Mophie Working on AirPower Replacement Able to Wirelessly Charge Multiple Devices Regardless of Position

[MacRumors]

Mophie parent company Zagg at CES told Bloomberg that it is developing a wireless charging mat that has capabilities that Apple attempted to implement in the now-canceled AirPower, but was unable to make work.

The charging accessory will charge iPhones and other mobile devices regardless of where they are placed on the charging mat, a feature that the AirPower was supposed to have.

Apple's canceled AirPower​

It's not clear if the charging mat that Zagg is developing will be able to charge the Apple Watch or if it will be limited to Qi-based wireless charging. Apple wanted the AirPower to be able to charge the Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods, but had trouble implementing the overlapping charging coils that were necessary.

There are multi-device chargers on the market able to charge the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch at once, but each device must be placed in a specific spot on the charger. Zagg's solution would apparently work anywhere, and will be marketed under the Mophie brand.

Some current charging mats from Mophie​

Unless the wireless charger Zagg is working on works with the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, it won't quite match what the AirPower was supposed to do, but multi-device charging regardless of position is still a challenge even when limited to Qi-based wireless charging devices.

Zagg marketing executive Brad Bell told Bloomberg that the company is pitching the charging device to retailers and gathering feedback, so it's not clear when this charging device might see a debut. There's also no word on what it might look like, though it could be a flat charging mat similar to the AirPower.

Zagg is also working on long distance charging that would charge devices from several feet away, but that charging technology is still "many years away."

Article Link: Mophie Working on AirPower Replacement Able to Wirelessly Charge Multiple Devices Regardless of Position

 

[now i see it]

another comparison of a new charging mat with the vaporware AirPower that never existed except in PowerPoint slides

 

[brinary001]

Lol good luck. If Apple couldn't do it with the best and brightest engineers in the world and a nearly infinite R&D budget, these guys can't either... That being said, if they did pull it off (and that might just be the biggest "if" ever proposed in human history) then it would sure make Apple look foolish. I mean how embarrassing if they couldn't do it but some third-party accessory maker DID??

 

[blcamp]

Good luck with that.

 

[badatusernames]

All the best.

 

[konqerror]

If Apple couldn't do it with the best and brightest engineers in the world and a nearly infinite R&D budget, these guys can't either...

You're severely underestimating the problems of working in a huge organization...

 

[martyjmclean]

Fingers and toes they come through! If they do, it'll be my first wireless charger.

 

[TJ82]

Lol good luck. If Apple couldn't do it with the best and brightest engineers in the world and a nearly infinite R&D budget, these guys can't either... That being said, if they did pull it off (and that might just be the biggest "if" ever proposed in human history) then it would sure make Apple look foolish. I mean how embarrassing if they couldn't do it but some third-party accessory maker DID??

Still livin' at moms level oversimplification there.

Even a small tweak to specification, or reduction in Apple's standards could likely get this working. A small advance from a part manufacturer since Apple packed it in could move it ahead. Nevermind of course that no-one here really knows who exactly was on AirPower development, or whether they were the 'brightest engineers in the world'. Seriously doubt the brightest engineers in the world are working on a stupid mat to charge a phone and a couple of accessories.

 

[TheSkywalker77]

it’d sure be funny if Apple featured these in their stores if it ever happened.

 

[nutmac]

Qi wireless should use magnets to automatically orient and align the device. Apple Watch and iPad Pencil do this to great success.

I hope rumored "port-less" iPhones adopt magnets to extend Qi wireless charging, ala MagSafe wireless charging.

 

[44267547]

Perhaps Mophie can capitalize where the Airpower allegedly failed with the internal coils overlapping, resulting in excessive over-heating. We can’t doubt this company can’t produce a successful product, even if it’s not exactly to the Airpower spec’. Lets see what happens.

