Tile hopes its new AR tech can help locate market share…as Apple looms

Think about the times you lost your keys or wallet… and then your mind. That’s why Tile’s raised $104m to find your stuff.

Per TechCrunch, the company now has plans to release an item tracker with UWB (ultra-wideband) and AR tech to rival Apple’s long-rumored AirTags.

A strong point for Tile is its crowdsourced network

The company has sold 30m+ trackers that are said to locate ~6m items per day across 230 countries and territories.

Tile hopes the new tech and a deal to partner with Amazon’s neighborhood-based Wi-Fi network Sidewalk (acquisition inbound?) can propel it forward.

But when rumors swirl about an Apple product called “Air[anything]s”…

… Competition — looking at you, Tile — should be worried

AirPods quickly went from being a laughingstock to an essential gadget and made up nearly 50% of wireless headphones sold in 2019. AirPod revenue in 2020 may hit $18B (more than 2x the combined 2020 revenue for Snap, Twitter, and Shopify).

AirTags will likely employ many of Tile’s anticipated features like UWB and AR with the added benefit of deep “Find My” app integration — an advantage so significant Tile referenced it in a letter to Europe’s antitrust leadership.

Our recommendation for Tile: Locate some creative ways to survive.