Is this the 3D AirTags animation we'll see during pairing?

Fpt Airtags 3d Animation (Image credit: FPT)

What you need to know

A new 3D animation, said to be created by Apple, has been shared by Jon Prosser.

Apple will get around to launching AirTags sooner or later, that much we know. When that will be isn't clear – although Ming-Chi Kuo thinks it'll be this year, at least. Regardless of the timelines, we might just have been treated to our first look at the devices thanks to Apple. Or, at least, a software engineer working for the company.

Shared by Jon Prosser and his Front Page Tech YouTube channel, a new 3D animation appears to show the 3D animation we'll see when pairing AirTags with an iPhone. That means this is an official Apple animation that, says Prosser, came from an Apple software engineer.

Check it out.

EP. 1001 - Apple AirTags - HERE YOU GO! Official FIRST LOOK! Real footage! EXCLUSIVE LEAKS! Here's your first look at OFFICIAL AirTags footage from Apple.

The AirTags shown in this video look very much the same as renders Prosser had made last year. With that in mind, a white cover with a metal back looks set to be the look we'll be getting used to should AirTags ever see the light of day.

On that subject, Prosser says that AirTags are now ready to go, but that the COVID-19 pandemic has so far prevented a launch. It's thought that Apple simply doesn't want to release a product designed to help find lost things when people aren't leaving their homes as much.

It's obvious at this point that AirTags are coming. It's just a matter of when.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.