Add MobilityArena as a preferred source on Google
The general belief in tech circles is that the mat would be launched alongside the iPhone XS in September 2018, but it was not to be so. We also waited till October when the Mac Mini, iPad Pro, MacBook Air were launched, but no such thing happened. Let’s take a look at what the AirPower mat is, and what might have actually caused the delay in its launch.
What is the Apple AirPower mat?
Simply put, this is a wireless charging mat. You plug it in the wall socket and it’s electric charge flows into the devices that are compatible with it through contact alone. Just place your compatible device on it and the mat starts charging it. See our article, How wireless charging works .
The AirPower mat is more or less like other existing wireless charging products. The only catch is that it will also charge the Apple Watch alongside other compatible devices. It is even big enough to charge your Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods at the same time.
Release date and price of Apple AirPower Mat
A report from ChargerLAB claims that they had a conversation with an individual who is one of Apple’s suppliers. The person revealed to ChargerLAB that the Apple has commenced the production of the AirPower .
ChargerLAB also laid emphasis on Luxshare Precision being the manufacturing company, and this company is actually the manufacturers of AirPods. There was also a report in January 2019 saying that the hardware for AirPower will be manufactured by Lite-On Semiconductor .
The only place on Apple.com with a mention of the AirPower Wireless Charging Mat is where it mentioned the forthcoming wireless charging case for the AirPods. The other references have been removed from the website. What about the price?
Why has AirPower Wireless Charging Mat been delayed?
MySmartPrice quotes a source which says that the wireless charging mat will be a bit thicker than it was expected to be. A report also claims that some extra software-enabled bits are being developed by Apple for the product. These software parts will be enabled in iOS 13 .
A 2018 report from Bloomberg mentions technicalities with the internal circuitry of the mat. According to Chongdiantou, 22 charging coils (that’s a lot) will be present in the mat and that’s the reason it will be that expensive and also why there’s been quite a delay in its launch.
But why does it have so many coils? Well, we believe it’s because it will charge your device anywhere you put it on the mat, it doesn’t have to be a precise placement. A statement from a well-known Apple blogger, John Gruber, says that one of the reason of the delay in the launch is that the “multi-coil design getting too hot — way too hot”.
Additionally, Sonny Dickson said that “the mechanism being used for multi-device charging… is proving extremely difficult to build or refine, and has been resulting in a significant amount of interference…which reduces the efficiency of the charging mat, and contributes to the heat issues that engineers are facing.”
Dickson also said that the mat is also facing some software issues, such as it failing to feedback Apple Watch and AirPod charging information to iPhone. Apple’s initial concept displayed real-time charge levels on the iPhone (similar to the one you now get for Apple Watch and AirPod in the iOS battery widget)
What devices will work with the AirPower mat?
The Apple AirPower mat will charge Apple Watches , the new AirPods, 2017 and 2018 iPhones and beyond, as well as Apple Watches. Because it is based on Qi charging technology, it will charge other Qi-compatible smartphones as well.
Note that the AirPower Wireless Charging Mat will only charge AirPods if they are in a wireless charging case. Lastly, it is compatible with Apple’s iPhone XS smart battery case . This wireless charging mat is big enough to charge your Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods all at the same time.
Cancellation
AirPower never made it to the market. It was officially cancelled in late March 2019.
- Don’t miss our reviews .
- Follow our news on Google News .
- Join our WhatsApp Group , to be notified of the most important articles and deals,
- Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube .
Author:Victor Ehijiator
Add MobilityArena as a preferred source on Google
One of the not so talked about news from Mobile World Congress 2019 is the announcement of 8 KAIOS-powered Energizer feature phones, or smart feature phones, to be more precise.
The tech media are largely smartphone-crazy, and so this kind of announcement isn’t big news for them. But, the global smartphone market has hit a plateau, currently making up only about 50% of mobile users.
Contrary to what you may have heard, smartphones do not exactly rule the world. It is a near-even split. And the smartphone market has stopped growing.
That means there is a huge market for a new generation of feature phones that have smart features. And KaiOS is a mobile operating system makes that possible.
This feature phone runs KAIOS
The Energizer brand is stepping in to take advantage of that. The new Energizer feature phones will run on KaiOS and come preinstalled with the KaiStore, as well as several apps and services including the Google Assistant, Facebook, Google Maps, YouTube, and Twitter.
KaiOS currently runs on more than 50 million devices in over 100 countries. It is the operating system that runs of the famous Jio Phone lineup in India, and also Nokia’s 8110 4G rehash.
Smart feature phones are a solid way to bridge the gap between feature phones and smartphones. The rise of KAIOS in the last two years is testimony to that.
Release Date of the Energizer feature phones
Avenir Telecom is the company with the exclusive rights to produce Energizer feature phones . The new smart feature phones will be in the market by June 2019 with manufacturer’s suggested retail price pegged at 19.99 Euros – about NGN 12,500 each.
That price makes sense, considering that feature phones thrive primarily because of their low prices. Which is why we still find it baffling that Nokia’s KAIOS-powered 8110 4G costs as much as ₦ 25,000 in the market. That is the price of a decent entry-level Android-powered smartphone.
Our Nokia 8110 4G review should interest you.
- Don’t miss our reviews .
- Join our WhatsApp Group , to be notified of the most important articles and deals,
- Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube .
Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
