AirTag order arrives two days before the release date

Apple opened pre-orders for its new AirTag item tracking system on April 23rd with shipments slated to start this Friday, April 30th. But a lucky customer told 9to5Mac that his order for a 4-pack placed with Best Buy on Friday has already arrived. The product was shipped on Monday, April 26th, and arrived on Wednesday April 28th.

Most likely, those who ordered from Best Buy have a better shot at receiving their order early as Apple would be least likely of the two to ship the product early. In addition, it would seem highly probable that there are more AirTag purchasers who received their order early than just one person. The product can help you find a missing item using the new items tab in the Find My app or by asking Siri to find it.

If the missing item is close by, you will hear a sound from the AirTag's speaker that you can follow until you are reunited with the missing item. If the item you've "AirTagged" is nearby and you have an iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 model, you can use Precision Finding to receive precise directions to the item. That's because those models contain the U1 Ultra Wideband chip.

If you've left an item far behind, nearby Apple devices in the Find My network will receive a secure Bluetooth signal sent out by the AirTag you've attached to your item. These devices send the location of your AirTag to iCloud allowing you to find the location on a map in the Find My app.

Now if you put your AirTag into Lost Mode, you'll get a notification if it has been discovered by a device in the network. And you can also set your AirTag to cough up your contact information when it is placed alongside any handset that is NFC capable. Yes folks, that means both iOS and Android handsets, as long as they support NFC, can help you get in touch with someone who finds your missing or lost item.

Information is encrypted and the AirTag will even alert you if someone is trying to stalk you with their AirTag. A 1-pack is priced at $29, and a 4-pack will cost you $99. The AirTags are water resistant and have a replaceable battery.