Apple is Continuing to Develop AirPower Charging Mat and Other Charging Solutions: Gurman

Apple is reportedly continuing development on its ‘AirPower’ wireless charging mat. The company is also said to be developing other charging innovations such as long-range wireless charging and reverse charging.

In the latest installment of the Power On newsletter, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has stated that an AirPower mat is still in development and will enable users to charge up to three Apple devices such as the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch wirelessly.

The AirPower mat was formally first announced by Apple in 2017. Alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple claimed that the device would first start shipping in the following year. The wireless charger was ultimately never released throughout 2018 and in March 2019, Apple stated that the project was cancelled. At the time, it was cited that development issues and technical hitches resulted in the company scrapping its initial development plans.

Since that time, Apple has been double-downing on its MagSafe technology, releasing the MagSafe Duo. This charger can effectively charge that iPhone and Apple Watch but is unable to live up to AirPower’s promise of wireless charging all three major Apple products. However, it appears as though the dream of having such a product may not be on ice as we initially thought.

Additionally, Gurman has stated that Apple is continuing to look into other wireless charging innovations. Within the newsletter, Gurman says that “short and long distance wireless charging devices” are being worked on within the company. An example is given where Gurman says, “Imagine an iPad charging an ‌iPhone‌ and then that ‌iPhone‌ charging AirPods or an Apple Watch.”

Finally, it’s said that reverse charging solutions are also being looked at internally. Aside from a MagSafe battery back that can receive a charge from an iPhone while the smartphone is plugged in and charged, this innovation would be new to Apple’s device suite.

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