Old image of MIA AirPower disappears from Apple website [Updated]

By

Why was this crusty old mage of AirPower removed from Apple’s website?
Why was this crusty old mage of AirPower removed from Apple’s website?
Photo: Apple

Evidence is mounting that the long-delayed AirPower charging mat is finally about to be released. Oddly enough, part of this evidence is the fact that an older image of the product has been removed from Apple’s web site.

Apple has unveiled new products every day this week so it’s possible AirPower‘s launch will come before the weekend.

Update: A new report on the Wall Street Journal indicates that production of this accessory began earlier this year.

There… and it’s gone

Earlier this week, images of this multi-device wireless charger still appeared on the Apple Store’s page for AirPods, according to the Wayback Machine.  But it’s not there now.

The same image shows the AirPods wireless charging case that was finally launched this morning. Also pictured is the iPhone X, a model Apple replaced with the iPhone XS last fall.

AirPower and the charging case were announced many months ago, so it’s no surprise they appeared on the Apple Store. What’s interesting is that what was clearly an old picture of this charging mat was quietly removed just recently.

A big week for Apple

But a fresh image of those two products could be back soon. 

There have been product announcements from Apple every day this week: fresh iPad models on Monday, updated iMac and iMac Pro options on Tuesday and today there’s AirPods 2. It’s entirely possible that AirPower will be the star of a big announcement on Thursday or Friday.

Or maybe not

On the other hand, Apple could have removed the aformentioned image from its AirPods page because it shows the iPhone X, a discontinued handset.

And the company might also want to stop reminding people how late AirPower is. This accessory was first promised by the end of 2018 so it’s over 3 months behind schedule.

Update

The release of this accessory could be very soon, as it’s apparently already in production.  In an article about the new AirPods, the WSJ noted: “The company earlier this year approved production of a wireless-charging pad called AirPower, according to people familiar with the matter.”

A long wait for AirPower

Way back in 2017, along with the debut of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple took the wraps off AirPower, a multi-device charging mat. This was supposed to debut last year but we’re still waiting.

The long delay is supposedly the result of  developers running  into problems with overheating. But there have been numerous unconfirmed reports that AirPower will launch soon, including support for it in iOS 12.2.

This mat won‘t be just three charging mats glued together. When an iPhone is on the charger with other Apple items, the phone’s screen shows the charging status for all of them. In addition, Watch, phone, etc. can be arranged in any way on the charger. 

Update: An older version of this article discussed a mistaken report from a Dutch-based website about AirPower being added then removed from the Netherland Apple Store.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.