AirTag With New Chip and Improved Location Tracking Due Next Year

Apple's next-generation AirTag item tracker is on track to launch in mid-2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

AirTag Feature Recolor
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman discussed Apple's work on the next-generation version of the ‌AirTag‌, codenamed "B589." Apple is currently completing manufacturing tests with partners in Asia and the new item tracker is still timetabled to launch around the middle of next year. The new model will apparently feature an upgraded chip and enhanced location tracking capabilities.

In October 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said mass production of the second-generation ‌AirTag‌ had been postponed from the fourth quarter of 2024 until some point in 2025. He believes the new ‌AirTag‌ will have some kind of integration with Apple's Vision Pro headset, but he has not shared any more specific details. See our AirTag 2 guide for more information.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

Surf Monkey Avatar
20 months ago

This is going to be an exciting upgrade! ?
If they’re smaller and thinner it will be an “exciting upgrade” for those of us who use them.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surf Monkey Avatar
20 months ago

Many use AirTags to protect their belongings like Bicycles, Cars, bags etc. At the same time a thief who has an iPhone gets notification that an AirTag is nearby. So, what is the purpose of AirTags? Just find your lost key?
That isn’t really how they work.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canyonblue737 Avatar
20 months ago
If they make them smaller, thinner, or have more versions (like a CC sized one for a wallet) it will be a useful upgrade. If the upgrade just allows the 432 known Vision Pro users to "see" the new tags in their virtual world it won't be that useful.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoldOnApple Avatar
20 months ago
Would be nice if the camera showed where it is exactly in a bag or box or whatever, like x-ray vision. Or of it were small enough to put on a cat collar.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
20 months ago

Would be nice if the camera showed where it is exactly in a bag or box or whatever, like x-ray vision. Or of it were small enough to put on a cat collar.
And if it could also self destruct in case of theft killing the thief.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
20 months ago
I’ve got 8 Air tags which for last year have been awol from my phone, occasionally show up on my watch and are visible on the admin on my Mac m2 but not in the daily use acct on same appleid and Mac.

Reporting this to Apple via feedback after nearly every beta has brought no fix.

I would like Apple fix deficiencies in exisiting products before moving on to new ones.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)