Apple’s tracking tags will reportedly use ultra-wideband for precision

Apple is working on a Tile-like tracking device, according to solid sources within the rumor mill.

Igor Bonifacic for Engadget:

What hasn’t been clear is how the company plans to differentiate the product beyond its usual ecosystem tie-ins. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a solid track record on rumors, and claims the answer is a technology called ultra-wideband (UWB) that will allow the tags to perform better than currently-available competition.

According to a previous report from Kuo, all three 2019 iPhones will feature UWB. Unfortunately, that leaves out all current iPhone owners.

MacDailyNews Take: The answer, for users and Apple alike: Upgrade your iPhone!

11 Comments

  1. There’s always some premium experience that is only available if you buy the latest phone. This may be a key one, in addition to lots of the camera features. Looking forward to Portrait Mode Video! Also to getting lots of these little tags. How much will the tracking dots cost, do you think?

  2. My guess is they will feature both Bluetooth and UWB, with more precise performance provided by the iPhone 11 series. The red 3D ballon for the iPhone 11, the orange balloon for the rest.

  3. Does this not work in principle through exploiting in effect a net of nearby iPhones expanding coverage substantially beyond say a single Bluetooth device somewhat like some competing devices. Or would UWB which I know nothing about make this a redundant concept. I ask because unless it’s the latter then ‘Currentinterest’ must be correct, otherwise this concept would be as good as useless for some considerable time until a large enough take up of the latest phones enabled the net process to function effectively. So yes it seems UWB will be the real deal but on top of the far more limited Bluetooth version that simply matches present competitors and that I suspect will work on present iPhones.

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