AirPower Misses Promised 2018 Launch, But Might Not Be Canceled

[koa]

Simultaneously overcharging for products while undercharging products. Magical.

 

[Costino1]

The Powermat 12 years ago had this technology. Yet Apple cant make it work in 2019

 

[EdT]

“AirPower Misses Promised 2018 Launch, But Might Not Be Canceled”

But then again, it might be. You don’t know, because they aren’t going to tell you. Secrets are for keeping.

 

[ipedro]

If Apple can't deliver a charging mat in over a year then I really don't feel that Mac Pro etc. will be that great.
What happened to Apple?

Do you really think that AirPower is just a regular charging mat that any dollar store company can produce? Use some common sense.

This is clearly something more ambitious. From what we know about AirPower, devices don't need to be placed in any precise location like regular Qi chargers. Apple is clearly aiming for true wireless power. Even if the first iteration might still require devices to be near the source, the fact that they don't need to be in a precise location is evidence that Apple is planning to deliver true wireless power which can eventually be scaled to farther distances.

When wireless power eventually makes it to the mainstream, it'll absolutely be world changing. It's worth waiting for them to get it right.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

Wireless charging on an iPad makes little sense, it would take close to 24hr just to fully charge it.

So what? 12h for a half charge which actually will be enough most of the time

 

[Cosmosent]

NO correlation to AirPower, but I just checked, & AAPL still does NOT offer a Silicone case for the XR.

Did AAPL NOT produce such a case ???

I doubt it ... probably decided NOT to go to market with it for Other reasons.

AirPower very-likely missed it's launch window due to technical reasons.

 

[mrr]

Lots of 3rd party options. I have wireless charging in my car. Not sure why Apple has had had trouble with this. Maybe Apple determined that there is no market for this little accessory.

 

[kruegdude]

Exactly! Given that they've release the iPhone to support conductive charging there is not reason for not releasing other products. The fact that Apple can't manage to build a charging pad should be an embarrassment, but doesn't give a rational justification for not building it into other lines.
[doublepost=1546446179][/doublepost]

While "a lot of people" is subjective, the fact is that 2 cycles into iPhones that support wireless charging does mean that MANY of the people interesting in it will have already explored options and found that Apple doesn't provide one.

Would an Apple AirPower release be a hit? Probably. People would find it to be "magical".

You’ve changed your narrative from “its too late” to “people are shopping”.

 

[nvmls]

I have to disagree with this thinking. Apple charges such a huge premium for their accessories... that me thinks to most people who buy them, price isn't their primary concern. Or at all for some. To people that would plop down the $100 or whatever it will be to buy one, do we really think that already having some cheap $10 one is going to impact them getting the newest, best one?

Overpriced != Premium

We all know Cook's Apple.

 

[kruegdude]

I didn't know I wanted it, but I will now be sorely disappointed if the AirPower comes out and doesn't have HomeKit integration and push notifications.

Don’t forget Siri integration.

 

[ipedro]

“AirPower Misses Promised 2018 Launch, But Might Not Be Canceled”

But then again, it might be. You don’t know, because they aren’t going to tell you. Secrets are for keeping.

Hum... read the article, maybe?

You don't have to have them tell you. There's such thing as circumstantial evidence. Apple is hiring people to work on wireless power. There are still references to AirPower in new products. If it were cancelled, they've had plenty of time to remove those references or not add them at all to new products and they wouldn't be hiring people to work on it.

 

[nvmls]

"It's too late," is a common misunderstanding of how business works. It assumes markets are finite and time limited, which they aren't. Yes, Apple has missed some sales they could have made, but at the risk of a PR nightmare with overheating issues. You also assume that everyone who wants a wireless charger has already purchased one, that there won't be new purchasers coming into the market, and that no one will want the more advanced Airpad. None of which is true or all of the many manufacturers of wireless chargers would go out of business this year; instead the number of manufacturers are growing.

Many tens of millions will be sold this year and in future years. Apple never planned on capturing anywhere near most of that market and never intended to compete at the low end of $10 chargers. Once again, Apple will end up with a premium product enhancing their ecosystem that will sell millions with a comfortable profit margin.

