Apple AirPower wireless charging pad: Will it actually ship in 2019?

Apple’s new AirPower is a wireless charging pad to help clean up the mess of charging cables for your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Apple unveiled AirPower at its iPhone X Event, but the company didn’t provide much detail. We hope to fill the void here. We’ll update this article as we get more details, so stay tuned.

What’s the latest?

Will the AirPower actually ship this year? If the recent rumors are to believe, it seems like it could. On December 31, 2018, developer Steve Troughton-Smith tweeted that he had heard that AirPower has been fixed. On January 11, 2019, ChargerLab tweeted that a “credible source” informed the site that Luxshare Precision (who manufactures Apple’s AirPods and USB-C cables) has started manufacturing the AirPower for Apple. Now there’s a report from DigiTimes saying that the device will become available later in 2019. No other details, such as price or device compatibility, have been revealed.

Back in October 2018. analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will release new AirPods in early 2019. The new AirPods will include a new redesigned case that supports wireless charging. That could mean the AIrPower wireless charging mat could be released at the same time—though we should clarify that Kuo does not specifically mention AirPower in his report.

What is AirPower?

AirPower is a wireless charging pad. There are several wireless charging pads on the market, but before the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, you had to use a special case with your iPhone in order to use a wireless charging pad.

AirPower works without the need of a special case. Just plop your iPhone on to the AirPower pad, and it starts charging. No need to plug in your iPhone.

How does the AirPower work?

Place the AirPower pad on your desk or wherever you like to charge your devices. Then plug it into a power outlet. To charge your device, just place it on the mat, with front facing up. That’s it.

To get a little but more technical, AirPower uses induction, where an electromagnetic field is used to transfer power from (in this case) the AirPower to a device. When you place your device on the AirPower, it receives a signal from the pad to basically ‘handshake” with the device (checks for compatibility, charge capacity, etc). If everything checks out, charging proceeds.

Can my AirPods work with AirPower?

They can, but you need the new AirPod case that Apple introduced at the iPhone X Event. You can’t use the original case with the AirPower. Nor can you simply place your AirPod earbuds on the AirPower to charge them. You have to place the earbuds in the new case, and then place the case on the AirPower. Or you can charge the case on the AirPower, take the case off the pad, and then put the AirPods in the case to charge them,

Apple has not release details on the new AirPod case. As of this writing, the new case isn’t on the company’s website.

Can my MacBook laptop work with AirPower?

No. AirPower is designed to work with the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, Apple Watch Series 3, and the new AirPods case.

Can my iPhone work with AirPower?

Only three iPhones work with AirPower: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. These iPhones not only have glass backs (as opposed to the aluminum backs of the iPhone 6 and 7), but they also have the hardware support to charge wirelessly.