AirPower - page 2

AirPower is dead and gone, but in the midst of the scramble for the next best thing, its alternatives have been selling out fast. So, what now? The HiRise Duet stand may be the perfect solution, and we’ve got it in the Cult of Mac Watch Store.

This luxe charging stand powers your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time, in the same place. With 15-watts of Lightning Power, HiRise Duet charges your iPhone 40 percent faster than standard USB, and almost twice as fast as wireless.

Best part? Unlike flat charging pads, Duet holds your iPhone and Apple Watch upright so you can see and interact with your devices while charging. Check it out:

This week on The CultCast: The death of AirPower — the real problem that no one is talking about. Plus: 2019 iPhone rumors point to some wildly useful new features; more evidence the 2018 MacBook, Air and Pro keyboards are still having problems. And we wrap up with a review of Leander’s favorite wireless charging mat, Lewis’ take on the new AirPods 2, and Erfon’s got a favorite new podcasting gadget on an all-new Under Review.

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..

Let me be among the first to thank Apple for killing the wireless charging pad known as AirPower.

While tech commentators try to rank this failure against other doomed Apple products, I feel grateful that Cupertino pulled the plug. AirPower, an ambitious attempt to use multiple coils to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods, was a public health hazard.

Apple pulls back the curtain on its wily master plan, giving us our first glimpse at a squeaky-clean new TV service, an ambitious subscription videogame service, a slightly familiar-sounding magazine and news service and more. (Spoiler alert: The Apple credit card steals the show.)

And then, after all that, Cupertino unceremoniously pulls the plug on its AirPower wireless charging mat.

Get our take on Apple’s new services, plus new how-tos and reviews, in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS. Download the free app now, or get the links below to read the week’s best stories in your browser.

Now that Apple’s AirPower charging mat has been cancelled, this dual iPhone and Apple Watch charger is perhaps the best alternative.

Like the AirPower, the Dual+Watch Aluminium Wireless Charger can charge three devices simultaneously, including the new wireless AirPods.

AirPower is officially dead.

It’s been about 1.5 years since Apple titillated fans by revealing a wireless charging mat that supposedly would charge not one, not two, but three Apple devices at the same time.

Frankly, it looked too good to be true at the time. And after a year of avoiding the subject, Apple confirmed today that AirPower will never caress the backside of your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time.

This is an unofficial guide to why AirPower failed.

Owners of late-model iPhones (starting with iPhone 8) can stash all their old Lightning cables in a desk drawer and start charging their phone more easily with a wireless charger. Instead of sticking a wire into your phone and attaching it to a power adapter, you just place the phone on a small charger pad — or on a stand-up charging pad — and you’re good to go.

Now that Apple officially killed off its AirPower charging mat, it’s time to take the plunge and get yourself a third-party wireless charger. And if you’ve got one of those newfangled AirPods wireless charging cases, a charging pad is even more essential to your setup.

Here are our recommendations for best wireless chargers.

RIP AirPower.

iPhone lovers have been waiting more than a year for Apple’s wireless charging mat to finally launch, but the company announced today that it has officially canceled its AirPower project because it’s simply too dang hard to make it.

The recently-launched wireless charging case for Apple’s AirPods is starting to reach customers’ hands, and it comes with a surprise: there’s a picture of the AirPower charging mat on the box, even though this isn’t available yet.

With new Apple products released almost everyday last week, the anticipation for AirPower’s long-awaited launch has reached an all-time high. However, will Apple actually deliver this time around? Rumors a-plenty have teased us for long enough.

Save your heartache and pining and opt for tons of great chargers with our speedy Watch Store guide. Your perfect match is just a click away.

Make sure you stick around for the very end of our list. We saved the best of last.

The lengthy wait for AirPower is almost over — but not yet.

A new report, citing industry sources, claims Apple’s new charging pad will arrive in late March. If the information is accurate, that means the long-awaited launch is right around the corner.

Will we see it during Apple’s March 25 event?

A new image of Apple’s MIA AirPower charger, alongside an iPhone XS and the new AirPods wireless charging case, has been spotted online.

The image was discovered on Apple’s Australian website, apparently buried in source code. While it doesn’t 100 percent confirm that AirPower may finally be set to launch, it does add another bit of evidence to the case.

Apple isn’t following its usual strategy for product launches. Rather than holding a press event during which a collection of devices gets shown off, it spread the news out across multiple days this week.

This bold new approach brought plenty of attention to products that might otherwise have gotten lost in the furor around bigger announcements. And it’s also creating excitement about what’s coming next.

Dying to charge your AirPods wirelessly but hesitant to plunk down $79 for Apple’s new wireless charging case? If so, you might consider dropping $25 on a SliQ silicone cover for your AirPods case.

It’s a relatively inexpensive way to add Qi wireless charging capability to your AirPods right now. But a variety of drawbacks should make you think twice.

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.

You’ve probably read this before. But this time, it seems like it’s actually really real.

AirPower’s launch could be just weeks away. And this time, there’s actually some solid evidence that it’s coming.

The Apple Online Store has mysteriously gone down this morning, leading fans to wonder whether AirPower and new iPads are on the way.

Apple has an event planned for March 25, but it is thought that will focus on services rather than hardware. It is certainly plausible that refreshed devices will be added to the store this morning without much fanfare.

The first Apple event of 2019 is nearly here. Tim Cook and friends are set to take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on March 25 to unveil the company’s newest goodies, only instead of unveiling some shiny new gadgets you can buy, Apple is supposedly going to bust out some services you can subscribe to.

The Apple rumor mill has been working in overdrive leading up the event, so we have a pretty solid idea of what we’ll see.

If you hate Apple keynote spoilers, stop reading now.

The design of Apple’s AirPods is about to get a tweak, according to a new unconfirmed report coming out of Asia. Expect a fresh choice of color and a coating that will make these earbuds harder to drop.

This refresh is reportedly tied to the release of the AirPower wireless charger which is expected to launch at the same time.

Apple’s next big event could be right around the corner if a sketchy new report is to be believed.

AirPods 2, the AirPower charging mat, and next-generation iPads might appear at a mid-March event, with preorders starting March 22.

When 2018 ticked over to 2019, Apple’s AirPower charging mat officially missed its Apple-imposed deadline. But, counter to rumors that it has been abandoned, a new report suggests that Apple will be shipping it “later in 2019.”

There’s no proposed shipping date mentioned in the report, but “later” could suggest the second half of the year. If so, it could ship a whole two years after it was originally unveiled in September 2017.

Another small but significant reference to Apple’s long-awaited AirPower charging mat has been spotted this week, giving fans hope that the product is still in the pipeline after all.

AirPower is mentioned on an Apple product page for its new Smart Battery Case for iPhone XS. But what does it mean?

Production of the long-overdue AirPower charging mat has begun at last, according to a report from Apple’s Asian supply chain.

Apple first showed off the multidevice wireless charger way back in 2017, but it remains hopelessly MIA. If this latest supply chain rumor proves true, the wait for AirPower could end soon.

Largely thanks to Tim Cook’s operational wizardry, Apple has carved out a reputation as a master of manufacturing: able to deliver products in massive quantities, exactly when it says it will.

The notable exception to this rule? Apple’s AirPower wireless charger. Announced in late 2017, the next-gen charging mat was promised to ship some time in 2018. Needless to say, that hasn’t happened.

Correction: The FCC approval mentioned in this story relates to an updated Apple Watch charger, not the long-awaited AirPower charging mat. The story has been updated to correct the error.

Apple just updated its magnetic Apple Watch charger. Since the physical design looks unchanged, it’s likely that only minor internal tweaks are included in the updated device.