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Apple Officially Kills AirPower Wireless Charging Mat

'After much effort, we've concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project,' Apple's SVP of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio said in a statement.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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When Apple failed to meet its AirPower launch deadline, some wondered if the wireless charging mat would ever made it to market. Now we have an official answer to that question: No.

As TechCrunch first reported, the Cupertino tech giant has officially axed AirPower.

"After much effort, we've concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project," Apple's SVP of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio said in an email to PCMag today. "We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward."

Apple first announced AirPower in the fall of 2017 alongside the iPhone X.

"The new Apple-designed AirPower mat, coming in 2018, can charge iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods simultaneously," the company wrote in a news release at the time.

In late December, developer Steve Troughton-Smith said Apple had finally corrected the issues holding AirPower back. "All I've been hearing is 'they've finally fixed it', so, if true, it could ship as a product whenever Apple wants," Troughton-Smith wrote on Twitter at the time.

Ironically, the latest rumor we heard about AirPower claimed it would be released today. Instead, Apple did the opposite and killed the product altogether.

If you're looking for an AirPower alternative, Logitech last summer released a wireless iPhone charging stand designed in collaboration with Apple. Priced at $69.99, the Logitech Powered Wireless Charging Stand is compatible with the iPhone 8 and above.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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