Q&A with Apple VP Tim Twerdahl, who says the new Siri Remote doesn't need AirTag's UWB tech because it is too thick to get lost in couch cushions
The new Apple TV features an entirely revamped Siri Remote, the A12 Bionic chip and 60Hz Dolby Vision — Ahead of the A pple TV 4K …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already made the redesigned controller a $59 standalone replacement compatible with earlier Apple TV models, while early reviews emphasized its click wheel and power button as the practical upgrade. Twerdahl's rationale clarifies that Apple chose not to extend AirTag-style UWB location hardware to this accessory.
That decision persisted in the related coverage: the later Apple TV 4K review still noted the absence of AirTag-like remote tracking, despite another remote revision.
First-order effects
- Apple TV buyers and owners replacing older remotes receive the new physical controls, but not UWB-based location finding; Apple treats the thicker design as sufficient mitigation for a commonly misplaced accessory.
- The separately sold Siri Remote gives prior Apple TV owners access to the redesign without adding a tracking feature to the replacement path.
Second-order effects
- Apple's Siri Remote upgrade competes on control usability rather than a location feature, reinforcing the click wheel and power button that early reviews identified as the remote's strengths.
- AirTag remains the named Apple product associated with UWB finding in this coverage, rather than UWB becoming a default capability across Apple TV accessories.
Third-order effects
- The continued lack of AirTag-like tracking in the later remote points to a product strategy in which Apple reserves locator technology for dedicated tracking products while improving television accessories through simpler hardware changes.
- If that pattern holds, remote-control differentiation will remain centered on compatibility and interface design rather than turning item finding into a baseline feature.
The trend: Apple's Apple TV accessory strategy is favoring backward-compatible control refinements over embedding UWB tracking in the Siri Remote.