Apple officially cancelled AirPower last April, a year and a half after it first unveiled the wireless charging mat. But Mophie appears to be working on its own version − and yes, it would be capable of charging Apple devices no matter whereabouts on the device they’re placed.
That was the key thing about AirPower. Apple had envisioned a device that would go above and beyond a standard wireless charger, of which there are loads available on the market. These can typically only charge a single device at a time, and require that device to be placed on the right part of the mat, and in a specific orientation.
Related: Best iPhone
With AirPower, Apple had promised that you’d be able to put your AirPods, iPhone and Apple Watch anywhere on the mat and guarantee that they’d all charge up.
According to Bloomberg, Brad Bell, a senior marketing executive at Mophie’s parent company Zagg, has been pitching such a device to journalists and retailers at CES this week, and collecting feedback. The plan is to release it later this year (via 9to5Mac).
Unfortunately, that’s all we currently have to go on.
When Apple announced that it was no longer planning to release AirPower, it failed to go into the specifics of why the project had been canned.
“After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project,” Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, Dan Riccio, said at the time.
“We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.”
Related: Best wireless charger
However, multiple reports had claimed that issues with overheating had been a constant thorn in the company’s side during the development process. Hopefully Zagg has managed to find the solution that eluded Apple for so long.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.