Apple's AirPower was first announced alongside the iPhone X in September 2017, and at the time, Apple said the wireless charging pad would launch in 2018. Obviously that didn't happen, and Apple hasn't said when AirPower might arrive. Today a rumor has surfaced that may have the answer to that mystery.
Apple suppliers have begun production on AirPower, suggesting that a launch could finally be happening soon. This news comes from ChargerLab, which claims to have heard from a "credible source in the supply chain" that AirPower production is underway at Luxshare Precision, which also makes AirPods and Apple USB-C cables.
Breaking: AirPower is finally coming. We just learned from credible source in supply chain that the manufacture Luxshare Precision has already started producing Apple AirPower wireless charging pad. Luxshare Precision is also the maker of Apple AirPods and USB-C cables. pic.twitter.com/UqgWIAh3sx
— ChargerLAB (@chargerlab) January 12, 2019
A follow-up tweet from ChargerLab claims that, according to another source, Pegatron is scheduled to begin mass production of AirPower on January 21. It's said that Apple's AirPower charger has three layers of coils in an 8-7-7 configuration from bottom to top. Pegatron is an Apple OEM that's based in Asia.
Finally, developer Steve Troughton-Smith recently tweeted that he's heard that "they've finally fixed it", with "it" being AirPower. Troughton-Smith has been the source of some Apple leaks in the past.
It's kind of strange that it's been more than a year since AirPower was announced and it's still not available. It's been said that technical issues could be delaying the product, which explains why Apple hasn't been talking about AirPower, as it likely doesn't want to admit that it had issues with AirPower and announced the device before it was ready to go to market.
Apple's AirPower is a wireless charging mat is capable of charging an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. While there are plenty of wireless charging pads on the market, the fact that AirPower can charge all three Apple devices at once, and the fact that it's made by Apple, makes AirPower an attractive option for those all-in on the Apple ecosystem. We still don't how much AirPower will cost, but according to today's reports, the launch isn't far off.