Australian retailer Officeworks recently took Apple AirTag off its offline and online channels citing an easy removal of its button-cell batteries as a concern for child safety to its customers.
Officeworks halts popular Apple product Safety concerns for children have prompted Officeworks to suspend the sale of a wildly popular new Apple product just weeks after it was released.
Technology by Evin Priest 5th May 2021 1:28 PM Officeworks has paused the sale of Apple s new AirTags just two weeks after they were released due to concerns children could easily remove the button cell battery. In late April, Apple unveiled its own version of Tile technology, a device that uses Bluetooth to track personal belongings to your smartphone. However, reports surfaced online of customers being told at Officeworks stores that the AirTag was temporarily unavailable, while the company also removed the product from its website.
Australia retailer pulls AirTag over safety concerns
Officeworks responds to reports that AirTag battery is dangerously easy for children to access.
| 9 hours ago
The Australian retailer Officeworks has stopped selling Apple s AirTag object tracker, following reports that its battery can easily be removed by children.
The move, first reported by Gizmodo and since confirmed by Officeworks, was done quietly at first, with shop-floor staff unaware that the product had been pulled.
One Apple fan in Keswick, South Australia, described a mystifying shopping experience on Reddit. They tried to buy an AirTag using a voucher, but employees were unable to find any, despite seeing stock on the system and remembering selling the devices a few days previously.
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Image: Apple
Exclusive! Officeworks has confirmed with Gizmodo Australia that is has pulled the Apple AirTags from its shelves until further notice due to concerns regarding the accessibility of the button battery.
This article has been updated to include comment from Apple and the ACCC.
AirTags removed from Officeworks shelves and online
Word of the AirTags removal were first floating around Reddit on Monday.
One user posted in r/Australia about their experience trying to buy AirTags in a South Australian store.
“Staff at the counter could see on their system that they had some in stock, and one staff member even remembered selling them on Friday, but they couldn’t find them today,” the user wrote in a post.