AirPower is dead again, long live MagSafe
The saga of AirPower is one of Apple’s biggest blunders of recent years. The product was announced and then eventually cancelled back in early 2019. After some rumours it could return, Apple has pivoted to MagSafe and that’s reported to be the final nail in AirPower’s coffin.
When Apple revealed the reimagined MagSafe at the iPhone 12 event, it seemed the original vision for AirPower had likely gone the way of the dodo. A new report has confirmed this, stating the ill-fated AirPower tale is finally over before it ever really started.
Related: 72 hours with MagSafe – How good is the wireless iPhone 12 charger?
Prolific leaker Jon Prosser is the prominent voice putting credence to the rumours around the end of AirPower:
There was plenty of speculation as to why Apple stopped pressing ahead with AirPower, with the company’s own SVP of hardware engineering Dan Riccio saying: “After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project.” An AirPower teardown pointed towards the requirement of the tight packing in of coils as something that may have fallen short of Apple standards.
AirPower was a far more traditional wireless charging solution than what MagSafe has ended up being – simply taking the form of a large wireless charging mat that could charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods without any additional accessories.
Related: iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro
AirPower appears to be ever-so-slightly living on in the form of the MagSafe Duo – a charging mat for Apple devices. However, as the name suggests, it is set to support two devices in two MagSafe-supporting positions rather than simply being one large mat for easily placing your devices at any position you please.
While many may be disappointed about the death of the simplistic idea of a large Apple wireless charging mat, our deputy editor Max Parker has spent time with the new MagSafe tech and says it’s a “faster, well-designed” take on wireless charging and “the addition of magnets means you can still use your phone while it’s charging.” So, it’s not all bad.