also noted that Epic pursued its lawsuit on its own, not as a class action on behalf of a larger group. Epic told the appeals court in May that Apple's App Store changes will have wide-reaching benefits for the industry and consumers. "The sky has not fallen. Instead, developers and consumers are finally beginning to see the long-awaited benefits of increased competition," Epic said. The case is Epic Games Inc v. Apple Inc, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 25-2935. For Epic: Gary Bornstein and Yonatan Even of Cravath, Swaine & Moore For Apple: Gregory Garre and Roman Martinez of Latham & Watkins Read more: Apple, Visa and Mastercard win dismissal of merchant antitrust lawsuit over payment fees Epic Games settles lawsuit against Samsung over app controls Swiss privacy tech firm Proton sues Apple in US over app store rules Apple must face consumer lawsuit over iCloud storage, US judge rules
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Tech Wrap July 24: iQOO Z10R, Qi2 25W standard, Google Photos AI features
iQOO Z10R launched. Qi2 25W charging standard. Google Photos AI feature. VSCO Capture app. YouTube Shorts Veo2 features. itel Super Guru 4G Max launched. AppleCare One plan announced. BS Tech New Delhi Chinese brand iQOO has added to its Z10 lineup in India by launching the iQOO Z10R. With this addition, the Z10 series now includes the iQOO Z10, Z10x, Z10 Lite, and Z10R. The latest model features a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage. It also offers a 6.77-inch quad-curved AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has introduced Qi version 2.2.1, known as Qi2 25W, a next-gen wireless charging standard that supports speeds up to 25W. This is a step up from the earlier 15W cap of Qi2, bringing it closer to the performance of Apple's MagSafe system. Google is updating its Photos app with generative AI features that allow users to transform static images into video clips and stylised artwork. These updates are powered by Google's Veo 2 model, which also drives similar features in the Gemini app. VSCO has released an iPhone camera app named Capture, which brings its popular filters into the image-taking process. Unlike conventional apps that apply filters after capturing, Capture lets users preview and apply them in real time before clicking a photo or video. The app is available free on the App Store. Google is expanding image-to-video functionality to YouTube Shorts, enabling users to turn photos into video content. The new update also introduces a set of immersive AI effects and a creative space called AI Playground. According to YouTube, these tools are powered by Google's Veo 2 model. itel has launched the Super Guru 4G Max, a feature phone equipped with an AI assistant. Marketed as India's first AI-enabled feature phone, it supports voice commands for tasks such as reading messages and making calls. Apple has rolled out AppleCare One, a subscription plan costing $19.99/month that covers up to three Apple devices under a single policy. Unlike AppleCare+, which requires separate subscriptions, AppleCare One simplifies device protection. It is currently US-only, but may expand internationally. WhatsApp is testing a feature in its Android beta (v2.25.21.14) that enables users to schedule reminders for individual messages. As per WABetaInfo, this builds on an earlier feature that highlighted unread messages from frequently contacted users. The new update allows users to manually tag important messages and set alerts for them. According to Android Authority, Google may have unintentionally revealed the Pixel 10 series via a banner on the Play Store. The banner, which was later removed, displayed the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold models. Meta is rolling out new safety updates for teenagers and adult-managed child accounts on platforms like Instagram. These include enhanced context in direct messages for teen users, with some protections now extending to child accounts managed by adults. Google is expanding Gemini AI's reach to more smartwatches running Wear OS 4, says 9To5Google. Devices from brands like Pixel, Samsung, OnePlus, OPPO, and Xiaomi will soon support Gemini, replacing Google Assistant and bringing enhanced AI capabilities. Apple and Google operate their own cloud ecosystems for storing photos and videos – iCloud Photos for Apple devices and Google Photos for Android users. While both platforms offer automatic backup and smart organisation features, the data stored on these cloud platforms cannot be synced directly. This creates a gap for users looking to switch platforms or consolidate their media into one service. Google's push into AI-powered search is reshaping the internet—and not in the way publishers or web creators might have hoped. A new study by the Pew Research Centre, which examined the online behaviour of 900 US adults, reveals that Google's AI Overviews, the automatically generated summaries now appearing in many search results, are drastically reducing the number of users who click through to traditional websites. India's edge data centre capacity is expected to expand significantly to 200-210 Megawatt (MW) by 2027, up from 60-70 MW in 2024, marking a 3x increase, driven by the proliferation of emerging technologies, said rating agency Icra.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
A $2,000 foldable iPhone can take the heat off Tim Cook
