Did Apple Officially Shelve Rumored AirPower Project?

Apple seems to have hammered the final nail in the AirPower's coffin, a prominent leaker claims.

Cupertino tech giant Apple has “removed” all the AirPower prototyping and testing from the schedule for 2021, known tipster Jon Prosser leaked via Twitter, adding that “once again, AirPower is dead.”

The leaker, who has an impressive 85.5% accuracy rate when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors, as per AppleTrack, said his sources “doubt” that the project will “ever be picked up again.” This indicates that the iPhone maker seems to have shelved the once ambitious project and likely will not release the charging mat in the future.

Previous claims

Earlier, Prosser claimed that Apple tried to quietly revive the AirPower project sometime after canceling it. The leaker said that according to his sources, the Cupertino tech giant didn't give up on the ambitious project and brought it “back on internally.”

Sources said Apple was “prototyping” the device and was “trying to re-engineer the coils to displace heat more effectively.”

Noted TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for his accurate Apple predictions, also said the Cupertino tech giant hasn't stopped thinking about AirPower and expected the company to produce a smaller charging mat.

The smaller device, dubbed the AirPower mini, however, never materialized in time for the release of the iPhone 12 series.

Another charging device

The company, during the iPhone 12 series launch, announced a new iPhone charging standard, the new MagSafe charger, instead of the rumored AirPower or the smaller AirPower mini.

The new MagSafe charger, in principle, is a wireless charging device that uses magnets to latch on to the iPhone 12 series handsets. This allows the device to charge the new smartphones without having to plug a Lightning cable into the iPhone's bottom port.

The new charging device, however, cannot charge other iDevices such as the Apple Watch. The AirPower, had Apple succeeded in creating and mass-producing it, would've been able to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods or AirPods Pro all at the same time – regardless of how the owner places them on the mat.

Prosser's new report about the device, however, indicates that it will remain a dream for the foreseeable future.