AirPower was announced alongside the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X at Apple's September event… in 2017. It was a preview, not a release, and Apple said it would only be available in 2018. On March 29, 2018. Apple announced it would not, afterall, release AirPower. Here's all the information leading up to the cancelation.

March 29, 2019: Apple cancels AirPower charging mat, unable to meet quality standards

Apple has officially canceled the AirPower inductive charging mat after failing to meet particular quality standards. The company announced the discontinuation of the project in an emailed statement to TechCrunch:

"After much effort, we've concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward," said Dan Riccio, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in an emailed statement today.

It's rare for Apple to announce that they are discontinuing a product that it never released. But it seems like a fairly prudent move at this point, as recent rumors had indicated that the company was, in fact, close to releasing the product. Announcing its cancelation at this time puts a stop to those rumors, and keeps customers from holding out for a product that is no longer coming.

February 17, 2019: AirPower yet again rumored for the first half of this year

Kuo Ming-Chi is rounding up his early 2019 predictions and AirPods are on the list. Nothing new or different, just comfortingly more of the same. Via MacRumors:

Apple's long-awaited AirPower wireless charging mat and a new version of AirPods with wireless charging support and upgraded Bluetooth connectivity will start shipping in the first half of 2019, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Getting closer...

February 12, 2018: AirPower finally ready for prime time... maybe?

And... add another spring release rumor to your AirPower bingo board!

From iPhoneHellas.gr:

Apple's innovative proposal for simultaneous wireless charging of 3 devices (iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods) on a pad is finally ready for release.

It's still strange we haven't heard anything from Apple on this, given the delay.

February 11, 2018: AirPower again rumored for the spring... but thicker!

If you haven't succumbed to learned helplessness around AirPower and its many rumors yet zero actual appearances yet, here's one more rumor for the pile.

From MySmartPrice:

Our source has also claimed that the AirPower wireless charging pad will finally be released in Spring this year, alongside the wireless charging case for the first-generation AirPods. The AirPower will be slightly thicker than originally expected, apparently because of the 8-7-7 coil configuration. Apple is said to be working on a few "exclusive features" as well for the AirPower, although they will not be available until iOS 13 is released.

Figuring out heat and the coils are just necessary in order to get the product to the point it can ship. Exclusive features from iOS 13, though?

January 12, 2018: AirPower rumored to finally be in production

Joe Rossignol, putting the pieces together for MacRumors:

Hong Kong website ChargerLAB cites a "credible source" within Apple's supply chain who claims Chinese manufacturer Luxshare Precision has started production of the AirPower. In a conversation on Chinese messaging app WeChat, the source adds he has heard the AirPower will be released soon.

If it was going into production this soon after the New Year, why wouldn't Apple have released a statement like it did with HomePod, saying it needed a little extra time to get AirPower right and that we'd see it in early 2019?

Could be that it's really not that close to production, or that Apple has decided it's really better off not saying anything at this point until it's just about ready for release.

"Shut up and ship" is a mantra for a reason.

December 31, 2019

Apple has now officially missed the launch window for AirPower according to the announcement it made during the charging pad's September, 2017 introduction. But, hope remains.

Where is AirPower? 🤷‍♂️ All I’ve been hearing is ‘they’ve finally fixed it’, so, if true, it could ship as a product whenever Apple wants. Hopefully alongside the smart battery case for the XS? — Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) December 31, 2018

Expect it when you see it.

2017: AirPower Year Zero

Recently, when Apple makes a big change, it likes to announce a big halo product to go with it. The best example is AirPods. iPhone 7 might have ditched the headphone jack but it gave us one of the most innovative consumer electronic products we've seen in the last few years. Custom W1 chips — tiny computers that enable instant pairing, switching between linked devices, and rock solid syncing between left and right, no cables needed.