Picture the life of Samsung hardware engineers: Day after day, they toil at the cutting edge, devising almost inconceivable ways to defy physics. Components are shrunken, twisted, bent against their will. And then their work is unveiled to the world: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 , an unfathomably thin folding smartphone. The company eagerly awaits the reaction of American smartphone buyers. 'Meh,' they say. Harsh? Maybe. But the sales won't lie. At this point, I don't know what it would take for Samsung Electronics Co. to engineer its way to a bigger slice of the US market, where Apple Inc. has a 56% share compared with Samsung's 25%. The consumer lock-in of iOS and the Apple product range is just too great. People love their iPhones. And yet, ask a Wall Street investor and she'll tell you the iPhone segment is tired. Revenue growth (globally) has softened — 1.9% in the last quarter, down 0.8% in the all-important holiday quarter before that. The predicted upgrade 'supercycle' from artificial-intelligence features has failed to materialize because they are delayed. That's had some close observers half-heartedly questioning Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook 's position. He can quiet at least some of that talk with the coming folding iPhone, which, according to Bloomberg News' Mark Gurman, is expected by the end of next year. That's a long way off but not too long. From a hardware standpoint at least, Samsung's Fold 7 is a blueprint for where the iPhone can and will go next. The Korean giant's foldable efforts began in 2019 with the introduction of the Galaxy Fold. The head-turning engineering achievement was held back by obvious limitations: The screen was fragile and quickly developed a prominent crease at the fold. When closed, it was rather fat — 15.5 mm. The release was delayed after reviewers found severe reliability issues. The devices have improved since, but the foldable market is still less than 2% of the overall smartphone pool, CCS Insight's Ben Wood estimates — 22 million foldable units sold in 2024. But with the Fold 7, announced at an event in Brooklyn earlier this month, there's more than a whiff of a suggestion that Samsung has made a foldable phone that everyday users might finally find appealing. The device has been well received in review circles. The $2,000 price tag is huge, granted, though that can be heavily discounted with trade-ins and other perks. And again, it's remarkably thin: When shut, the device is only six-tenths of a millimeter thicker than the latest iPhone 16 Pro. None of this alters the challenge, however, which is that anyone who might be tempted away from the iPhone has too many practical considerations that overrule the novelty or utility of a folding phone. The years of photos, videos and messages; the effortless syncing with MacBooks and iPads; the commitment to never be the one who turns the group chat green. Above all, iOS' straightforward familiarity, and the fact that Apple has never wavered on the quality of its software, is what makes the huge majority of its customers transition from one iPhone to the next without hesitation. Switching from iOS to Android is like asking someone to learn to write with their other hand. They see no compelling reason to put themselves through the effort. Some think that AI is the force that can break Apple's grip, given the company's well-publicized struggle to grasp the technology's potential. It's one reason, in addition to tariff fears, that Apple investors have been in a tizzy since the start of the year, worried that Cupertino has been asleep at the AI wheel and has put at risk the lasting appeal of the most successful consumer product in history. Shares are down more than 14% this year. These concerns are overblown as both a short- and medium-term threat. No AI company is likely to build a device that competes with the iPhone, given the supply chain mastery required, within at least the next five years or longer. There's little to worry about from existing players, either. While watching Samsung's keynote presentation to launch the Fold 7 and other new devices, it was notable that for all the talk of Apple's intense struggle to introduce AI to the iPhone, Samsung hasn't exactly achieved much to get truly excited about either. The standout AI functions were created by Google, a company that aims to get its AI into as many affluent hands as possible, which means making much of the functionality work on the iPhone as well. In addition to this, the most impressive AI functions on Samsung devices require sending data to the cloud — something Apple has been steadfastly opposed to for privacy and performance reasons. That's not to say Apple's AI problem isn't urgent. Seasoned Apple watchers rightly consider the recent fumbles an embarrassment. However, what investors seem to be overlooking is that Apple is on the cusp of a once-in-a-decade moment. The iPhone is about to receive a genuinely significant upgrade, a giant leap from the incremental changes consumers have grown accustomed to in recent years. The last time Apple did this, with the all-screen iPhone X in 2017, analysts underestimated the consumer appetite to drop $1,000 on a smartphone. They shouldn't make the same mistake again — a foldable iPhone is expected to go for $2,000 or more, from which the company is expected to enjoy strong margins. Volumes may be low at first but, from the offset, 'the allure of a folding iPhone would immediately lift the market by many millions,' Wood said. Investors should also consider what happened when Apple introduced its 'Max' models with larger screens in 2014, which some at the time considered to have niche appeal. 'Apple was late in launching a large form factor compared to Samsung and other manufacturers,' wrote analysts at Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. 'Now, large-format displays account for over one-third of Apple iPhone US unit sales.' There's a small chance the folding device will eat into other product lines, most obviously the iPad, though Apple has already started to reposition that device as a small computer rather than a large smartphone. There were cannibalization fears with the iPhone X, too, but its introduction led to the average selling price increasing by $118 over the subsequent two years, according to CIRP's weighted sales data (Apple has stopped disclosing its own figures). And, with more users carrying larger screens on the go, Apple can expect a bump in subscriptions to its streaming and gaming services. All of this amounts to a real upgrade supercycle, if not with Apple's first foldable next year, certainly with the iterations to come. I'm confident it won't take much to persuade a great number of Apple users to start buying what ultimately amounts to one device for the price of two.
