Apple’s New Gadget Is Perfect For The Scatter-Brained Kid Who Is Constantly Losing Things

On Tuesday, during the first Apple Event of 2021, the company unveiled AirTag. The device, which is slightly larger than a quarter, can be affixed to just about any item — car keys, a wallet, a car — and can be tracked in Apple’s "Find My" app. Company watchers have been waiting for the announcement for some time and CNNBusiness, in fact, described the gadget as Apple’s “worst kept secret in recent history.”

In addition to precision tracking that provides “exact” directions to the location of your missing item, other features include customizable emojis on the plastic portion of the disc (which can represent what it is you’re tracking), replaceable batteries, and a built-in speaker for easy discovery of nearby items.

Parents: You know what this means, right? Your dreams are about to come true. No longer is tagging technology exclusively the domain of environmentalists working to save endangered species! Now parents can wield this power themselves!

No more engaging in crying arguments with your child about where they left their backpack/sports equipment/favorite stuffed animal/remote control that you know — you know — they were the last one to use. Now? Simply slap an AirTag on that -ish and check your phone. Save tears, time, and the money you would inevitably spend replacing something only to find it a day later after you’ve removed the price tags on the new item, naturally.

According to Apple, location data related to items using AirTags will be kept “private and anonymous with end-to-end encryption.” As for how to affix the AirTag, you can place the little gadget inside a pocket or bag, or use an accessory like a key ring to attach an AirTag to your stuff.

AirTags will be available to purchase on April 30 and will retail for $29 each or $99 for a four-pack, so you have a bit of time to make some big decisions about what you’re going to tag and never lose again.