Loss, Theft, AirPods & the Internet of Things; Plus CEOs of Secureworks, Carbon Health, Aurora
This week, a tale about the Internet of Things. It’s part misadventure, part detective yarn, part eye-opener about a future where more everyday items can access the Internet.
As I got off the plane on December 29 from a trip to Mexico, I lost the case to my brand new 2nd-generation AirPod Pros. My wife had bought them for my birthday earlier that month, and I’d already reached customs with the AirPods in my ears by the time I realized I didn’t have the case on me. Frustrated, I called United Airlines and a customer service rep told me to fill out a lost item form online. I filled it out before we got home and hoped for the best.
I thought I could use another AirPods case to charge them in the meantime, but my phone informed me that the AirPods didn’t belong in the replacement case and so they wouldn’t charge.
Three weeks later I’d received a couple of emailed updates from United saying they were still looking for the case, but no luck. So Saturday morning I thought I would go to an Apple Store and buy a replacement case. But first I’d look online and see how much they cost.
As I looked on the Apple site, I made a discovery: AirPods cases are automatically trackable by Apple’s handy?Find My?app, even if they don’t have the AirPods in them.
This possibility had never occurred to me.
These three weeks later, would the AirPods case still have enough battery to show up on the?Find My?map? I turned on my phone, opened the app, and looked:
And what do you know? There was the case, not far from Newark airport, somewhere near a Best Western. Odd spot. Had someone picked it up and then tossed it out of a car? What was it doing?outside?the airport? I decided I’d drive over and try to find it before spending $100 on a replacement.
Off I went, to the address: near 248 Haynes Avenue in Newark.
There’s nothing at 248 Haynes. It’s an abandoned lot. So I had to drive around a bit, but I figured it out after about 10 minutes. You know what’s right behind that abandoned lot?
United Airlines employee parking. That’s where my case was. In a car.
I called United on the way home and described the situation. They told me to add the case’s serial number to the lost item report and the screenshot of the map showing the location of the case. They promised to get back to me within a week. Later, I decided to see if it had moved. It had:
That seems to be where the case does the evening shift these days.
In all this, two things stand out to me as remarkable.
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I’ll give you an update next week on how United resolves this situation. But the proliferation of AirTags and trackable devices are about to put new pressures on companies’ relationships with their customers.
Secureworks CEO Wendy Thomas on the Leap from Finance Leader to Product Leader
The full conversation:
Carbon Health CEO Eren Bali on $100M CVS Investment in a Series D, Cuts
Aurora CEO Chris Urmson on the Future of Autonomous Trucking
Qualcomm Chairman and Rubrik Board Member on Mark McLaughlin on Leadership Through a Downturn
The full conversation:
Do-er, Dreamer, Driver. Manager - RX Labs Engineering at Rubrik, Inc. [NYSE:RBRK]
2 年I always use airtags when I check bags. Quite nice knowing when to expect your bags to pop up.
Lead Generation ? Affiliate Marketing ? Call Centers ? Consulting ? Advertising ? Outsourcing ? Direct Sales ? Healthcare ? Broker ? Copywriting ? Branding ? Sales Training ? Dot Connector ? ????????????????????
2 年excellent !!! #linkedinnetwork
Realtor Associate @ Next Trend Realty LLC | HAR REALTOR, IRS Tax Preparer
2 年Thanks for the updates on Fortt Knox: Innovation Curated. .
Engagement in an AI Driven, Asynchronous World | Builder | Top Voice | Video Virtuoso | Content Curator | Host, Turn the Lens podcast and Work 20XX podcast
2 年Love the #Leadership Lessons from those doing it today. (Your calendar must be something to see, amazing interview after amazing interview)