Apple AirTags have long been anticipated as an accessory for the iPhone, with rumors of an Apple-designed key finder dating back to last year. However, at least one prominent Apple leaker believes that AirTags have been anticipated for much longer.

That's John Prosser, who regularly posts details about Apple's upcoming product announcements. In a tweet earlier today (October 9), Prosser predicted that AirTags will not be part of next Tuesday's iPhone 12 announcement and said the tracker is said to be delayed to a March 2021 release.

The only reason we expected to see AirTags at Apple's October 13 event was because Prosser had previously said they would be there. So AirTags were not planned after all.

AirTags are circular discs that pair with the iPhone. When attached to keys or other valuables, they can pinpoint the object's location, similar to how Tile Pro and other best key finders work. The big difference is that those trackers use Bluetooth; AirTags are said to work with the U1 Ultra Wideband chip built into recent iPhones (basically iPhone 11 and later). This gives AirTags better range and accuracy than Bluetooth-based trackers.

Of course, in order to compete with the likes of Tile, AirTags would have to actually appear, and there have been rumors of this since last fall. Since then, every Apple product announcement seems to indicate a possible debut of AirTags.

The blame for the rumored delay lies with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In a subsequent tweet, Prosser said he was told that AirTag would not appear on Tuesday "due to the COVID situation in eastern markets." Allegedly, AirTags will rely on pinging other iPhones to help you locate missing items, and people aren't doing much traveling or commuting outside the home these days. Apple has suggested holding off on AirTags until more people are getting out and about.

AirTags aren't the only product Prosser thinks won't make an appearance Tuesday. He also tweeted that AirPods Studio, the wireless headphones Apple is rumored to be developing, will not appear either; in the case of AirPods Studio, the delay is shorter and could be due to a later Apple event that Apple may hold soon to show off its Apple Silicon-based laptop. It seems likely that we will see the headphones at a later Apple event, such as an event Apple may hold soon to show off its Apple Silicon-based laptops.