New updates are being added to the bottom of the story…

Original story (from May 07, 2021) follows:

Apple products, while crazy expensive (borderline overpriced), hold one key benefit over the competition, design. Apple products are crazy well-engineered and designed.

Look at the sleek MacBooks. The iPad. The Watch. Or even the ubiquitous iPhones. No wonder these products tend to hold their value, years down the line.

Recently in the Spring 2021 Apple event, we saw the company unveil a new product altogether, effectively marking its debut into the whole smart tracker segment of the market previously dominated by companies like Tile.

airtags

The AirTags hold one key benefit over its competitors as it plugs right into the Apple ecosystem, taking advantage of the Find My network that already boasts of billions of devices already.

As exciting as the AirTags prospect is, there seems to be an issue, at least with these initial AirTags.

According to new users, the AirTags seem to get scratches a bit too easily, perhaps due to the quality of materials that they have been made out of.

airtags scratches
Click/Tap to Zoom (Source)

Popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything also took his Mohr’s picks at one of these gadgets and sure enough, they seem to catch scratches pretty easily.

This means that users have to resort to pretty crafty ways of ensuring that their devices don’t get all covered up in scuffs and scratches.

I cut 2 pieces of sticky-backed plastic, just larger than the size of a UK 2 pence piece, and stuck it to the front and back of mine before inserting into their holders. Works a treat.
Source

However, this doesn’t really seem to bother some users of the AirTag — users who apparently, don’t see why a $30 price tag shouldn’t give Apple room to compromise on build quality.

Some users don’t seem to mind the fact that the AirTag’s new, flashy paint-job might fade away a lot sooner than it probably should, perhaps due to the form-over-function mantra.

While the scratches bug me because it feels like a “form over function” decision (ie, textures applied to the surfaces could make them look new longer), I can live with the eventual rattiness. I’m actually more concerned with how long the case back will stay tight. I suppose they’ll last a few years before the assembly degrades… but I feel like that’s their major weak point.

Source

Away from them though, we’d like to hear from you. How do you feel about the AirTags easily getting scratches. Are you okay with this or are you concerned that the smart tracker will soon become a web of scratches?

We’re running a poll on Twitter and we’d like to get your feedback so please, go on out and cast your ballot. We shall update this post in a week with the poll results so stay tuned.

Update 1 (May 16, 2021)

IST 07:07 am: The results are out and evidently, most of you are of the feeling that Apple should’ve done better. 57.1% of you voted that this bothers you while 14.1% aren’t exactly bothered. Interestingly, 28% of you aren’t bothered by this.

NOTE: We have these and many more Apple stories in our dedicated Apple section.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Clinton Madegwa
1118 Posts

A cybernaut grasping at all things tech. Lover of Android, Linux, and custom ROMS. A nerd, a writer, an avid reader.

Next article View Article

[Updated] Smart trackers market for Android users is about to get messy unless Google steps in fast

New updates are being added to the bottom of the story… Original story (from May 09, 2021) follows: Apple's AirTag isn't the first of its kind. Smart trackers...
May 04, 2023 4 Min Read