Bloomberg: Long-awaited AirPower charging mat coming in September

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple plans on releasing its long-delayed inductive AirPower charging mat “before or in September.” The product, first announced last September, allows you to charge certain Apple devices all at once including the iPhone X.

According to Gurman:

Apple didn’t say when in 2018 it would release AirPower, but engineers hoped to launch the charger by June. The aim now is to put it on sale before or in September, according to one of the people. In recent months, some Apple engineers have ramped up testing of the device by using it as their charger at the office, another person said.

The oval-shaped AirPower accessory announced during last year’s iPhone X event can inductively charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and Apple Watch Series 3. An optional charging case for AirPods, which is also missing in action, will also work with the charging mat.

There have been numerous delays for the AirPower since it was announced last year. The accessory was once thought to be arriving in March and then June. In the meantime, third-party alternatives have launched.

As Gurman explains of the delays:

An executive at an Apple partner that manufactures third-party wireless chargers for iPhones, who asked not to be identified, said that the multi-device charging mechanism is challenging to build because it likely requires different sized charging components for the three types of devices, which would all overlap across the mat.

It makes sense for Apple to push the AirPower release date to September. By doing so, the company will have the opportunity to reintroduce the product alongside this year’s iPhone and iPad Pro product lines. Each is expected to feature wireless charging capabilities; for the latter, for the first time.

Apple hasn’t announced a price for the AirPower.