Apple: The new AirTags are better – why I will still buy the old ones

Apple just announced new and improved AirTags, with louder sounds, a longer range and a better chip. You can also use the “Precision Finding” function with the current Apple Watches for the first time.

There's really nothing not to like about it – a good, useful product gets even better. And the best part is that the price – $29 (around €24) for one piece or $99 (around €83) for a pack of four – remains the same.

But I won't buy them.

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Instead, I'm going to get the old version, which is sold on Amazon and a few other sites for $69.99 in a four-pack.

Why? Well, the main reason – and probably the only reason – is that I'm stingy (okay, maybe not “stingy,” which implies I don't tip, but rather frugal).

The AirTag is a fantastic product and when it launched in 2021 I was absolutely thrilled. However, at this point I already had a Tile tracker for my house keys, which has largely the same function. I actually preferred the Tile tracker for a reason: you can press the Tile tracker to ping your phone, but you can't make your phone ring with the AirTags.

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When Apple announces a new and improved version of an existing product, I'm usually excited about the new features and believe it's best to buy the latest version.

As someone who constantly forgets where her phone is – in my purse? On the countertop? In the sink? In your coat pocket? – I loved that I could use my keys (which always stay in the same place) to find my phone. But now I use my Apple Watch for this.

The fantastic thing about AirTags is that you can locate them at close range using your smartphone. It shows how far away they are and in which direction you have to move, similar to a dowsing rod that you can use to find lost keys in a sofa cushion.

AirTags help me find my lost remote controls

Years ago I bought a four-pack of AirTags, gave one to my husband for his keys, attached one to my own keys, and put one in my son's school backpack in case he forgot it on the bus. The last one was my favorite: I clipped it into the AirTag-sized compartment of a bright orange silicone Apple TV remote case. (If you have an Apple TV, I really recommend getting a $7 colorful rubber case for it to make it less slippery in your hand.) I can't tell you how much time I spent looking for that damn remote – and I finally found a solution.

Life was good for a while. But after about a year the batteries were dead. It's easy to replace the battery, but you also have to remember to buy new batteries of the right size. And if you're one of those people who needs an Air Tag on your TV remote, you might also be one of those people who keep forgetting to replace the batteries in your Air Tags.

Eventually the AirTags were lost. The one on my key ring fell off. My son lost his. The one on the remote control has been missing for years. Somehow these devices, which are actually only there to be found, kept slipping away and could no longer be found.

This isn't Apple's fault, it's my own – user error. I was planning on buying new ones but just haven't gotten around to it yet. (Remember, I'm “the kind of person who forgets to buy batteries for the AirTag on my remote.”)

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I'll stick with the old AirTag version for now

But AirTags are a special category. They bring no joy and are no fun; in fact, most days or weeks you don't use them at all. The trick is that they're there in the one moment that really bails you out – when you're running out the door and can't find your car keys or the airline has lost your luggage.

In my opinion, this is a gadget where the best price is more important than the latest updates. “It serves its purpose” is all you would expect from it.

And for the few moments when an AirTag really helps you, I think the old models work just as well. What if I save 30 US dollars (around 25 euros)? Well, it's worth it to me.