Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman says Apple is still working on making an AirPower-like charging pad work properly. The news comes in the latest edition of the journalist’s Power On newsletter.
Gurman repeats earlier reports that Apple continues to work on a wireless charging pad that would charge multiple devices – like an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, all at once.
Apple first teased the AirPower back in September 2017 during that year’s iPhone 8/iPhone X event. Apple had said that the charging mat would be available sometime during 2018, but the target timeframe expired without seeing the AirPower. The product was eventually canceled in March 2019.
While Apple has released MagSafe chargers, including the MagSafe Duo charger that can simultaneously charge an iPhone and Apple Watch (albeit on two separate charging pads). If Gurman’s claims prove correct, Apple is still working on a device that can charge all three devices and accessories at once.
Gurman also says he believes that Apple is still developing charging solutions that don’t rely on contact-based inductive charging technology. He says Apple is working on “short and long-distance wireless charging devices.” The Cupertino firm is also said to “imagine” a future where devices can charge each other. “Imagine an iPad charging an iPhone and then that iPhone charging AirPods or an Apple Watch,” says Gurman.
