Nearly a year after canceling its AirPower wireless charging mat, Apple has resumed development of the project, according to YouTuber and leaker Jon Prosser. However, there is no guarantee that the accessory will ever be released.
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Prosser claims that Apple engineers are attempting to redesign the mat's charging coils to displace heat more effectively, adding that prototyping is underway. Apple only said that the AirPower failed to achieve its high standards, but rumors suggested that the mat experienced issues with heat management and interference.
AirPower would have been able to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods case simultaneously, regardless of each device's position on the mat. The battery percentage of each device would have shown up on the iPhone's lock screen while charging.
AirPower isn’t dead 👀 The project is back on, internally. No guarantee that they’ll finalize and release it, but they haven’t given up yet and they’re trying to re-engineer the coils to displace heat more effectively. Prototyping is underway. 🧻🧻🧻🧻🧻 pic.twitter.com/tjbbViwGM2 — Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 22, 2020
Apple first previewed the AirPower in September 2017 at Steve Jobs Theater, shortly after introducing the iPhone X, and said that it would be released by the end of 2018. Apple failed to deliver on that promise and ultimately canceled the mat in March 2019. At the time, Apple said it remained "committed to push the wireless experience forward."
Prosser has shared accurate Google leaks in the past, but he has only recently pushed more into Apple rumors, so his track record is limited on that front.
A few months ago, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasted that one of Apple's major new hardware products in the first half of 2020 would include a "smaller wireless charging mat," but he did not provide any further details and that timeframe may have changed due to the ongoing pandemic. It is unclear if the mat would have AirPower branding.
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If you’re not into rumors, you’re at the wrong place...my God, enough with this already.
And astoundingly convenient.Qi charging sucks. It's slow, wasteful, makes your phone burning hot, bad for your battery, and potentially dangerous.
Just put the phone down and it charges. Pick it up and go. Versus plugging it in and unplugging it (and potentially chasing the wire around when it falls off your nightstand, etc.)Not really. Kind of the opposite, actually.
If you can plug in a Qi charger, you can plug in a lightning cable.
How is it more convenient?
That’s the point, one doesn’t have to plug a cable into the phone to charge it. I find that convenient. Ymmv.Not really. Kind of the opposite, actually.
If you can plug in a Qi charger, you can plug in a lightning cable.
How is it more convenient?
I know so many other Apple users that have AirPods, Watch & iPhone that would buy this...