Two years ago, Elon Musk acquired Twitter. During this period leading the renowned platform, the South African entrepreneur has shared numerous stories. He revisited some of these in his approved biography, authored by Walter Isaacson, who notably also wrote a biography of Steve Jobs.
Why Did Elon Musk Purchase All AirTags from an Apple Store?
Tesla, Starlink, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk purchased all his AirTags from an Apple Store. This decision was influenced by the fact that the AirTag got placed on Twitter's servers while being moved from Sacramento to Oregon. The servers are crucial for the social network's functionality, and any problems during the transfer could cause significant issues.
What are the Primary Drawbacks of AirTag?
The AirTag doesn't constantly track location. Instead, it acts like a signal that sends out its location every 15 minutes and when it's near another Apple device, like an iPhone, it can then send that location data to Apple's servers. This means that it's not designed for real-time location tracking.
An iPhone can only connect to 6 AirTags. This is reportedly a limitation Elon Musk faced. Even if the exact number of AirTags he purchased is unknown, potentially ending up with hundreds from selling a store's inventory, only 16 of these can be tied to the "Search" app for tracking on his iPhone.
What other factors should be considered?
Additionally, another important aspect to consider is the economic investment. Elon Musk may have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars in vain on the AirTags.
What happened after Elon Musk bought AirTags?
Following Elon Musk's purchase of AirTags, he encountered several obstacles. The initial challenge was the AirTag's inability to continuously track locations in real-time, rendering it unsuitable for tracking Twitter servers in transit.
The second hurdle that Musk encountered was the limitation of connecting only 6 AirTags to an iPhone. Consequently, this impedes his ability to track all of Twitter's servers in real-time since he would require a significant number of iPhones to link with the AirTags he acquired.
Lastly, the economic aspect must also be considered. Musk invested hundreds, and potentially thousands, of dollars in AirTags but has been unable to utilize them as anticipated.
What are the lessons learned from Elon Musk's experience with AirTags?
Elon Musk's encounter with AirTags imparts several valuable lessons. Firstly, it's crucial to comprehend the functionality of technology before relying on it. Musk assumed AirTags could track Twitter servers, unaware that they couldn't offer real-time location updates.
The second takeaway is the need to consider technical restrictions. Musk assumed he could link all the AirTags to one iPhone, only to realize later that only 6 AirTags could be connected to an iPhone.
Lastly, the third takeaway is the importance of considering the economic aspects. Musk might have invested a significant amount in AirTags, only to find that they didn't meet his expectations. This serves as a reminder that evaluating the return on investment is crucial before adopting any technology.