For years there were rumors of a special charger from Apple, but it never ultimately saw the light of day. As a result, the manufacturer tried to cover up the project. A leaked prototype now reveals why the product never came to market.
As a tech enthusiast, you’ve probably heard of project AirPower. This was supposed to be a special charging mat from Apple on which you could wirelessly charge all your gadgets. However, the gadget was never launched.
A prototype of the AirPower has now appeared on the Internet. It shows exactly why Apple pulled the plug on it both literally and figuratively.
The AirPower that Apple never released
The prototype of the AirPower has come into the hands of Apple leaker Kosutami. Via X, he has now shared photos and videos of the gadget. In addition, he also tested the product and the consequences were not too nice for one of his devices.
While testing the AirPower, the charging mat got incredibly hot. In itself it is not strange that a charger gets hotter, but with the AirPower this was so severe that even the case of the AirPods Pro started to melt. So the gadget was not only bad for the products, but also dangerous.
The AirPower prototype (B431). This version features 15 charging coils, works fine with multiple devices charging at once (causing heating problem with MagSafe-compatible AirPods). Earlier than the 21 coils revision (Mar 17 2017, most of them were made in June) #appleinternal pic.twitter.com/BUfjen5IQV
– Kosutami (@KosutamiSan) December 18, 2023
It shows exactly what Apple’s big problem was. Namely, the company could not control the amount of heat. In the end, Apple decided to stop developing the AirPower permanently.
It should be noted, however, that the prototype in question dates back to 2017 and continued development by Apple after that. Thus, this mat still has Android charging on it, whereas in the future that would probably have been different. In addition, this version had 15 charging coils, while a later model had 21. Precisely because of fewer charging coils, charging was not optimal, which could cause overheating.
An unusual charger
While a charging mat was not an entirely new gadget, Apple’s could be something special. It didn’t matter where you put your iPhone, Apple Watch or other product; it charged anywhere on the mat. With many other charging mats, you have to place the gadget exactly in a certain spot or it won’t charge.
Yet Apple seems to have chosen precisely to never release this product. Although the company has already demonstrated its ability to release complicated gadgets, this charger is clearly a bridge too far.