Apple resumes AirPower wireless charging mat project, new leak claims

Apple hasn't given up on an in-house developed wireless charging mat yet. Leakster Jon Presser claims Apple has resumed work on the wireless charging mat.

Presser claimed Apple's wireless charging mat project has been resumed, internally. He cautioned the revival of project doesn't guarantee Apple will commercially launch the product.

"The project is back on, internally. No guarantee that they'll finalize and release it, but they haven't given up yet and they're trying to re-engineer the coils to displace heat more effectively. Prototyping is underway," said Presser in a tweet.

Presser's comment comes months after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had predicted Apple's 2020 products scheduled to be showcased in the first half of the year will have a smaller wireless charging mat.

Apple had showcased its AirPower wireless charging mat in 2017 alongside the iPhone X. The mat could charge Apple's phone, smart watch, and AirPod ear-bud case.

The company said it would launch the device in mid-2018. The product, however, continued to get delayed. In May 2019, Apple announced it had shelved the wireless charging mat project.

"After much effort, we've concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have canceled the project. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward," Apple senior vice president of hardware engineering Dan Riccio had said.

That said, AirPower is a rare Apple product to be cancelled after getting showcased at the official keynotes.