Apple AirTag trackers were launched at Apple’s Spring Loaded event on Tuesday, and they are aimed at helping you find anything they have been attached to using the Find My app. Also at its Spring Loaded event, Apple announced a new Purple colour variant for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. It will go up for pre-orders starting this week. The new colour has “elements of sophistication and brightness” as per Apple CEO Tim Cook. The purple colour variant will join the already available Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White colours.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will soon be available in a new purple colour that will be up for pre-orders starting Friday, April 23 in 30 countries, and thereafter go on sale from April 30. It wasn’t immediately apparent if India was part of the first wave of launch countries. As mentioned earlier, Purple joins the Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White colours. Pricing for the iPhone 12 purple variant starts at Rs. 79,900 and Rs. 69,900 for the iPhone 12 mini – the same as the pricing for other colours.

AirTag trackers are priced at Rs. 3,190 for one and Rs. 10,900 for a four pack. There are also Hermes edition accessories that the AirTag can be carried in. AirTag trackers will go on sale from April 30. In the US, AirTag trackers are priced at $29 (roughly Rs. 2,200) for the single tile, and $99 (roughly Rs. 7,500) for the 4-pack, and will go up for pre-orders from 5am PDT (5:30pm IST) on April 23.

iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini Purple variant specifications

As we know, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini feature Super Retina XDR displays. They are powered by the A14 Bionic chip and come with 5G connectivity. There are dual 12-megaixel cameras on the back of the two phones. On the front, there is another 12-megapixel selfie shooter. Apple says the iPhone 12 can last up to 17 hours with video playback while the iPhone 12 mini can last up to 15 hours. They support MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W and Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W.

Apple AirTags features

AirTags use Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to locate items. They come with the U1 chip that allows it to find Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models. AirTags use audible beeps through the built-in speaker when in Bluetooth range to help you locate the device they are attached to. They offer NFC and Bluetooth LE connectivity, apart from featuring an accelerometer. The AirTags also feature Siri support, and a claimed one year of battery life. AirTags are IP67 water and dust resistant.

They can be connected by just bringing them close to an iPhone. The Find My app shows the current and last location of the AirTags. They use Precision Finding that takes inputs from the camera, ARKit, accelerometer, and gyroscope to guide the user to the lost item. Apple says communication with the Find My network is end-to-end encrypted and that the AirTag is designed to find things and not people.

Is OnePlus 9R old wine in a new bottle — or something more? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 23:00), we talk about the new OnePlus Watch. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.