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A hands-on video of an Apple AirPower prototype from 2017 has today been shared on YouTube, providing a closer look at Apple's short-lived wireless charging device.

airpower-promo-recreation.jpeg

The deep dive into the AirPower prototype comes from a collaboration by YouTube channels 91Tech and Apple Demo, who acquired an Apple AirPower prototype. AirPower was an Apple-designed charging mat designed to charge Qi-based iPhones, the Apple Watch, and ‌AirPods‌ that Apple announced in September 2017 alongside the iPhone X.

AirPower was designed so that users could place an ‌iPhone‌, ‌AirPods‌, and Apple Watch on any portion of the mat to have the device charge, which meant that multiple overlapping charging coils had to be included. It would have prompted devices to display a unique on-screen iOS animation when they were placed on the charging mat, as seen in Apple's early marketing materials. An iPhone on the AirPower charger would also have shown the charge of all of the devices that were placed on the pad.



Photos allegedly depicting an AirPower prototype surfaced on social networks in August 2020, showing a multi-coil design and the device's internal circuitry, and the first video footage of the device emerged in August 2021. 91Tech and Apple Demo's video provides the best look yet at Apple's ill-fated AirPower charger.

Like other AirPower prototypes that have emerged in the past, the unit does not feature the white exterior shell that Apple marketed the device with, displaying its internal circuitry more clearly.

apple-airpower.jpg

While the prototype unit is not functional in the conventional sense, it was possible to connect to it through Terminal on a Mac using some Apple developer tools that are not publicly available. Errors upon initially booting the AirPower unit suggest that it was never calibrated and, as such, it was probably never used.

Rebooting after issuing commands to initiate auto-calibration allowed a large amount of information to be read off the prototype, such as the firmware install date of June 7, 2017, commands for selecting specific coils, and more.

airpower-command-initial2.jpeg

The AirPower prototype unit has 22 coils and is similar to others that have leaked in the past. Apple's AirPower-related patent filings show designs with 16 or 22 coils, and the 22 coil design appears to be what Apple planned to move ahead with for the later iterations of the device.

airpower-front-held.jpeg

No AirPower prototypes have emerged from 2018 or 2019, suggesting that the short-lived device's hardware was almost entirely developed in 2017 or earlier. Instead, software was the subject of a period of iteration before the AirPower project was shelved due to an inability to resolve overheating issues.

AirPower missed its original 2018 launch date goal, and after a large number of issues with its development, Apple outright canceled the AirPower project in March 2019.

airpower-main-04.jpeg

Rumors in subsequent years about Apple's work on a smaller wireless charger seem to have been related to MagSafe or the MagSafe Duo charger, rather than AirPower. Nevertheless, a report from reliable Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman last year said that Apple is still looking into AirPower-like charging solutions for the future.

Apple prototypes are rare items valued by collectors who obtain units from individuals who smuggle them out of Apple's infrastructure before they are destroyed. Prototypes of a Mac mini with an iPod dock, an original iPad with two 30-pin ports, a third-generation iPod touch with a rear camera, original Apple Watches with different rear sensors array designs, AirPods with a transparent casing, an Apple Watch Series 3 prototype with additional connectors, an iPhone X in a jet black finish, an iPhone 12 Pro, and an earlier MagSafe Battery Pack design have emerged in recent years.

Article Link: Video Provides Detailed Look at Apple AirPower Prototype
 
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Reactions: Funny Apple Man
In this era of "green" why is a technology that is really inefficient being embraced? Are we really that lazy? I wonder how many of the people that are clamoring for ending the use of fossil fuels embrace wireless charging?

 
In this era of "green" why is a technology that is really inefficient being embraced? Are we really that lazy? I wonder how many of the people that are clamoring for ending the use of fossil fuels embrace wireless charging?

Because no one wants cables. I don't care if it's efficient because it's just going to sit there anyway.
 
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I thought it was a dumb idea when they announced it and seeing the complexity of design in this purported prototype just furthers how bad an idea the product was. It would be different if we were talking about a product that was desk or table sized, so that wherever you set your device it charges, but when it’s a pad sized to fit just a few small items, there is no good reason to have coils blanketing the entire pad surface like this.

And Apple already had the right solution with the Watch, using magnets to align charger to Watch, not to mention a number of iPad cases that use magnets to connect to the iPad. Shifting to include magnets in the Qi protocol should have been instituted by the consortium early on, since alignment between device and charger has always been an issue.

The next logical step, which we know Apple has been working on, is over the air transfer of power, which even if it’s effective within a very short range (like a 10“-12”), it would actually allow you to set your devices down on a desk in front of you for charging. Forget about trying to blanket a room with radiation, when we should very easily be able to place our devices within reach of a charger.
 
Too many companies already providing this type of thing, most with expensive prices anyway. Not quite sure I’d be purchasing one from Apple at this point. That excitement left 3 years ago.

Give me something new, and we’ll talk.
 
It’s still but this if they had a change of heart (or technical breakthrough that allows it to work safely)
 
when they first announced it, I thought airpower was really really neat.
It seem like the perfect thing that anyone would ever need, especially when traveling, which was their main advertising pitch.
But as time has gone by, i’ve come to realize that I think the MagSafe Duo is an even better solution.
With airpower, it was still a big circle you had to pack away in your bag or whatever.
The duo can fold and go right in your pocket. It’s very elegant.
And if you just wanna charge one thing at a time, you can fold it into itself, and still use your device while holding it. You couldn’t ever do that with airpower.
Do wish they would’ve kept the charging sounds and animations though, those were really cool.
 
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In this era of "green" why is a technology that is really inefficient being embraced? Are we really that lazy? I wonder how many of the people that are clamoring for ending the use of fossil fuels embrace wireless charging?

This is so true and this issue hasn't received nearly enough attention. People need to understand that a significant amount of power is lost to wireless charging and that this comes with an enormous aggregate power loss and resulting negative environmental effects. I use wireless charging in some situations (for example, my car wirelessly charges my phone if I set it in a certain spot), but it would be good if people at least thought twice about using wireless charging as a replacement for wired charging.

Incidentally, true MagSafe charging (as opposed to "MagSafe compatible" charging, which is normal wireless charging plus a magnetic connection) is more efficient than normal wireless charging. But it's still not as efficient as wired charging.
 
This is so true and this issue hasn't received nearly enough attention. People need to understand that a significant amount of power is lost to wireless charging and that this comes with an enormous aggregate power loss and resulting negative environmental effects. I use wireless charging in some situations (for example, my car wirelessly charges my phone if I set it in a certain spot), but it would be good if people at least thought twice about using wireless charging as a replacement for wired charging.
or, maybe the companies who advertise wireless charging should be pressured to find ways to make it more efficient?
The customer shouldn’t have to think twice about anything like that, it should be on the companies who actually produce these products.
MagSafe is a good step forward.
 
In this era of "green" why is a technology that is really inefficient being embraced? Are we really that lazy? I wonder how many of the people that are clamoring for ending the use of fossil fuels embrace wireless charging?

It's only a "colossal waste of energy" because the author of the article says so. In the real world, it is a negligible waste of energy that achieves a purpose, albeit poorly.
 
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