Report claims Apple still working on version of AirPower wireless charging mat

Apple is still working on a "less ambitious" version of the cancelled AirPower wireless charging mat, a new report has claimed.

Apple announced the AirPower wireless charging mat in 2017 but after two years of effort attempting to bring the device to market, Apple cancelled the project saying it wasn't able to meet its "high standards".

AirPower was announced as a device that would be able to charge your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously, wire free, without you needing to place them in certain positions. It's claimed the mat faced several issues including technicalities with the internal circuitry and the multi-coil design getting too hot however, resulting in it never coming to market.

The new report from Bloomberg, which is focused on a wireless startup company called Aira, says: "More than a year after AirPower's demise, Apple is developing a less ambitious wireless charger for the iPhone."

The report only mentions the idea briefly, but it isn't the first time we have heard Apple is still working on a version of the AirPower. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted Apple would release a small wireless charging mat sometime in 2020 and there have also been reports of Apple testing a new version of AirPower.

Tech analyst Jon Prosser also claimed to have sources confirm to him that the project is still very much underway, and that Apple isn't giving up on its wireless charging dream. It's said the rumoured new version could cost as much as $250 though. Yikes. 

You can read all about the Apple AirPower story in our separate feature, including a rundown of all the rumours surrounding another version of it.

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