Apple Reportedly Scraps AirPower Wireless Charging Mat Teased at iPhone 8 Launch

AirPower, Apple’s teased multi-device wireless charging mat, has been scrapped, said multiple reports Friday. TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief Matthew Panzarino tweeted a statement attributed to Dan Riccio, Apple senior vice president-hardware: “After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward.” The charging mat, first shown at the September 2017 iPhone 8 launch, had reached cult status as a product the company promised but didn't introduce as expected in spring 2018. As recently as Monday, Apple customers on Twitter were clamoring for the product amid Apple’s software launch of its news, video, gaming and credit card services. When Apple previewed AirPower 18 months ago (see 1709120054), Phil Schiller, senior vice president-worldwide marketing, said Apple believed it could make the wireless charging experience “even better” and “move the entire industry forward.” He said Apple hoped people would love it, “that it encourages others to create more advanced solutions based on technology like this.” Apple had planned to "incorporate these benefits into the future of the standards to make wireless charging better for everyone,” he said. The next month, the company bought a New Zealand-based wireless charging company, PowerbyProxi (see 1710250043). Apple didn’t comment Friday.