A hands-on video gives us a unique look at AirPower, Apple’s famous multi-device wireless charger that was unfortunately nipped in the bud.
Youku Channel 91 Technology and Apple Demo They started working with AirPower prototypes in 2017. This isn’t the first to surface, but the two outlets’ grasp of it is certainly the best overview of the product that many Apple fans have been waiting for.
After the iPhone 8 and iPhone X launch keynotes in September 2017, AirPower was teased as just another thing, AirPower was supposed to be a wireless charger designed to work with anything users place their iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch on its surface part in order to charge the device. So complicated, the project has been shelved, and even the most die-hard Apple makers—even Apple itself—seem to believe in it.
Like other AirPower prototypes that have appeared in the past, the unit didn’t feature the polished design with the white casing seen in Apple’s marketing materials at the time. Here, we can clearly see its internal circuit.
Although the prototype in the video above is not fully functional, it can be connected to it through a terminal on a Mac using some undisclosed Apple development tools. An error during initial startup of the AirPower unit indicates that it has never been calibrated and therefore may never have been used.
By fiddling with the device, 91Tech was able to find out a lot of information about the prototype, such as the firmware installation date, June 7, 2017, commands to select specific coils, and more. The AirPower prototype features 22 coils, similar to others leaked in the past. According to several AirPower-related patent applications, Apple had envisioned versions with 16 or 22 coils, and the 22-coil design appears to be the one Cupertino has adopted.
The AirPower Charger missed plans to launch in 2018, and after multiple failures during development, Apple completely canceled the project in March 2019. Regardless, the relic remains an extremely rare collectible, especially as soap witnesses the opera that ignited the tech market.