 

[cds29]

It's all about profit margin. Mophie probably doesn't require 500-1000% markup to bring new items to production. Apple just didn't see any long term profit so product was killed. Not a bad thing, gives smaller companies some opportunities.

 

[nippyjun]

Aira's FreePower seems to already has this technology. Nomad wlll have the Base Station pro with this.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Interested to see what their R&D budget is like IF they do pull this off.

 

[appleguy123]

I really think that Apple Watch charging is what doomed AirPower to fail. As far as I know, there is not single product on the market that can charge an Apple Watch without exact alignment using magnets.

That there isn’t even a single charging “mat” Apple Watch in existence (even as a singular product that only charges the Apple Watch) despite the obvious usefulness of and market for such an accessory supports this conclusion.

 

[goobot]

I hope Apple is still working on this behind the scenes. Just release it when ready.

 

[Jake Jacobs]

I can picture Beavis saying.. "Fire...Fire....Fire!!!!!!"

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Just cancelled my Satechi order. Will wait to see what this is all about.

 

[B4U]

I thought Mophie went downhill pretty quickly after Zagg bought them?
Hope they can work out the bugs that Apple couldn't.

 

[44267547]

It's all about profit margin. Mophie probably doesn't require 500-1000% markup to bring new items to production. Apple just didn't see any long term profit so product was killed. Not a bad thing, gives smaller companies some opportunities.

Bolded:

I’d say that’s like the last reason why the Airpower was ‘killed’. It was reportedly rumored multiple times that Apple was having issues during the R&D phase with the Airpower with overlapping/overheating coils. If that was true, then they couldn’t successfully manufacture the Airpower for what it was originally intended to be in the first place. There’s no doubt there is a huge market for wireless chargers, now that smart phones are boasting this as a feature.

 

[brinary001]

You're severely underestimating the problems of working in a huge organization...

Umm I work for a company that has more than double the number of employees as Apple, so yeah I definitely know a thing or two about the kinds of bottlenecking that can occur in large organizations. But your condescension is duly noted.

 

[brinary001]

Still livin' at moms level oversimplification there.

Even a small tweak to specification, or reduction in Apple's standards could likely get this working. A small advance from a part manufacturer since Apple packed it in could move it ahead. Nevermind of course that no-one here really knows who exactly was on AirPower development, or whether they were the 'brightest engineers in the world'. Seriously doubt the brightest engineers in the world are working on a stupid mat to charge a phone and a couple of accessories.

Yet it's so interesting to me that, despite no one knowing exactly what went into its development or for how long, you know just what needs to be done in order to get to launch. Man Apple should just hire you and pay you a kajillion dollars for helping them fix one of their biggest embarrassments in recent years...

 

[no_idea]

Lol good luck. If Apple couldn't do it with the best and brightest engineers in the world and a nearly infinite R&D budget, these guys can't either... That being said, if they did pull it off (and that might just be the biggest "if" ever proposed in human history) then it would sure make Apple look foolish. I mean how embarrassing if they couldn't do it but some third-party accessory maker DID??

You do realize that Mophie’s core competency is charging right? I would bet that their engineers are way better in that space than Apple’s. You can only be good at so many things...

 

[nippyjun]

As I said above there is already existing technology:
Aira's FreePower
Nomad looks to be the first company to use this for the upcoming base station pro

 

[zorinlynx]

You're severely underestimating the problems of working in a huge organization...

Exactly! One example is first-party vs third-party apps for large services.

Like Reddit. The first party Reddit app is garbage! But third-party Reddit apps have been historically far superior (Alien Blue, Apollo).

Same thing with Twitter; Tweetbot and Twitterific were so much better than the official Twitter client that Twitter neutered the APIs they were using to get people to stop using them as much.

Smaller companies can be more nimble, come up with more wild ideas, and are more willing to implement them for a big reward. Remember, selling a half-million Mophie Airpower equivalents is a LOT bigger a deal and profit percentage for Mophie than selling that same half-million is for Apple.