Apple canceled its AirPower wireless charger. Even successful companies fail sometimes and Apple is no exception. The company behind the successful iPhone, iPad, Mac Book has announced that it is not pushing through with its planned wireless charger, the AirPower. Originally announced in 2017, Apple has finally confirmed the demise of the planned device.
According to MacWorld, the wireless pad was previewed along with the iPhone X in September 2017. AirPower had the ability to simultaneously charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a couple of AirPods.
If everything worked out according to plan, it would have been launched in 2018. Towards the end of the year, however, Apple started to remove any mention of AirPower from its website. This made people speculate that it would never become a reality. This speculation was confirmed when the wireless pad was not included in the March 25 press event of Apple.
Getting to know the AirPower mat
The AirPower wireless charging mat would have had the ability to charge compatible iPhones, Apple Watch, and the new AirPod 2 with wireless charging case. Pocket Lint revealed that this wireless charger would also be compatible with current Qi charging mats and accessories. Although plugged into a wall like other chargers, the AirPower transfers an electrical charge into compatible devices through contact alone.
Just place your device down and it will be charged without a wire. This wireless pad would have been big enough to charge three devices at a time.
Why it was canceled?
From the very start, AirPower already faced several issues. In a report by Bloomberg in 2918 revealed that the wireless mat was facing technicalities with its internal circuitry.
It would integrate 22 charging coils, which is quite a lot. The idea of using that number of coils is to allow you to charge your device wherever it is placed on the mat. It does not require any precision of placement. Since there were different sizes of overlapping coils, AirPower also experienced heat and interference issues.
Furthermore, the AirPower also had software issues. It failed to feedback AirPod and Apple Watch charging data to iPhone. The original idea was to show real-time charge levels on an iPhone. Another reason for its demise was the price. Most wireless chargers on the market cost less than $50 like the UMIDIGI wireless charger. but the AirPower would have had a whopping $150 price tag which is quite expensive.
In a press statement, Apple Senior Vice President Dan Riccio apologized to consumers who were expecting the launch of AirPower. According to him, Apple also felt that it would not achieve its high standard which caused them to cancel the project.
