Apple AirPower may return as a smaller wireless charger

Way back in September 2017, Apple not only announced that it would be supporting Qi wireless charging on its iPhones going forward, but also announced the AirPower charging mat. This was a fairly ambitious product, which would support wireless charging for up to three devices at once. AirPower was supposedly cancelled after failing to overcome design issues but the product may well have a spiritual successor on the way. 

AirPower was primarily aimed at people who owned multiple Apple devices, including an iPhone, an Apple Watch or even the latest generation of AirPods. Last year, some experts on the subject proclaimed that AirPower was ‘doomed to fail’, as the mat contained too many overlapping coils to work effectively. These details were essentially confirmed when Apple officially cancelled the product.

Now, it seems that AirPower could live on, albeit in a scaled-back, more realistic design. Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5mac), gave investors financial guidance for the first half of 2020, stating that we can expect a fairly good line-up of devices and accessories this year.

Aside from the iPhone SE 2, a new iPad model and new MacBooks, Apple is also expected to release “a smaller wireless charging mat, UWB tag and high-end Bluetooth headphones.

KitGuru Says: The number of coils required to support three wirelessly charged devices at once ensured the cancellation of AirPower. However, Apple could very easily scale back the idea and release a smaller official wireless charging mat. If the rumours are correct, then we may end up seeing such a product in the next few months. 

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