Best Alternatives to Apple's Now-Canceled AirPower

[AngerDanger]

…They should have scrapped the idea of being able to put the devices anywhere on the pad and done something clever like use magnets to make the device align itself with a charge coil when you put it down.

The Palm Pre did this in 2009! You'd lay it down on the charger and the phone would center itself and charge. No trying to align anything.

I read a reply to the bolded first and was imagining a phone that used something like NFC and vibration motors to physically move itself to its charger.

Mind you, Apple has been getting into haptics lately, so we might not be too far off…

 

[pat500000]

Lol cancelled picture lol. Love that. You have to wonder if any future products from apple will be “stable.” Now any hardwares from apple might be “delayed” and have to find alternative.

 

[lyngo]

6. Unravel Wireless Charger ($99) - This interesting little charger features thre charging stations, one for AirPods, one for Apple Watch, and one for iPhone. You can lay them flat or roll them up in a configuration that works for you if you only need to charge two devices at once. We haven't tried this, but it's a neat design and the reviews look to be largely positive.

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I just got the “Unravel”. Used it last night for the first time. Worked great. Clever design. Appears to be well made.

I have an Unravel, too, but my AirPods with wireless case will charge for a little bit and then stop randomly.

 

[apolloa]

I would recommend Belkin personally, haven’t let me down.

 

[tekfranz]

So can one assume the new AirPods work with any Qi Compatible charger, sort of like how the iPhone does?

 

[Wiesenlooser]

None of these have the same simplicity as the AirPower would have had. Frankly, a lot of them look ugly.

The SliceCharge is the closed one, but that fabric ruins it for me (I don’t think it looks good). Just copy that rubber texture of the AirPower : apple watch charger.

 

[Onelifenofear]

None of these have the same simplicity as the AirPower would have had. Frankly, a lot of them look ugly.

The SliceCharge is the closed one, but that fabric ruins it for me (I don’t think it looks good). Just copy that rubber texture of the AirPower : apple watch charger.

Fabric is an paid add on... white one is close to AirPower

 

[briscombjoe]

None of the wireless chargers had the ability of free-form placement on the surface though. That was the main draw of AirPower. Apple simply couldn’t fix the heating issue that came with overlapping coils.
Also the $39 one you’re referring has inductive charging for the watch and phone, not the AirPods which have a dedicated spot with a lightning connector

 

[44267547]

You have to wonder if any future products from apple will be “stable.

What does this even mean? They canceled the Airpower project because it wouldn’t meet the requirements that likely would’ve made it a safe alternative to use inside the home, that doesn’t mean any other future products necessarily will _not_ be stable, this particular accessory posed challenges for Apples engineers. I’m fairly confident their product line isn’t going to suffer because of one cancellation of an accessory that 99% of consumers had no idea about. No need to create hyperbole.

 

[bluespark]

If Apple couldn’t make the thermals work safely, how could these other companies? I’m sure Apple engineers tore apart the competitors to see how it works.

There’s no mystery. These don’t have overlapping coils and therefore lack the main advertised benefit of AirPower.

 

[tekfranz]

I like the Slice Charge but maybe I am too cheap and am going to try these Yootech Devices:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GW9S9TB/ref=pe_2640190_232748420_TE_item

It is quite confusing because the you have to buy a special wall adapter so it does 7.5 watt fast charging else you are stuck with the slower 5 watt charging from your iPhone charging brick...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

A charging mat is just another dongle. I prefer keeping is simple and would rather have only the cable without the charging dongle.



View attachment 829469

Except I've had so many turd party cables get scorched contacts. I think I've tossed nearly a dozen. To me, wireless charging saves the cables from arcing, or whatever is causing that damage.
[doublepost=1553982499][/doublepost]And on a perpendicular line: And yet things that SHOULD be cancelled, they don't/won't. Third times the charm? Nope...
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One thing that bothers me is that Apple gave up rather than still try to come out with a great product.

They should have scrapped the idea of being able to put the devices anywhere on the pad and done something clever like use magnets to make the device align itself with a charge coil when you put it down.

The Palm Pre did this in 2009! You'd lay it down on the charger and the phone would center itself and charge. No trying to align anything.

I'm sure it was patented. They could have done it so much better, and have the money to buy licenses for that they can't pull off themselves. (That video caught my eye. Funny! A 'zombie' iPhone, looking for power. Interesting. Like a Rumba?)

 

[nouveau_redneck]

Except I've had so many turd party cables get scorched contacts. I think I've tossed nearly a dozen. To me, wireless charging saves the cables from arcing, or whatever is causing that damage.

Yep, true. I keep several cables handy. They do fail.

The way I work makes using a mat just another thing in the way. Multiple hour conference calls requiring charging in front of the computer are now necessary since the time iPhone has been reduced from 2 to 1 ports. It was much less obtrusive when a cable was all that was needed for charging, now a cable and mat in front of the computer.

