I feel like an IDIOT for buying Apple AirTag

Am I an "Apple guy?" I suppose so; at least my iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV would suggest that to be the case. With that said, I don't blindly throw money at the company's latest products. For instance, I still use an iPhone 8 Plus -- with a home button -- as my smartphone. I don't have a fancy iPad Pro, but instead, a 7th-gen regular iPad with just 32GB of storage. True, my 2020 M1 Mac mini is very modern, but it is the extremely inexpensive base model.

Apple's newest product, AirTag, went on sale this past Friday, and for some reason, I got caught up in the hype and pre-ordered one. Not only did I buy the AirTag, but a red leather keychain for it too. Almost immediately after placing the order, I felt like a total fool. It is probably one of the stupidest tech purchases I ever made.

Before I explain why this was a dumb purchase, let's talk about what exactly AirTag is. The product can be attached to other physical items you own so you can track them using Apple's "Find My" feature. So, for instance, the AirTag gets inserted into the leather keychain I bought, and then the keychain gets attached to my keys. If I lose my keys, I can pull out my phone and locate them on a map. I can even make my keys play a noise, so I can find them if they are accidentally hidden in, say, my couch.

ALSO READ: Apple introduces AirTag, its Tile-like item tracker

This is a neat product (although not a new concept), and I am sure it will work well. So why is my purchase stupid? Quite simply, the price. The AirTag costs $29 and the fancy leather keychain costs even more -- $35. After tax, my total cost is $69.52! Yes, folks, I essentially paid $70 to Apple just in case one day I possibly lose my keys. In all my years, I have never lost either my car or house key. If it was, say, $20 total for a keychain with tracking capabilities, maybe that would be OK. But $70? I am a total fool. Apple got me.

Will I cancel the pre-order or return the Apple AirTag? Probably not. I want to try it out and play with the thing out of curiosity. Overall, seventy bucks won't ruin me, although that is a lot of money -- to me, at least. With all of that said, I urge anyone getting caught up in the hype to take a deep breath and ask themselves, "Do I really need an AirTag?" For most consumers, the answer is probably no -- especially at this price.

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