Apple is exploring reverse and “real” wireless charging technology

A fact sheet by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says that Apple is still working on a wireless multi-device charger that will fulfill the promise of the long-cancelled AirPower charging mat.

The newsletter that Gurman sent out yesterday claims that Apple is still working on a charger that can power three devices at the same time – iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch – despite AirPower’s setbacks. Apple publicly announced AirPower alongside the iPhone X in 2017, but the product reportedly ran into development issues such as overheating and was eventually scrapped.

Bloomberg previously reported that Apple was working on both an AirPower successor and true wireless technology in an article published last June. (This article also talked about the iPad mini redesign, among other things.)

In this week’s newsletter, Gurman suggests that the new AirPower could use one of these new technologies – in other words, Apple could turn to the new technology to solve a problem it couldn’t solve with a device that used the widely used current inductive charging technology..

Since the cancellation of AirPower, Apple has released several similar products, such as a dual charger for the iPhone and Apple Watch. But while AirPower was intended to be a single charging surface that could power multiple devices, the Apple-designed iPhone/Watch Charger is simply two separate chargers plugged into a single power cord.

Accessory makers such as Belkin have also introduced inductive multi-device chargers to the Apple ecosystem. For the most part, the devices work reasonably well, but they still don’t do what Apple tried to achieve with AirPower.

Apple introduced MagSafe for the iPhone in 2020, focusing on wireless charging rather than an additional peripheral feature. There has been widespread speculation that Apple will drop physical iPhone charging ports entirely in some future version; better charging technology could be the catalyst for this move.

According to Gurman’s reports, Apple envisions a scenario where an iPad can charge an iPhone and an iPhone can charge AirPods, and much of this can happen truly wirelessly, with no direct physical contact between the devices. It is more likely that the company will start with inductive reverse charging and move to true wireless technology. We still do not have a clear idea of ​​the timetable for these events.