AirPower prototype shown off in new hands-on video
Collector Giulio Zompetti has shown off a new hands-on video of a prototype of Apple’s infamous AirPower charging mat, which was intended to simultaneously charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and wireless AirPods charging case.
Distinguishing the leaked prototype from AirPower counterfeits is the special animation the iPhone displays as it touches down on the charging mat, which until today had only been seen in Apple’s marketing for the accessory.
The prototype appears to be an unfinished engineering unit given that it is missing the white casing the finished product was shown off with.
As shown in the video, the animation includes the device’s actual wallpaper and the current time rather than a default Lock Screen mockup, however, the prototype doesn’t appear to be functional as the iPhone’s battery icon remains black when it is resting on the pad.
https://twitter.com/1nsane_dev/status/1423277245381054472
Apple announced its AirPower project was canceled 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.
With the exception of what was said to be a leaked marketing video for the unreleased AirPower charging mat, we haven’t seen much news surrounding the abandoned project since, asides from a report from Bloomberg which claimed last year that Apple was reportedly working on a new, “less ambitious” wireless charging accessory for the iPhone.