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Apple Cancels AirPower Product

techcrunch.com

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Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#351

Post by trashcan »

TylerE wrote: post #233
trashcan wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought the wireless charging version, but I also had it engraved. I'm guessing that will prevent it from being returnable. Hopefully Apple issues a blanket refund of the price difference for everyone.

Why should they? It works fine on the bog-standard industry charger.

That's a fair point if they actually do work fine on other chargers. My experience with previous wireless chargers was that they only actually worked if they were designed for the specific phone (e.g. Pixel 3 XL stand). Lots of going back and forth between charging and not charging and the phone itself getting really hot and not actually charging.

I fully accept that maybe my other chargers were cheap and crappy though, so maybe I'm just unlucky.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#352

Post by ct520 »

disc wrote: post #339
ghaff wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t even bring my wireless charging when I travel. One more piece of gear to pack and keep track of.

I wouldn't either but now that I have one one my desk, nightstand, and coffee table; I could never go back.

yeah no thx. With how long devices last me now and days the only thing that will accelerate my trade in would be the extra battery wear from wireless charging.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#353

Post by ForrestN »

brokencoder wrote: post #275

Apple's management has enacted a policy of not offering competitive compensation for top engineering talent. I've had multiple Apple managers express frustration with the company's inability to attract and retain top talent. I myself got an offer from Apple for less than half what three other top companies offered, and Apple was unwilling to negotiate. This product cancellation and Apple's general product quality dec…

Source beyond your own experience? Would love to read more about the fact that Apple is offering people 40% and refusing to negotiate. That would be huge news.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#354

Post by ianai »

urda wrote: post #265
GeekyBear wrote: post #67

Apparently, even the Chinese supply chain thought this product was going to go into production, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, whose sources inside Apple's supply chain are impeccable. However, good for Apple. They need to be more willing to say this product isn't good enough, and stop listening to those who say they are too secretive. They had a good thing going when they didn't comment on products under development (or…

Agreed. I much rather have a company like Apple just flat out say "we can't make this work to our standards, to our customer standards, and we're not comfortable with releasing this product this way." Versus say Google who'll just never mention it again or launch a broken version only to kill it off within two years.

I hope it’s a sign of change to come. Their hardware has been actively moving from what users want to what their designers want (thinner is always better, ne legacy ports, no finger I’d, etc).

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#355

Post by Avamander »

rickycook wrote: post #348
jjeaff wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A piece of color matching electrical tape does wonders.

well yeah but applying electrical tape to a product does kinda ruin its aesthetic in almost all cases don’t ya think

There's a reason you find a matching color and cut the smallest piece that covers the LED, I haven't seen any aesthetics ruined by tape if they already have an ungodly bright blue LED indicator.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#356

Post by tambourine_man »

tambourine_man wrote: post #33

Instead of reliable WiFi routers and induction chargers, Mac Pros and you know, laptop keyboards that you can actually type on… We get a credit card, news and streaming service that no one wants or understands. I really don’t get Apple's priorities recently. Which is a shame, since few companies step to the chalange of serving the expensive high quality tech stuff market. And what happened to the company that wouldn’…

Replying to the multiple “no one wants“ objection:

We already have Netflix, HBO, etc. There's no one making pretty Unix that runs Adobe and Office natively. And keyboards aside, the hardware is usually unmatched when they want to.

Besides, and I may have to bite my tongue but, I really doubt Apple can create the breadth and quality of shows that the competition offers, Spielberg and JJ notwithstanding.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#357

Post by eridius »

icedchocolate wrote: post #347
eridius wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple doesn't release products that have no distinguishing features other than "made by Apple in Cupertino". Accessories without distinguishing features they prefer to just work with third parties on (such as Belkin). In fact, I'd wager that this particular Belkin charger was done in cooperation with Apple: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HLZ42/belkin-boost-up-spe...

Not sure I agree. AirPods really have almost no distinguishing features from other earphones. They’re generally worse. The only “feature” is seeing their charge on your phone, which is a pretty lousy differentiator.

You are, in all seriousness, the only person I have ever seen declare that AirPods are worse than other competing earphones. AirPods have one of the higher consumer satisfaction ratings ever, and anecdotally everybody I've ever seen talk about them absolutely loves them, even people who are normally very critical of Apple.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#358

Post by Noctem »

rickyc091 wrote: post #311
_bxg1 wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I appreciate that Apple was honest with their communication. Too often have I seen managers/CEOs employ the strategy of avoiding the hard conversation and letting the topic fade away.

I appreciate it too, unfortunately Apple is not always so transparent. One example that comes to mind is their 2010 promise to make FaceTime an open standard. It was Steve Jobs that made that promise in 2010 (one year before his death), and apparently a patent dispute with VirnetX may be to blame, but to my knowledge they haven't made any public statements about it since the initial promise.

If legalities are to blame it seems like that would be all the more reason to come out and say something along the lines of: "sorry everyone, we want to keep our promise but stupid software patents have made that impossible." Instead they've (to my knowledge—please correct me if I'm wrong) chosen to remain silent and hoped that people would forget.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#359

Post by ThatPlayer »

misterprime wrote: post #344
ip26 wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a phone w/ Qi for a couple years. It was finicky, requiring I develop the habit of aligning the phone on the charger. But once I got used to it, it was subtly very nice. No fiddling with cables at all. Nothing to wear out. Pick the phone up and go. It feels a little like a technology of ten or twenty years from now that is not technically necessary but will be nice & convenient. Think of WiFi compared to Ethern…

But what about USING the device while it's charging? You have to keep it flat on the charger. The plug in cable still has merit. Lemme know when we construct additional pylons and can charge things remotely (without cancer).

That's why it depends on your use case and lifestyle. But if you're sitting at a desk for hours, with a wireless charger it becomes second nature to just put your phone on the charger when you sit down and take it out of your pocket. So when you do pick it up again, it's fully charged and good to go.

Yes, if you're a hardcore user who is on the phone for hours at a time, or are always moving out and about, then this isn't for you.

As an analogy it's like slow charging an electric car at home. If I'm using 100 miles a day, then I'd have to visit a faster charging station at some point. But if I do not drive more than 20 miles a day, I have the convenience of being able to just charge it at home without going out of my way to a charging station.

Re: Apple Cancels AirPower Product

#360

Post by kamikaze675 »

acomjean wrote: post #294
save_ferris wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't make much sense to me. Apple is the tech marketing messiah, why would they announce AirPower at a major product demo and think that it somehow wouldn't be hyped? This is a really strange fumble for them. It was also listed as a major feature for the new AirPods, that doesn't seem like something Apple would slap on a box knowing they probably weren't going to ship, especially if was a "silly accessory." I…

I think the mea-culpa announcement "This isn't going to be shipped", is better than stringing it along for months and leaving people in the dark. Your right though, their main problem was announcing it too early. There are probably legal ramifications to this. Back in the day "intelivision" announced a keyboard component for their console in ads. They didn't ship.. It kept slipping. Then the FTC (government) started…

I enjoyed the Intellivison II with the voice synthesis module. I have fond memories of playing B-17 bomber and burgertime.
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