AirPower

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Let’s talk about the virtual reality headset Apple supposedly will unleash next year. Will it happen? What will it do? And do we even want it to happen?

Also on The CultCast:

• Maybe AirPower isn’t dead — and maybe something even more amazing is on the horizon.
• Tesla Cyberwhistle FTW.
• Our first round of Gear of the Year picks.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video livestream, embedded below.

Apple continues to work on a wireless charger, similar to the abandoned AirPower mat, that will allow users to charge multiple devices simultaneously, according to a new report. The company also hopes to develop truly wireless charging in the future.

Cupertino reportedly is working on “short and long distance” charging solutions that don’t require physical contact. It also wants to give all major Apple devices the ability to charge each other.

Remember AirPower? The world got a glimpse of Apple’s failed multidevice charger when a video of a working prototype surfaced online Thursday. But the reminder also demonstrates that AirPower was never going to be better than what we got instead: MagSafe.

Remember AirPower? How could any of us forget it? Apple’s all-in-one charging solution may be long dead and buried, but the dream is alive. And we can’t help be fascinated by the product that was announced and never delivered.

If you share similar feelings, you might want to take a look at this short video that shows off a working AirPower prototype for the first time.

What does Apple’s oft-discussed, never-shipped AirPower charging pad have in common with Baron Samedi, the voodoo priest from the 1973 James Bond movie Live and Let Die? Two things predominantly: 1) People think they’re folklore until they actually appear, and 2) They seemingly can’t die.

That’s right: After dodging death more times than Evel Knievel, a new Bloomberg report claims that AirPower is back on. Again. Or, at the very least, the project still has a heartbeat.

Development has reportedly once again halted on Apple’s own multi-device wireless charger. This is part of the complicated saga of AirPower, which was publicly announced, publicly canceled, allegedly resumed, and is now allegedly canceled yet again.

Apple just invited the world to an event on October 13. No agenda was announced, but there’s little doubt the star will be the iPhone 12, the first iOS device with 5G wireless networking. Apple hinted at the coming upgrade with the title of the event: “Hi, Speed.”

But a handful of other products might also be on the docket, including the first MacBook built around Apple Silicon rather than an Intel processor.

Apple is planning a “less ambitious” wireless charging gadget that will fill the gap left by AirPower’s cancellation, according to a new report.

Cupertino’s original plans for a wireless charger included the ability to charge iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. It’s unclear if its replacement will support more than just iPhone and AirPods.

Images and a video allegedly showing a teardown of AirPower, Apple’s multi-device wireless charger that was canceled before it launched, came to light Friday.

Apple Watch is almost due for its annual hardware update, which comes like clockwork every September. First came the addition of GPS, then cellular, a thinner case with a bigger screen, a compass, and even an ECG heart monitor.

With each new model, Cupertino’s wearable creeps closer to perfection, which presents a bit of a problem. What do you add to the smartwatch that has everything?

Here’s my top 10 wish list of features I’m hoping Apple has up its sleeve.

Apple reportedly cracked one of the big problems with its ill-fated AirPower charging mat — specifically the question of how to charge the Apple Watch. That’s according to top Apple leaker Jon Prosser, who posted pictures on Twitter Thursday to prove his point.

“Remember how I said that the main problem was that current prototypes didn’t support Apple Watch?” Prosser wrote. “Yeah. Well. They got the Watch working.”

Apple will release a single-device wireless charging pad in addition to the larger, multi-device mat rumored to be much like the doomed AirPower, according to an unconfirmed report Sunday.

The latest rumors come a year after Apple canceled the AirPower wireless charger the company announced in 2017 without ever releasing it.

This week on The CultCast: iPhone SE 2 is finally here, and the amount of tech packed into this $400 phone is truly remarkable. We’ll tell you everything you need to know. Plus, a new report outlines Apple’s plans for iPhone 12 with 5G, a new mini (and possibly portable) HomePod, and the AirPower mat, resurrected!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Apple is working on a totally re-designed, wireless charging pad with the ability to route power to exact areas to prevent overheating, according to Front Page Tech analyst Jon Prosser.

