Apple AirPower Charging Mat, Wireless Charging AirPods Case Rumored For March Release

Apple sees a truly wireless future for its devices, that’s why its 2017 iPhones all support Qi wireless charging. The tech giant also announced last year that it’s releasing its own wireless charging mat called AirPower along with a wireless charging case for the AirPods. Now, it looks like AirPower and the new AirPods wireless charging case will be released in March.

According to a tipster who claims to be a Best Buy employee, Apple is preparing to launch its AirPower wireless charging mat and wireless AirPods charging case next month. The same source claims that Best Buy will stock AirPower online and in-store, The Apple Post reports.

Best Buy is said to start receiving AirPower units in-store towards the end of March, possibly to coincide with Apple retailing the device in its own stores. Apple is also said to be sending extra units of the AirPower charging mat that will be used as display and for demos at stores. This information seems to be legitimate considering that Best Buy is an Apple Authorized Service provider.

As for the wireless charging case for the AirPods, the source said that Apple will launch it alongside the AirPower in March. However, there’s a catch: Best Buy will only stock the new charging case when it’s sold with brand-new AirPods. This suggests that the wireless charging case will exclusively be available through Apple.

It should be noted that The Apple Post doesn’t have a reliable track record, so it’s best to take this new information with a grain of salt. That being said, it was also previously reported that Apple was planning to launch new products in March, so there’s a possibility that the information provided by The Apple Post could be accurate.

Apple first showed off AirPower and the new wireless charging case back in September when it announced the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 plus and iPhone X. At the time, the tech giant didn’t give out information on pricing or availability for either accessories and only stated that it would be released “in 2018.”

AirPower is Apple’s own wireless charging mat that’s big enough to accommodate an iPhone, an Apple Watch and the wireless charging AirPods case at the same time. Exact specifications for the accessory hasn't been revealed, but it’s presumed to have enough power output to charge multiple devices all at once.

The Apple AirPower wireless charging mat is rumored to cost $199, while the wireless charging case for the AirPods is said to cost $69, according to AppleInsider. Apple still hasn’t given official pricing or launch dates for either of these devices.