Apple AirPower Wireless Charging Mat Delayed Until Fall Amid Development Setbacks

by Brandon Hill — Thursday, June 21, 2018, 09:23 AM EDT

When Apple announced the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X back in fall 2017, it also revealed its so-called “AirPower” wireless charging mat. Apple originally said that the device would ship in 2018, but what we didn’t know at the time is that it would be a late 2018 release. According to a new report, AirPower won’t be released until September which is one year from its original announcement.

AirPower allows you to recharge three completely different types of Apple mobile devices simultaneously. The charging mat can accommodate and “wirelessly” charge an iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus/iPhone X, Apple Watch and AirPods charging case all at once. Apple has designed its own proprietary charging technology to help better integrate with its family of mobile devices, but it will also be compatible with the widespread Qi wireless charging standard. So, in theory, you should be able to slap just about any Qi-compatible device on the charger without issue.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has encountered a number of issues as it tries to bring AirPower to market. Given that three unique device types are supported, there are multi-sized charging components strewn across the charging pad which must be regulated. With that in mind, it’s said that AirPower is actually running a stripped-down version of iOS to handle device pairing and power delivery. Apple is also said to be working to crush firmware bugs that are preventing AirPower from working reliably.

AirPower is definitely an ambitious project, and one that Apple likely wants to be nearly perfect when released. It definitely has the potential to clean up your nightstand or desk with a single charging mat and cable instead of three separate charging devices (if you own an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods). The question now is when exactly AirPower will be released, and how much will Apple charge for the device.

Tags: Apple, wireless charging, (NASDAQ:AAPL), qi wireless, airpower

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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