Apple has gradually sold an increasing number of AirTags, despite not receiving much attention, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a tweet, Kuo explained that he believes Apple shipped around 20 million AirTag item trackers in 2021, rising to 35 million in 2022:
AirTag, which has not received much attention, has gradually grown in shipments since its release. Shipment estimations of AirTag reach about 20 mn & 35 mn units in 2021 & 2022, respectively. If AirTag shipments continue to grow, I believe Apple will develop the 2nd generation. — 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 19, 2022
He added that if the trend continues and AirTag shipments grow further, Apple may be more likely to develop a second-generation version of the device. It is unclear what an upgraded AirTag could offer, but early rumors and patent filings related to the device suggested that it could be rechargeable instead of using a disposable CR2032 battery, feature motion sensing for AR and VR, or even offer proximity-based experiences for commercial settings.
Source: Macrumors