Apple's Upcoming AirPower Wireless Charging Mat Could Cost Around $199 in the United States

[Michael Goff]

Seems quite high. I got the Anker for $25 from Amazon which has done a great job on my iPhone 8 for almost a month now: http://amzn.to/2xNTwdt

These are devices using magnetism to power our devices. Do you really want to cheap out on it? Even if you’re not buying an Apple one, at least get a Samsung one.

 

[recoil80]

It would be an insane price. Thanks goodness Apple is using the Qi standard, so you can find plenty of charging pads at every price point. Sure you can charge you iPhone and Watch at the same time, but who cares if I have to spend a lot of money just for that small convenience?

 

[Lancer]

I was expecting $99US ($119AU) but OMG $199 thats just too much.
Just ordered one on eBay fora fraction of that cost!

How long before mall stores that sell phone cases start selling cheap $10 QI chargers?

 

[randomplaydo]

I don't want this to be perceived as a douchey or insulting comment (because it's totally not intended as such), but it's worth pointing out that for a lot of people, $200 is not a lot of money. Especially when it's a $200 one time purchase for something that will be used daily for several years. When iphone X preorders dropped, millions of people flat out paid $1000-$1300 outright to purchase their phone.

I only say this to point out that when we complain about pricing, we fail to realize that there are millions of people in the U.S. and abroad who have the means to pay for things in Apple's price range without feeling the slightest twinge. That's why they can price a charging mat at (potentially) $200. Because $200 just isn't a lot of money to many of their customers.

 

[Ghost31]

That is absolutely absurd given that Anker sells them for $25

If anker sells them, why not just get that? If everybody felt that way apples’s products would fall flat on its face. But people will gobble this up

 

[MacLoveMacHate]

With that timing and pricing, they're practically begging their customers to buy from their competitors, though I will actually credit Apple with choosing an open standard rather than locking their users into a proprietary charging solution. This will let an Anker, rather than pricey Belkin, keep it affordable. On a separate note, wouldn't a more rectangular (rounded corner) shape make more sense for fitting multiple items, at the very least visually?

 

[brandonecarr]

No surprise... They're selling the Belkin dual device charger for $130... https://www.apple.com/shop/product/...h-iphone?fnode=97&fs=f=charger&fh=458e%2B45d4

Another $70 for the apple logo makes sense. Still, anally, I'm not feeling too great!

 

[freediverx]

I would not be remotely tempted to buy one of these at anywhere near $200.

 

[GSDLVR123]

$199? That is completely ridiculous. I'll take two.

I actually came here just trying to unwind a bit - this made me laugh out loud!! I did that once at an auction and my wife brings it up all the time (it was for very expensive handmade rocker(s)). THANK YOU FOR THE WIT!

 

[democracyrules]

Apple's upcoming AirPower wireless charging mat has recently appeared on Polish online retailer X-Kom's website for 999 Zlotych, and while it can't be purchased yet, the listing may be a clue about how much the accessory will cost stateside.

As noted by Polish blog ThinkApple, many products that cost 999 Zlotych on Apple's online store in Poland are priced at $199 in the United States. Bose's SoundLink speaker, for example, is 999 Zlotych in Poland and $199.95 in the United States.

Similarly, the iPod touch with 32GB of storage costs 990 Zlotych in Poland and $199 in the United States on Apple's website.

What we don't know is if the price X-Kom lists for the AirPower is simply a placeholder, or if Apple will charge the same amount. Apple's pricing is often consistent with third-party retailers, but not always, and currency exchange rates fluctuate.

AirPower is an oval-shaped charging mat that can inductively charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and Apple Watch Series 3 models. It will also work with Apple's upcoming wireless AirPods charging case.

The mat's ability to charge multiple devices will be achieved with a propriety technology being developed by Apple. Apple said it will work to have its technology become part of the universal Qi standard supported by the latest iPhones.

Apple said AirPower will be released in 2018, but it hasn't provided a more specific release date yet.

Article Link: Apple's Upcoming AirPower Wireless Charging Mat Could Cost Around $199 in the United States

Let us hope the AirPower is coming early 2018. Looking forward to it.

 

[KingslayerG5]

Apple charges high while AirPower charges slow.

 

[cmaier]

These are devices using magnetism to power our devices. Do you really want to cheap out on it? Even if you’re not buying an Apple one, at least get a Samsung one.

anker is a very high quality manufacturer.

 

[Lerxt]

These are devices using magnetism to power our devices. Do you really want to cheap out on it? Even if you’re not buying an Apple one, at least get a Samsung one.

This comment brought to you by the Samsung Army. “You say, we pay!”

 

[Arran]

Is the mat completely flat? What if your watch has a bracelet/band/loop that doesn't lie flat?

Or what if you just want to use nightstand mode?

For $200 it better have a pop-up section like the current watch dock:

 

[Michael Goff]

This comment brought to you by the Samsung Army. “You say, we pay!”

I haven’t bought a single wireless charger from Samsung. I just know that saving money on the charger isn’t always worth it.

 

[Lerxt]

I haven’t bought a single wireless charger from Samsung. I just know that saving money on the charger isn’t always worth it.

The Samsung Army gets paid to comment. You don’t have to own. Don’t forget “You say, we pay!”

 

[Michael Goff]

The Samsung Army gets paid to comment. You don’t have to own. Don’t forget “You say, we pay!”

I wish I got paid to comment.