Now that Apple’s lost item finder AirTag has been officially unveiled, competitor Tile is going on record ahead of its testimony in front of Congress tomorrow about how it perceives Apple’s latest product. The company says it will be asking Congress on Wednesday to take a closer look into Apple’s business practices, and specifically its AirTag entry into the item tracker market.
Tiles’s market consists of Bluetooth-powered trackers that allow users to find lost items. Apple’s new AirTag trackers offer more precise ultra-wideband technology, integration into Apple’s “Find My” app, and the ability to leverage the iPhone install base to help find missing items – all while preserving user privacy.
Ahead of AirTag’s launch, Apple moved to head off any sort of anti-competitive claims by opening up access to its “Find My” app to third parties. It even partnered with a Tile competitor, the Chipolo ONE Spot, to serve as proof that it’s giving other lost item finders that compete with AirTag equal footing on its iPhone platform. But Tile’s argument to date has been that it doesn’t want to give up the direct relationship it has with customers via its own iOS app to instead support Apple’s “Find My” users, and that Apple’s mere decision to enter this market with its own item-locating tracker will allow it to easily dominate because of its first-party advantage and ecosystem power…
Apple, in response, points out that its Find My network pre-dates Tile’s founding, and that Tile is able to use Find My if it chooses. It also notes Tile has 90% market share and Apple will need to sell a lot of AirTags to catch up with that lead.
MacDailyNews Take: Instead of actually attempting to compete, Tile wants U.S. Congress to do their work for them.
Tile could have done the work to produce a wider variety of trackers, with the latest UWB technology, and teamed with makers of bicycles, handbags, luggage, keychains, etc. around the world, but they did not. Therefore, they deserve exactly what’s coming to them: Scraping the bottom of the barrel for cheapskate Android settlers for as long as Tile manages to last.
Tile CEO CJ Prober’s statement, in part, following Apple’s AirTag unveiling:
We welcome competition, as long as it is fair competition. Unfortunately, given Apple’s well-documented history of using its platform advantage to unfairly limit competition for its products, we’re skeptical. And given our prior history with Apple, we think it is entirely appropriate for Congress to take a closer look at Apple’s business practices specific to its entry into this category. We welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues further in front of Congress tomorrow.
Even with an 8 year head start, Tile wasn’t smart enough to make wide-ranging deals to get their trackers everywhere and sell 300 million units per year at $5 profit each. Instead, they wanted to sell 15 million/yr. at a profit of $25 each. So, because somebody built a better mousetrap, now the dummies at Tile run whining to idiot politicians – maybe they can all put their empty heads together and do some basic math, for a change. Way too late, but whatever.
Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. — Steve Jobs
No Tile. You don’t ask for government intervention. You gather your best and brightest. Head for the conference room. Acknowledge the competitor has offered a product that looks pretty damned sweet. Then ask… “How do we compete? How do we kick their asses?”
“Instead of actually attempting to compete, Tile wants U.S. Congress to do their work for them.” Where have we heard that before? Just this week, another company got some members of Congress to put the Government’s thumb on the scales for them in a dispute with Apple.
Tile, you suck! You had an 8 year head start, you didn’t innovate, you rested on your laurels… 8 damn years.
Now you want the government to question Apple? How bout the people judge you (Tile) as irrelevant. I look forward to seeing your market share drop.
Apple releases Find My (iPhone) in 2010. Tile launches their product a few years after that. Hmmm. See the problem there?
Libturd move. Not surprising
Wait a minute, who’s the boogeyman libturd you’re twisting your conservitard panties over today? Usually you hate everybody at Apple.
Let me guess, you have temporarily moved Apple one rung up the Inferno so that you could share with us all your extreme and poorly conceived hatred of democratically elected representatives as well as small innovative developers.
Sounds like you’re a sad sack ‘o’ shite that hates everyone, Hal.
Didn’t Apple just open up find my for tile and others. Seems pretty fair that they get that system for their product.
The difference is, I think, that Apple AirTags don’t steal your data as far as I know while Tile does and Congress likes this.
I bought tile when it first came out and it never worked well… Customer service was not helpfui. I ended up tossing them in the garbage.
EXACTLY – did the same. Product was crap and it was always accidentally going off in my pocket. Ordering Airtags the day they are released
Yawn. First time I heard of Tile was in 2014. Any new ideas guys?
Chipolo is much better than Tile which is trash. But the last of my chipolos is almost out of battery now, perfect timing for AirTags.
If chipolo is so awesome, why aren’t the batteries user-replaceable or rechargeable?
Tile may not be perfect but they deserve to have their case be heard. Competition is good. Apple harming competitors unfairly is NOT GOOD. Withhold your judgment until you’ve heard all the facts people.
I never said Chipolo was awesome, I said they were better than Tile’s trash offering. You sound like some some paid Tile goon d*ckriding for a paycheck.
Repeat after me:
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
“Competition is bad; Cooperation is good.”
But this is merely my opinion and my MO which works wonders for me.