A DigiTimes report claims that Apple’s Ultra Wideband chip is steadily driving companies to do some research and find out how it can be used in the near future.
Ultra Wideband is a kind of radio technology that’s more precise than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. UWB technology currently resides in the latest iPhone 12 and 11 series, as well as the HomePod mini and the Apple Watch 6.
Other companies quickly followed suit, with Xiaomi offering UWB-enabled smartphones and Samsung releasing the Galaxy Flip 2 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Ultra Wideband on the HomePod mini allows an iPhone user to ‘sense’ whether they are getting near the device via haptic feedback. When in range, a menu to play music opens up. This feature will be on the HomePod 14.4 beta.
Apple’s rumored AirTags will also make use of Ultra Wideband technology to track small items. Its competitor Tile also intends to release a new version of its tracker products and use UWB chips as well.