Profound leaker Jon Prosser has shared new images of a prototype of Apple’s infamous AirPower charging mat, suggesting engineers have been able to resolve the overheating issues that supposedly lead to the product being cancelled last year.
The images follow after Prosser shared a blurry photo of an AirPower prototype in April, saying that teams were trying to re-engineer the wireless charging coils to displace heat more effectively.
Apple announced its AirPower project was cancelled in 2019, at the time saying the company wasn’t able to meet its high standards for hardware following numerous reports from industry sources claiming engineers were battling with overheating issues during testing.
Apple’s objective for AirPower was simple: to create a wireless charging pad on which customers could simultaneously charge three products – iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods wireless charging case – at once.
Prosser says “Remember how I said that the main problem was that current prototypes didn’t support Apple Watch? Yeah. Well. They got the Watch working…”
Leading Apple-insider Ming-Chi Kuo suggested earlier in the year that Apple may be developing a “small wireless charging mat,” said to be launching during the first half of 2020, although it is yet to be seen.
It’s clear the images today depict the original design of the AirPower charging mat we first saw in 2018, so Kuo’s comments lead us to believe he was referring to a second wireless charger, which may only be capable of charging one device at a time.