> If it's the latter, it might mean that the entire AirTag product line is dead in the water.

The average consumer, or even 99.9% of consumers, don't care at all.

They want to find their things. AirTags help them find their things. They don't care how it works. End of story.

It's not a popular opinion on HN where everyone wants to understand every technical detail of how every product works, but in the real world it doesn't matter. Consumers buy products to solve problems. That's all.