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Apple Cancels AirPower Product

techcrunch.com

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Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#251

Post by captaincrowbar »

AceJohnny2 wrote: post #230
ksec wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>There has to be something that caused this abrupt cancellation. They could have sold a Wireless Charger just like others with their mark up. Instead we got nothing. Also admitting MacBook Pro Keyboard Failure. I believe there is something happening to Hardware Engineering in general.

Methinks HWEng made a breach in Industrial Design's north flank, and provoked a rout. The tide is turning!

“Oh my god! The engineers are revolting!”

“You’ve worked here all these years and you only just noticed that?”

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#252

Post by spullara »

_bxg1 wrote: post #77
minimaxir wrote: post #2

The whole AirPower saga is a weird event in product development. AirPower compatibility was highlighted as a feature in the packaging of the just-released AirPods 2 : https://twitter.com/itsnicolenguyen/status/11106569269650636... There has to be something that caused this abrupt cancellation.

Especially weird for Apple, who aren't known for vaporware. And even Google wouldn't come out and say "we can't make this work", they'd just stop talking about it until it was eventually solvable down the line, or let it evaporate altogether. It's very odd to see a tech giant just hit a technological wall.

This sets appropriate expectations. If they don't know when it will reach the quality that they want to ship it is better to cancel it.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#254

Post by MagicPropmaker »

notatoad wrote: post #101
minimaxir wrote: post #2

The whole AirPower saga is a weird event in product development. AirPower compatibility was highlighted as a feature in the packaging of the just-released AirPods 2 : https://twitter.com/itsnicolenguyen/status/11106569269650636... There has to be something that caused this abrupt cancellation.

I'm guessing the unexpected hype was what caused the "cancellation", and AirPower isn't really any more cancelled than it was yesterday. I'm imagining some engineering teem at Apple telling their bosses "yeah, it's almost ready" and the bosses believing them without really caring, because it's just a silly accessory and no big deal, right? And then since the AirPods 2 announcemen, the internet has been rabid with ant…

You are a True Believer.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#255

Post by [deleted] »

chrischen wrote: post #169
notatoad wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm guessing the unexpected hype was what caused the "cancellation", and AirPower isn't really any more cancelled than it was yesterday. I'm imagining some engineering teem at Apple telling their bosses "yeah, it's almost ready" and the bosses believing them without really caring, because it's just a silly accessory and no big deal, right? And then since the AirPods 2 announcemen, the internet has been rabid with ant…

Or maybe it was working but then yesterday one burst into flames during testing which was the final straw. They don’t want to pull a Samsungs now do they?

[deleted]

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#256

Post by hinkley »

derefr wrote: post #133

Something I don't understand about induction charging: why is it even necessary if the device and charger are still expected to be in flat contact with one another (with at most a few millimeters of separation)? Is the point just for arbitrary positionability on a flat charging surface? If so, I feel like there are simpler ways to solve that, just with clever solid-state connector design. Imagine a BGA processor that…

In the late 90's there was a company trying to make a contact charger. I can't even remember what it was called now, but the gist was the device would have a couple pins, the charger a bunch of pin pads, and on detecting a device it would negotiate voltage and power level (like USB-C does now) and feed power to those pins.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#258

Post by fredifrum »

randomacct3847 wrote: post #130

I haven’t found a situation where wireless charging is superior to wired charging, especially for my iPhone w wireless charging. The only situation is if you’re out and about and don’t have your cable with you, and in that case the only public wireless charging I’ve ever come across is at a certain Starbucks places, but it wouldn’t make sense in that situation why your own wirelessly mat would help since you probably…

It's perfect for a bedside table. Instead of needing to fumble around for a cable when I'm tired, I just place it on the mat. It's handy to have several pads around the house and office so your phone can always been juiced up. My phone rarely goes below 50% anymore, and I basically only bother with cables when I'm traveling. It's awesome.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#259

Post by julianozen »

I suspect Apple's launch plan was to ship last week's AirPods with the new mat for last holiday, and that as of ~Sept 2018, Apple assumed AirPower was possible (which is why last weeks AirPods were manufactured with AirPower documentation placed into the box)

I spent sometime working on a hardware team at Amazon and we had an expression "hardware is like fruit" meaning the longer it sits unsold, the more stale and obsolete it gets (and it costs an unbelievable amount of money to keep it in storage). A few weeks/months ago, Apple must have decided that AirPower isn't going to happen, and that the AirPods that have been sitting in storage since September need to be sold so that they can actually sell their inventory before the launch of AirPods 3 (whenever that arrives)

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#260

Post by ThJ »

Cyph0n wrote: post #167
bdcravens wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't speak to what's available in your country, but I've never had issues returning opened stuff (Best Buy, Microcenter, etc) as long as it's in new condition and in the original box, with receipt (most stores have a 14 day return period)

Heh, that’s almost unheard of in the Middle East for example. You have to fight tooth and nail to even get basic warranty. Not sure about the rest of the world, but I would say that the US is an outlier when it comes to return policies.

The EU would like to have a word with you.
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