Apple’s rumored efforts to resurrect the AirPower wireless charging mat could finally be dead for good, as a new leak says the company has likely scrapped the project.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, serial leaker Jon Prosser on Monday said AirPower prototyping and testing were removed from Apple’s 2021 schedule. The project looks to be shelved indefinitely.
“All AirPower prototyping/testing has been removed from the schedule for 2021.. Sources doubt that it’ll ever be picked back up again. Seems like once again, AirPower is dead,” Prosser said.
Apple first announced the AirPower charging mat back in 2017. The charger was designed to allow laying up to 3 wireless-capable Apple devices on the mat in any spot for charging. The charger incorporated an array of coils to enable free placement charging.
Following multiple delays, Apple officially canceled the AirPower in 2019. At that time, executives merely said the device did “not achieve our high standards.” Follow-up reports indicated there were problems related to overheating.
Recently, reports of a renewed effort to bring AirPower to market began to surface. Reports suggested that the Cupertino tech giant had resumed prototyping and testing and that they had potentially solved the overheating issue by using an A11 chip for power management.
Apple recently debuted its new MagSafe wireless charging system alongside its new iPhone 12 lineup. The MagSafe wireless charging format offers 15W charging, as well as the modular attachment of wallets, cases, and other accessories.