CUPERTINO, California — According to Apple, it is expected to launch its own wireless charger that can charge an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and a pair of AirPods all at the same time, soon.
“It’s just like a flat mat that you place your iPhone 8 or iPhone X down and it just starts to charge,” Phil Schiller said of AirPower at the Apple Event. “You can place your Series 3 Apple Watch down on it and it starts to charge as well. And you can place your AirPods with the optional new wireless charging case on it and it starts to charge as well.”
The pad will be Apple’s first official wireless charging accessory. Apple unveiled AirPower at its iPhone X Event, but the company didn’t provide much detail.
AirPower uses induction, where an electromagnetic field is used to transfer power from (in this case) the AirPower to a device. When you place your device on the AirPower, it receives a signal from the pad to basically ‘handshake” with the device (checks for compatibility, charge capacity, etc). If everything checks out, charging proceeds.