Apple’s new AirPower is a wireless charging pad that will greatly help the user get rid of the mess of charging cables for your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. Although the unveiling of Apple’s Airpower was at the company’s iPhone X Event, however, the device was barely described.
What is AirPower?
AirPower is a wireless charging pad. Although this is no new device, similar charging mats have already flooded the market, however before the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, a special case had to be used with your iPhone in order to use a wireless charging pad. No special case is needed to use Apple’s Airpower. just put the iPhone on the Airpower pad to begin charging it, and say bye-bye to your old chargers.
How does the Airpower work?
Plug the Airpower pad into a power outlet and place it anywhere you like. To charge your device, just place it on the mat, with front facing up. It’s that simple. Technically what basically happens is that Airpower uses induction, where an electromagnetic field is used to transfer power from (in this case) the AirPower to a device.The pad then sends a signal to the device placed on it to basically ‘handshake’ with the device (checks for compatibility, charge capacity, etc). If everything checks out, charging proceeds.
Will my iPhone work with AirPower?
Currently, 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 aluminium backs of the iPhone 6 and 7), but they also have the hardware support to charge wirelessly.
Will my iPad work with AirPower?
The current iPads (as of September 2017) are not compatible with AirPower. It seems as though a glass back is required, and a glass back as big as one for the iPad would be expensive, heavy, and perhaps too fragile to use.
Will my Apple Watch work with AirPower?
AirPower works with the Apple Watch Series 3.
Will 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 released details on the new AirPod case. As of this writing, the new case isn’t on the company’s website.
Will 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.
Will my Beats earphones work with AirPower?
No. See the previous answer.
Will non-Apple Qi-compliant devices work with AirPower?
Apple said it was working on the AirPower to be Qi-compliant, and if/when this happens, this could mean compatibility with non-Apple Qi-compliant products. But we don’t have confirmation yet. The iPhone 8 and iPhone X are compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard and can be used with Qi chargers like the Belkin Boost Up ($59.95 on Amazon) or the Mophie Wireless Base.
Will the AirPower support fast-charging for my iPhone?
Apple has not released specifications on AirPower, which would include the charging rate that the AirPower works at.
The Qi specification supports fast charging at 15 watts. The rate at which AirPower works at has not been disclosed. So it remains to be seen if it can support fast charging.
According to a report from MacRumors, iOS 11.2 will change the wireless charging performance from a maximum of 5 watts to 7.5 watts. While that’s not as fast as some other fast chargers, it’s faster than the included iPhone adapter.
Price for AirPower, Where To Buy & Availability
Apple has not released price information about AirPower. But rumours indicate it will be around the $200 mark.
Apple said that AirPower will be available in 2018. Mac Otakara reports that AirPower will be available for sale by the end of March, according to Mac Otakara sources in the Asian supply chain. This follows a similar report by The Apple Post, who received a tip from a Best Buy supplier. (Best Buy is an authorized Apple seller and service provider.)