Overheating issues have been present in many of their devices up till today, capped i9, heat damaging batteries hence throttling CPUs on iphones, even their "thermal friendly" designed trashcan Pro.

 

[npmacuser5]

The upside of this device alludes me. If I am going to lay my watch, iPhone flat why spend the money, just use the cords provided. A stand for the iPhone more useful to me. I like the loop sports band, not sure how that would work for me either. A product trying to find a use at this point.

 

[xxray]

I don't get the obsession over this product, but I'm glad Apple is being called out for not holding up to their promises.

 

[kruegdude]

Longtime reader, recent poster.

It's undeniable that Apple is in decline. Their products are so much weaker than they should be. A TRILLION dollar company can't fix a wireless charging mat? Unreal. I know they'll be some eye rolls, but Steve Jobs wouldn't have stood for such pitiful stuff.

Channeling a dead persons thoughs again? And no, Apple is not in a decline.

 

[az431]

Is there even a demand for this product at this point?

Yes. What other questions may I answer?
[doublepost=1546448539][/doublepost]

I don't get the obsession over this product, but I'm glad Apple is being called out for not holding up to their promises.

Who's obsessed?
[doublepost=1546448601][/doublepost]

Welcome to Tim Cook’s Apple. Announcing products years in advance but fail to have it materialize.

Can you name other Apple products that were announced but were cancelled and never released?

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

Apple trying to solve a problem that isn't even a problem. The killer feature is the ability to place devices in any orientation and order on the mat, and they'll still charge. Have we become so pampered that we can't place our devices on a mat in the right place?

If Apple is having overheating issues, that tells me that the mat is massively inefficient at converting input energy into actual recharge energy in the devices, likely due to the overlapping charging rings, which in turn means either a bigger power brick or a slower charge rate. even when compared with other wireless charging mats.

The crazy thing is that Apple could have produced a regular multi-device charging mat with the ability to charge an Apple watch, and the Apple faithful would have bought it in droves.

 

[az431]

Ok this would be a story if there was some actual news. Where’s the news here?

There is no news. Article might as well have been about the Apple Car not being launched in 2018 and rumored to be launched someday.

 

[coolfactor]

I think Apple thought they were ahead of the game when they designed this, but then realized it's just a charging pad, nothing ground-breaking.

My XR is on a third-party charging pad right now, which works great. I won't be buying this form factor again. I want a charger that holds the phone upright so I can actually use it at a desk properly. Apple's pad is too big for my crowded desk.

 

[az431]

What features can you add to a charging mat? HomeKit integration? Push Notifications?

Both of these.

 

[rgbrock1]

If Apple can't deliver a charging mat in over a year then I really don't feel that Mac Pro etc. will be that great.
What happened to Apple?

What happened to Apple? Steve Jobs passed on and Tim Cook took over, that's what happened.

 

[69Mustang]

The Powermat 12 years ago had this technology. Yet Apple cant make it work in 2019

Powermat requires proper placement of the device over the charging coil. That's not what Apple is trying to make work.

 

[az431]

It does seem kind of odd that a company with unlimited financial resources and access to some of the cleverest minds on the planet would be scuppered by a charging mat.

That's like the illogical argument that we can put a man on the moon, but can't [insert apparently easier task here].

You are assuming that (1) Apple is willing to spend an unlimited amount of money to develop a charger or accelerate its development, (2) that Apple is willing to move engineers from other departments to accomplish that goal, (3) that Apple has an overabundance of engineers that sit around all day with little to do, and (4) that whatever engineering challenges exist, they can be solved in the state of current technology.

All four assumptions are likely incorrect. Like any company, Apple already uses 100% of its financial and human resources. It's not a simple matter of just spending more money if there aren't enough engineers, nor would money solve engineering problems that simply can't be solved because the technology does not exist.

 

[dtrj787]

The only way I would be interested in this is if they somehow secretly embedded wireless charging into the iPad Pro. But there is no way they did that and so this will be too little, too late. And too expensive.

No, but I can see them building it into a iMac Pro or Macbook Pro.

 

[Braderunner]

Is the only thing different about AirPower is the ability to charge multiple devices at the same time?

That's what I'm sayin'. That's not THAT big of a deal. Apple is going to want waaay too much money for it.