We may have reached 2019, but Apple's AirPower certainly hasn't, with the much-anticipated wireless charging pad failing to hit shelves by the end of the company's self-imposed deadline. Announced alongside not 2018's iPhone range, but the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus the year before, AirPower was to be one of the most sophisticated - and flexible - wireless charging pads on the market.
Perhaps 2019 will be the year of the Airpower but until Apple finally launches its long-promised wireless charger, others will try to make their own version of it. And some will do a terrible job at it, depending on your aesthetic tastes. Take, for example, this AT&T “Power Drum” that just came out of the blue. Fortunately, it’s not really a big drum but its odd canister shape is designed to not only wirelessly charge an iPhone on top but also an Apple Watch wrapped around it.
It seems like Apple is making more dreams come true today. It has just finally made available its promised and long-awaited official clear case for the colorful iPhone XR and it has pushed an iOS update that fixes a long-standing annoyance for FaceTime users. And now on top of that, it is making available a standalone USB-C charger so that you can just have one adapter to quickly charge your iPhone and charger your iPad Pro too.
A new Apple wireless charging pad has been released, though you shouldn't get excited about Apple AirPower. The combination wireless charging pad, capable of powering up three Apple devices simultaneously, is still missing-in-action, but the Cupertino firm isn't letting that slow its momentum on other wireless chargers.
Almost all smartphones these days support wireless charging, including Google’s new Pixel 3. Well, almost. OnePlus still remains steadfast in its opinion about the technology, just as it had remained steadfast about the 3.5 mm headphone jack until today. Wireless chargers, however, is still a lot slower than wired but some OEMs like Samsung do offer fast wireless charging for a price. That price is about to get slashed thanks to an upcoming wireless charger that is not only more compact but also a lot cheaper too.
For years now, a consistent truth of buying Apple products is that you're going to have to deal with a proprietary charger of some kind. Whether it was the 30-pin connector that first appeared back in the days or the iPod or the Lightning connector that succeeded it, we've been using proprietary chargers with Apple devices for a long time. That may all be changing soon, as rumors claiming that Apple will soon make the jump to USB-C have been swirling for months.
Remember that Tesla-branded wireless charger that suddenly disappeared as quickly as it showed up? Apparently disappearing and reappearing is its most distinctive quality. The phone accessory reappeared on Tesla’s store only to disappear again after quickly selling out within hours. Now the lucky few who did get their mitts on one are being informed by the electric car maker that the charger is going back in stock with a major change, not in capacity but in price.
Just as its CEO couldn’t make up his mide about taking the company private or not, Tesla seems to also be undecided whether to launch its own Qi wireless charger for smartphones or not. It’s no hoax, unless it was intended to be a red herring. Tesla did put up such a Qi-compatible charging accessory on its online store only to quickly pull it out just as silently as it “launched” it. And, perhaps, that might be for the best after all.
The Tesmo Universe Book is one of the strangest devices I've ever reviewed here with SlashGear. It's one of the strangest devices I've ever come in contact with, come to think of it. Not because it's particularly strange in its abilities, but because of the unique nature in which it's presented.
Samsung has a new wireless charger, and it's designed to recharge two devices simultaneously. Announced alongside the new Galaxy Note 9 and the Galaxy Watch, the Samsung Wireless Charging Duo looks set to beat Apple's long-announced but still unavailable AirPower wireless mat to market.
The European Union seems ready to flex its muscles to steer the mobile market ship, perhaps emboldened by its successful case against Google and Android. This time, it’s turning its sights on something it already thought was a closed case years ago: mobile phone chargers. Despite the growing use of the USB-C standard on smartphones, the EU thinks that the adoption is not only slow but also not enough. And considering that Apple remains the only one with a proprietary connector, its Lightning technology stands to lose the most.
Apple may not quite be ready to ditch wired iPhone charging for wireless, but a leaked charger said to be the new in-box accessory does suggest it's finally switching to USB-C. The 2018 iPhone range - expected to consist of three handsets, all of which will have the same "notched" screen design as the current iPhone X - is likely to launch in September this year.