Yet another patent filing hints that Apple hasn’t completely abandoned its AirPower idea

Apple’s AirPower system is purportedly abandoned, but the tech still files or is granted patents that hint at such a charging device. A new one is patent number 10,965,162 for “wireless power systems.”

About AirPower

The AirPower (pictured in an image released by Apple almost four years ago) was originally announced in September 2017 alongside the iPhone X. It was supposed to be able to charge a Qi-compatible iPhone, an Apple Watch, and a pair of AirPods (in a special wireless charging case) at the same time regardless of where they were placed on the pad. However, there was constant rumors of production, engineering, and manufacturing difficulties. Seems those rumors were right, as Apple announced in March 2018 that work on the device was being canceled as, in Apple’s words, “will not achieve our high standards. 

About the patent filing

In the patent filing, Apple notes that a wireless charging system, a wireless power transmitting device such as a charging mat wirelessly transmits power to a wireless power receiving device such as a portable electronic device. The portable electronic device has a coil and rectifier circuitry. The coil of the portable electronic device receives alternating-current wireless power signals from the wireless power transmitting device. The rectifier circuitry converts the received signals into direct-current power. 

Summary of the patent filing

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A wireless power system has a wireless power transmitting device and multiple wireless power receiving devices. The wireless power transmitting device may have a foldable housing. The wireless power transmitting device has wireless power coils that are used in transmitting wireless power to electronic devices such as cellular telephones, wristwatches, ear buds battery cases, ear buds, computer styluses, and other electronic devices. A rectifier can be coupled to a wireless power coil. In a first mode the coil transmits wireless power to a cellular telephone or other device. In a second mode, the coil is used in receiving wireless power from the cellular telephone or other device. The received wireless power can be retransmitted to other devices.”