AirPods Wireless Charging Case Rumor Is The Hope For AirPower Release

Following the successful and remarkable date (September 12, 2017) of launching iPhone X, we have seen a lot of other tech products introduced by Apple. They are all significant achievements of the tech company: a new generation of Apple Watch, first Apple smart speaker – HomePod,  a new Mac Mini and MacBook Air, home button-free iPad Pros, and future lines of iPhones.  The two things which have not been on the list yet are wireless charging case for AirPods and the charging mat AirPower. A change might be coming soon

Wireless charging – the cool feature on upcoming Apple products

Said by Ming-Chi Kuo the oft-analyst analyst (reported by 9to5Mac), Apple has finalized to gear up the release AirPods new version which has “wireless charging” support. It is likely to be a separate charging case that is so-called “optional new wireless charging case” by Phil Schiller. Apple made no official announcement about the releasing date, but it was predicted to be at the same time with AirPower launching this year.

It is quite evident that Apple will not make it to the schedule. Not an update on release or development of AirPower and also its reference has been scrubbed from the website, which makes many people believe Apple is going to drop this project.

AirPower – Apple’s solution for wireless charging

Thanks to Kuo’s rumor that brings some hope to the AirPower fan. After many unconfirmed ship date rumors in the last 12 months, if Apple’s plan to deliver the AirPods’ wireless charging case is really going to work the 2019 first quarter, we would believe in the arrival of ApplePower too. As soon as the wireless charging cases of AirPods have been released, it may not be compatible with wireless charging pads in the market (like what happened to the AppleWatch) because it was designed with proprietary tech.  There is probably a need for costly wireless charging pads recommended by Apple or solution pads by Apple.

The wireless charging case for AirPods is believed to be expensive. Said by Kuo via 9to5Mac, the case is equipped with “rigid-flex board” which makes the manufacturing process costly. Also, Apple will redesign the flip-top hinge of the case for engineering and aesthetic purposes, this adds a significant amount to manufacture cost. AirPods case now is not available to buy directly from Apple, but customers still can request a replacement for a broken or lost one with Apple Support at a price of $69. That’s why the new wireless charging case might cost at least $99

The case not only has high price itself but also requires a compatible charger solution which you might not usually buy on Amazon. Even when it works with your $20 Amazon wireless charger, it still does not have cool features to charge phones and new interface while in 2017 AirPower was promised by Apply to have both features. iPhone customers get wireless charging as a bonus so asking them to pay out of pocket $69 to $99 for an AirPod wireless charging case is quite a lot. Only the promised development and support of AirPower could make the consideration possible.

Kuo seems not to satisfy with the “all-new-design” of the upcoming 2020 AirPods but refuses to disclose any other details. “Hey, Siri” command and waterproof are cool features for the new earbuds mentioned in rumors.

Why this matters: Since the removal of the headphone jack in iPhone 7, Apple mainly focuses on the development of wireless charging and Bluetooth audio. The cordless design was a detour because of the AirPower delay this year. Hopefully, Apple will come back on track by releasing the wireless charging case of AirPods early next year, then followed by the AirPower. So this holiday, save the Apple gift cards and stay tuned