A video that claims to depict an Apple wireless charging device prototype for the iPhone or other Qi devices has surfaced online.
Credit: 9to5Mac
After the demise of AirPower, Apple has been rumored to be exploring a "less ambitious" wireless charging device. Though details are scarce, that supposed device is reportedly either smaller or less feature-rich.
On Thursday morning, 9to5Mac said it was provided a video of a new Apple accessory. The outlet theorized that it could be a wireless charging device of some type.
Video claims to show Apple magnetic wireless charger prototype. More at @9to5mac pic.twitter.com/BDReuIIW4C
-- Jordan Kahn (@JordanKahn) September 17, 2020
It's possible that the device is a development unit sent to accessory makers that are a part of Apple's Made for iPhone initiative, instead of an actual unreleased Apple product. However, there is no way to authenticate the video, and there is no clear Apple branding, or anything suggesting that it is specific to Apple.
Furthermore, it may not even be for public release. Apple also develops custom hardware for its offices and headquarters, and it may very well be for something internal.
There have been multiple reports of a first-party Apple wireless charger being in the works, including rumors that Apple is developing a new AirPower prototype and a Ming-Chi Kuo prediction that a "small wireless charging mat" could arrive sometime in 2020.
In August, a leak suggested that the upcoming "iPhone 12" could sport a circular arrangement of magnets, perhaps in an effort to facilitate Apple Watch-like wireless charging.
The leaked charging accessory may fit the footprint of the rumored circle of magnets, but there's no way to independently verify whether either leak is actually genuine.