When Apple released the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X in September 2017, it was the smartphones the company released that supported wireless charging. At the same event, Apple said it would be releasing a wireless charging mat called AirPower. The AirPower mat is able to charge the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at the same time.
Apple did not specify a release date for the AirPower at that time, but the company said it would arrive in 2018. According to Bloomberg’s sources, Apple is expected to release the AirPower charging mat in September 2018.
- Photo: Apple
It is believed that Apple was originally planning to release the AirPower mat this month, but it got pushed back due to development issues. One of those issues is believed that Apple engineers are trying to find a way to prevent the mat from overheating. And implementing multiple charging sensors is also a challenge. Plus Apple has to optimize the custom chip for power management.
The ability of the AirPower to charge multiple devices would be based on Apple’s proprietary technology. However, Apple would likely have this technology become part of the universal Qi standard so that third-party companies can also release similar devices.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that Apple’s designers actually wanted to do away with the wired charging system for the iPhone X. Apple designers eventually hope to remove most of the external ports and buttons on the iPhone, including the charger, according to people familiar with the company’ s work. During the development of the iPhone X, Apple weighed removing the wired charging system entirely. That wasn’t feasible at the time because wireless charging was still slower than traditional methods. Including a wireless charger with new iPhones would also significantly raise the price of the phones,” wrote Gurman.
This could be a controversial move as Apple fans tend to have a hard time dealing with major changes. For example, there was an outcry after Apple removed the 3.5mm audio jack when it introduced the iPhone 7.
