Reports: Apple AirPower still overheating, may be “doomed to failure”

Enlarge / Apple introducing its AirPower wireless charging mat in September 2017.

One surprise from Apple's iPhone launch event last week was the complete lack of new information about the company's AirPower wireless charging mat. Apple first introduced the charger at its iPhone X unveiling last year, with reports later claiming that the device would ship in March. That never happened, though, and by June Bloomberg reported that Apple was dealing with numerous "technical issues" related to overheating and the complexity of the circuitry involved with the device.

That report said Apple hoped to get AirPower out the door by June, but it later changed its aim to September. While that second launch frame is still possible, it now looks extremely unlikely. Besides not mentioning AirPower whatsoever at its iPhone XS unveiling, the company appeared to scrub all mentions of the charging mat from its website following the event.

Over the weekend, a pair of reports from noted Apple bloggers John Gruber and Sonny Dickson said the delay still boils down to technical problems Apple has struggled to overcome. Both reports note that the AirPower mat is still having major issues with overheating, while Dickson says the device has struggled to communicate with corresponding iDevices and accurately report charge level information. Dickson says Apple has struggled to cleanly integrate the number of charging coils built within the mat, too, a problem that has reportedly been exacerbated by the relatively compact size of the device. Gruber cites "multiple little birdies" he has heard "third-hand," while Dickson cites "multiple internal sources."

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