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Comment by stickfigure | Hacker News Reader

You can buy devices with GPS and cellular data.

True! I believe the unique paring here with the Apple tags is that the device is very small and piggybacks off of iPhones, and has a year+ battery. I don't believe GPS + cell devices can get there on the battery department, but I might be wrong.

Putting something in someone's car once is a lot easier than putting something in someone's car and then recharging it once every couple of days.

You can write firmware that puts it in a low power state (like the airtags) when it isn't broadcasting. My custom door-unlocker uses bluetooth and wifi, it has a single 18650 battery and lasts about a year (with locking/unlocking daily) before needing to be recharged. I assume if you didn't have a giant servo, you could wire up a modem and it'd easily last years on a single charge, checking in every 10-15 minutes. It wouldn't be as small and inconspicuous as an airtag though.

Having to use both gps and cellular instead of just Bluetooth uses MUCH more power

You can cut power to those systems if you’re not actively using them. Especially if you don’t have any command/control.

You're still not going to get a year of battery life.

The unique part is that it’s Apple. These devices have been on the market for years, it’s only now that Apple has made one that it’s a problem.

Not sure why you're getting downvoted. Amazon has small GPS trackers that are not much bigger than an AirTag.

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