Roger Fingas
Apple's long-delayed AirPower wireless charger is just around the corner, launching "in late March," a rumor claimed on Friday.
A component for the charger, GPP (glass passivated package) bridge rectifiers, should soon enter "volume" shipments from Lite-On Semiconductor, DigiTimes sources said. The manufacturer is in fact expected to see double-digit sequential growth in the June quarter, fueled primarily by AirPower demand.
Signs have been mounting of an imminent AirPower launch. Hidden references and graphics have been found at Apple's Australian website, and multiple reports have pointed to it being in production. Most significantly support is included in iOS 12.2 beta 6, which could mean that the only thing holding Apple back is the launch of iOS and watchOS updates.
Apple originally announced the AirPower in September 2017 with a broad 2018 launch window. That time came and went without any official news, leading some people to wonder if it had been quietly canceled.
It might make sense for Apple to launch the AirPower next week, possibly during its March 25 press event. That gathering will focus mostly on a long-anticipated video streaming service, as well as paid Apple News subscriptions.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
33 Comments
Is three months overdue really “long delayed”? I understand that people heard “2018” and were hopeful that it would be Q1 or maybe Q2. However, hoping for early 2018 and not getting early 2018 does not Apple missed a promised time frame. In fact, as has been noted quite often, Apple has been virtually silent about AirPower and we’ve just been running on rumors and speculation.
Bottom line: Apple expected and announced a 2018 launch date and that was missed. If AirPower ships in March of 2019 it’s just a 3 month delay, not that terrible.
I would respectfully disagree, it was preannounced with the iPhone X, which had wireless charging capabilities and was due to be released late November 2017. I, for one, hoped that AirPower would be released in early 2018, in order to use it with my new iPhone X. I feel it is a full year late for what I personally wanted.
Yeah not exactly new - similar to the timeframe they announced the Watch to drop, and it was of course the last possible month to still make it. This is the problem with pre-announcing. But when they don’t people get rowdy too. Can’t win.
So, whaddya think? $299? $399? It would be extraordinary if this retailed for $199.