Apple’s long-delayed AirPower wireless charging mat might finally be in production, if rumors are to believed. Word comes via a tweet from ChargerLAB (via MacRumors), which says that it’s learned from a “credible source” that Apple has begun manufacturing the long-delayed wireless charging mat.
a close up of a cell phone
If true, it could mean that the long-overdue product could finally reach the hands of consumers before too much longer. Apple announced in September 2017, that it was introducing wireless charging capabilities in with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, and gave a preview for its own wireless charging mat that would not only charge the iPhone, but its Apple Watch and AirPods. At the time, Apple didn’t announce a price — only that it was expected to be released sometime in 2018.
Apple AirPower: Another source claims Pegatron is set to start mass produce AirPower at Jan 21. Pegatron is also an Apple OEM in Asia. The company employee says AirPower has total three layers of coils in 8-7-7 configuration from bottom to top. pic.twitter.com/xsboO47PGR
— ChargerLAB (@chargerlab) January 12, 2019
Breaking: AirPower is finally coming. We just learned from credible source in supply chain that the manufacture Luxshare Precision has already started producing Apple AirPower wireless charging pad. Luxshare Precision is also the maker of Apple AirPods and USB-C cables.
That obviously didn’t happen: there were rumors that the device would ship in March 2018, but that date came and went, and Apple hasn’t said anything about the device in any of the major announcement events since that first announcement.
In June 2018, rumors surfaced that Apple was having technical troubles with the device, chiefly that it was overheating due to the complexity of the requirement of charging three different devices at once. More recently, analysts predicted that Apple was hoping to have the device out to consumers in late 2018 or early 2019. Apple is also rumored to be releasing an updated version of its AirPods sometime this year, specifically with support for wireless charging, which fueled some rumors that it was holding off on the update until the AirPower mat would be available. MacRumors noted that there have been reports that Apple has since overcome the technical challenges that it faced with the device.
If what ChargerLAB says is accurate, that could mean that we’ll see more about them in the near future. The site’s tweet says that the devices are being manufactured at Luxshare Precision, which already manufactures Apple’s AirPods and some cords. MacRumors translated a screenshot of ChargerLAB’s WeChat conversation, in which the site’s source expects the device be released soon. But given the charger’s history of delays and technical challenges, it’s probably best not to get one’s hopes up just yet.