Prosser reported Friday that engineers on Apple’s Sharing and Proximity team and working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic recently received prototype units of something called “C68”. AirPower isn’t mentioned by name, but descriptions and details appear to match Apple’s failed charging mat.

Apple isn’t giving up on its dreams of an AirPower wireless charging mat, according to Jon Prosser of FrontPageTech. In a series of tweets sent Sunday, Prosser said that Apple is in the process of “re-engineering” AirPower from the ground up. “Prototyping is underway,” he wrote.

While that’s still no guarantee that AirPower will make it to market, it’s good news to hear that Cupertino’s not abandoning plans for a product many people were excited about.

Apple is planning a huge lineup of products for early 2020, including a brand-new AirPower alternative, according to reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Fans can also look forward to a low-cost iPhone, upgrades to iPad Pro and the MacBook lineup, high-end headphones, and more before the summer, he reported.

Prepare your wallets for one hell of a beating!

The Scoshe BaseLynx modular charging system just became an Apple Store exclusive. This can wirelessly power an iPhone and an  Apple Watch, and it has slots to hold several iPads or iPhones while they charge.

It not the only such multi-device charger that Apple offers to customers in the wake of its botched attempt to create its own AirPower charger.

The post-holiday tech fest that is CES shutters its doors today for another year. This week’s event has been as weird and as wonderful as any other, giving us a glimpse of all kinds of innovative gadgets on the way in 2020.

Better AirPods alternatives. Wireless chargers that achieve what Apple couldn’t. iPhone cases you can throw on the compost heap when they’re no longer needed. Here are the biggest trends from CES 2020.

Mophie parent company Zagg Brands is preparing to release a wireless charger sometime this year similar to that of Apple’s canceled AirPower, according to a published report.

A company spokesman told Bloomberg on Tuesday that it is developing a wireless charging mat with the capabilities to power wireless devices, something Apple attempted to devise in the now-aborted AirPower.

This week on The CultCast: The Mac Pro isn’t just a beauty, it’s also a beast. We cover our first impressions, plus discuss some of the insane upgrades available for Apple’s new powerhouse Mac. Plus, we reveal more of our favorite tech, shows, movies and more in our Best of the Year picks, part 2!

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Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

Apple’s effort to give its multi-device users a reliable charging pad failed. But other companies have stepped up to bring an all-in-one wireless charger and one currently on Kickstarter looks promising.

The Air Quad from Pitaka provides dedicated charging positions for the iPad, iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch.

The Zens Liberty is designed to overcome one of wireless charging’s hassles: it won’t be necessary to carefully arrange the handset on this pad thanks to its 16 charging coils.

This was one of the promises of Apple’s AirPower, but packing too many coiled into a small pad reportedly caused such such problems with excess heat that this product was eventually cancelled.

Jony Ive began to drift away from Apple shortly after the Apple Watch launched, a new report claims. The Apple design chief’s waning enthusiasm caused problems during development of the iPhone X and other products.

Following news that Ive is finished at Apple (at least as a full-time employee), this account backs up earlier reports stating that he had had one foot out the door for a while. In some cases, Ive’s long goodbye made things difficult for his co-workers.

We waited two years for AirPower and in the end, Apple could not deliver. Numerous engineering challenges forced Apple to do something it rarely does – give up.

But the hurdles facing the team producing Apple’s first multi-device wireless charger are not insurmountable.

Consider the Source – a wireless charger and first product by tech startup Spansive that goes on sale today for $189. Its multiple charging coils allow a person to simply set their phone on the surface without having to move it around until a precise charging point is engaged.

Zens’ popular Dual+Watch wireless charging pad is the one-stop charging system for all your Apple gadgets. It can charge three devices simultaneously, including your Apple Watch, iPhone and the new wireless AirPods.

The Dual+Watch mat is perfect for the bedside table or desk at work, and it now comes in white to match your AirPods.