Apple Store offers two-story Qi2 wireless charger that will remind you of AirPower
On the evening of January 9th, 2007, then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs was basking in the spotlight that Apple's newest product introduction focused on him and the company he co-founded approximately 11,240 days before Macworld 2007. You see, Jobs had earlier in the day introduced the public to iPhone and the executive was sure it was going to be a big hit. The television networks that evening all mentioned Apple's new smartphone which would follow the hugely successful iPod.
After changing the way we listened to music, Apple was going to change the way we communicate and much more. Jobs was coming off a string of big winners with the iMac, and iPod, and one reporter called him the Babe Ruth of Silicon Valley. But even Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times during his Hall of Fame career and not everything graced with the Apple logo became a big hit. Before the iPhone there was the Newton PDA with the ability to turn handwriting into text. Perhaps the device was doomed from the start because it used a (yuck) stylus.
After Jobs' passing in 2011, Apple still had the occasional flop mixed in with its hits. The latter group included the iPad, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods. Among those in the former group, we'd place the HomePod, and arguably one product that never made it to consumers. That would be the AirPower wireless charger which, at 562 days between introduction and cancellation, became the longest-running Apple vaporware never to be released.
AirPower was designed to allow a user to wirelessly charge an iPhone, an Apple Watch and the AirPods carrying case at the same time. The 14 tightly wound charging coils were placed too close to each other resulting in the accessory overheating. There was also concern about how much the product might cost to manufacture. On March 29th, 2019 Apple canceled AirPower.
The Zens Quattro Wireless Charger Pro 4 wirelessly charges up to four devices at the same time. | Image credit-Apple
Now, as we approach the sixth anniversary of the end of AirPower, the Apple Store is the only place where you can find an accessory that is basically a two-story or double-decker AirPower wireless charger. Called the Zens Quattro Wireless Charger Pro 4, this wireless charger is an Apple Store exclusive and it charges up to four devices simultaneously. Compatible with MagSafe, the charger is Qi2 certified which means it supports the current 15W maximum charging speed.
The Zens Quattro Wireless Charger Pro 4 is priced at $149.95; one image that accompanies its Apple Store listing shows the product being used to charge a trio of iPhones and an AirPod charging case at the same time. Another image shows the charger wirelessly charging two iPhones and two AirPod charging cases simultaneously.
There is a lesson for Apple to learn here. If you can't build something yourself, someone else might be able to build it and make it even better.
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