Apple AirTags started appearing in Australian stores on Friday, Apr. 30. However, less than a week since it became officially available for purchase, we would not see any of them after a major retailer in the said country decided to pull them out of the shelves.
What is the reason behind its controversial removal?
Apple AirTags Disappeared in Australian Retail Store
Apple has been conducting its annual event which features the upcoming products that people must witness. In this year's edition, the line-up has included Apple AirTags for its soon-to-be-released devices.
In Australia, many were baffled that this item did not last for a week before being removed from the shelf. According to the statement gathered by Tech Radar, an Officeworks spokesperson mentioned that the Apple AirTag will be withdrawn for the time being from its store.
The spokesperson from the major retailer added that Officeworks will not stock any Apple AirTags. Until the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has not yet released any updates, Officeworks will not make the products available for public purchase.
Read Also : Apple's Spring Loaded Event Could Possibly Brings AirTags, iOS 14.5, and MORE--How to Watch it in Australia
According to the statement, Officeworks will continue to talk with Apple to discuss safety concerns about a certain product. The leading online store in Australia refused to give additional details regarding the sudden removal of AirTags, and this prompted several theories that came from different sources.
Theories Behind Apple AirTags' Removal from Officeworks
Tegan Jones of Gizmodo reported on Tuesday, May 4, that the abrupt disappearance of AirTags has reached the Australian Reddit site.
One Redditor shared that when he went to the Officeworks store to purchase the said product, the staff informed him that the AirTag was removed due to safety reasons.
"Eventually someone came downstairs from the office and explained that the AirTags have been recalled due to safety concerns of how easily the button-cell battery can be removed by a child," the post reads.
Currently, the moderators of the thread marked the post as "unverified."However, the AirTags can still be bought in the Online store of Apple, as well as from few retailers.
Another commenter said that JB Hi-Fi and Big W, some of the retailers are showing a warning message about the button-cell battery. He added that the statement is about the harm that the batteries could produce when they are swallowed by children.
Like what happened to Officeworks, you cannot buy Apple AirTags in the Big W store at the time. The reason behind its removal remains unsettled.
For many years, ACCC has been raising concerns about the button-cell batteries. From here, we could surmise that the agency has something to do with the small tracking device's disappearance.
In the upcoming days, we could see some updates from it.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
