Apple AirTags could launch in October along with products such as iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6.

There was a brief moment before the iPhone 11 keynote last September when it appeared that AirTags might be on the way. Now, a year later, the tracking accessory seems almost ready to help Apple users find their lost items.

According to a report from Japanese site Macotakara (via 9to5Mac), Apple AirTags will be released in October. Of course, as with Apple's other upcoming devices, an AirTags launch event could be held during September.

Macotakara also reports that Apple originally planned to release AirTags in March of this year, but global supply chain delays affected that plan. Later, some consumer technology analysts suggested that AirTags would be included in the hardware portion of the June WWDC event, but only software was presented in the online keynote.

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Like other key finders, Air Tag attaches to valuable objects you want to track, such as keys, computers, wallets and purses. The tracker communicates with your cell phone, so if you misplace an item to which it is attached, you can still locate it.

However, there are significant differences between most key finders and air tag technology. Most key finders connect to your phone via Bluetooth. AirTags, however, is rumored to use the U1 ultra-wideband sensor that Apple added to the Phone 11 and will probably be included in this year's iPhone 12 model. This would give AirTags better range and more accurate location tracking than its competitors.

AirTags will likely work with the native iOS app Find My Phone, which can locate friends and Apple products based on their location.