 

[gixxerfool]

I bought the original Belkin iPhone/watch charger a couple of years ago. She loves it and still uses it. I thought about getting one for myself, my case prevents me from using it and I still use a 6S plus. I instead bought a table top USB charger and built my own dock that allows me to charge my phone and watch (I’m nightstand mode) and it even has extra ports for charging other items if need be including a USB c for my iPad Pro.

 

[ziggie216]

I'll bet it wasn't an engineering obstacle that axed the AirPower charger, but a business one.
There's too many wireless chargers available today that do virtually everything the AirPower promised at a fraction of the cost.
There's a $39 one on this list that'll charge all three devices. Who would want to buy a $149 charger from Apple that essentially does the same thing?

Name one that will do exactly what AirPower was suppose to do

 

[GoodOne]

I like the Slice Charge but maybe I am too cheap and am going to try these Yootech Devices:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GW9S9TB/ref=pe_2640190_232748420_TE_item

It is quite confusing because the you have to buy a special wall adapter so it does 7.5 watt fast charging else you are stuck with the slower 5 watt charging from your iPhone charging brick...

I bought this for my XS Max but returned it. This thing smells funny like burnt plastic plus my iPhone kept sliding off after a while.. at first I thought I was crazy bzw. it happened a couple of times.

I think I‘ll stick with cable charging over night.

 

[tekfranz]

I bought this for my XS Max but returned it. This thing smells funny like burnt plastic plus my iPhone kept sliding off after a while.. at first I thought I was crazy bzw. it happened a couple of times.

I think I‘ll stick with cable charging over night.

I'll have to see what they are like. The Amazon Reviews are better than most at 4 1/2 stars with 5300 reviews. The special wall adapter for quick charging is a bummer though. You have to buy that seperately.
But I'll send them back if they turn out to be no good.
They are supposed to be thermally controlled and folks say the phone does not slide. Also, I will be using at my desk so I will still be using a cable for overnight charging as well.It would be an issue to wake up to an uncharged phone.

 

[rembaz]

I like the Slice Charge but maybe I am too cheap and am going to try these Yootech Devices:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GW9S9TB/ref=pe_2640190_232748420_TE_item

It is quite confusing because the you have to buy a special wall adapter so it does 7.5 watt fast charging else you are stuck with the slower 5 watt charging from your iPhone charging brick...

I bought 2 of them last week. No issues.

 

[Wittysparrow]

Pretty sure there are some industrial alternatives available also.

All of our desks at work have wireless charging built in. It supports multiple devices. I’ve seen two iPhones charging on one pad before. The actual charging pad is recessed into the desk with a thin plastic cover over the top, which is just help in with clips. Allowing it to sit almost flush with the desk.

I’ll have a noisey underneath and snap some pics on Monday

 

[Koulie]

I know this article is for released products, but I’ve opted for the Splicecharge 2’s successor - the Spliecharge Pro.

With 6 overlapping cores, 30w PD and verified MFI Apple Watch Charger, it is looking as the next-to-kin option to the AirPower and expected launch is May-June 2019.

 

[Wiesenlooser]

Fabric is an paid add on... white one is close to AirPower

The white one has fabric too. Look closely.

 

[Scooz]

I freaking LOVED that phone!!!

Still have several of them, including the Veer and their tablets. It’s visible that the former Apple HW SVP was responsible for them. Excellent build quality for a completely new device family back then.

Sad that they were axed by that mad HP exec. Rubinstein’s stunt probably ruined their karma score

 

[BakaNode]

I’m super surprised no one has recommended this triple charger I picked up at Sams Club almost a year ago. Here’s the Amazon link.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CLJ7MMQ/ref=psdcmw_2407761011_t1_B07657CXB4

 

[coolfactor]

I think it’s highly irresponsible for MacRumors to recommend these products when nearly all of them lack proper safety certification such as UL listing.

And this article seems rushed. They are trying to capture as much traffic as they can to ride the wave of the AirPower cancellation.
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I'll bet it wasn't an engineering obstacle that axed the AirPower charger, but a business one.
There's too many wireless chargers available today that do virtually everything the AirPower promised at a fraction of the cost.
There's a $39 one on this list that'll charge all three devices. Who would want to buy a $149 charger from Apple that essentially does the same thing?

People wouldn't be putting just Apple products on these chargers, and maybe Apple didn't want to take responsibility for a 3rd-party device being a risk on their charger? The charger would get the blame if anything happened.

 

[juiz206]

I like Nomad, but its expensive AF.

I'd rather have a separate charger for iPhone and for Apple Watch.
[doublepost=1553992104][/doublepost]Just don't be one of those idiot people to buy an expensive charger JUST FOR AN AIRPOD. Unless you are rich and are able to throw money into the toilet.