Rare Look at an Apple AirPower Wireless Charging Station Prototype with 16 Coils

You’ve seen the Xbox dev kit prototype, now check out an Apple AirPower prototype with 16 coils (PROTO1). This may not be the first AirPower prototype to surface, but it is the first we’ve seen be able to charge an Apple Watch Series 4.

Prototype Apple AirPower with 16 coils (PROTO1) charging a Prototype Apple Watch Series 4 (DVT). It’s amazing that Apple Watch charging works, given wireless chargers today generally can’t charge Apple Watches. However, the Apple Watch on AirPower gets quite warm. #appleinternal pic.twitter.com/GfywG3KZS9

— Apple Demo (@AppleDemoYT) April 7, 2024

Why is being able to charge an Apple Watch a big deal? Well, the official Apple Watch charger is proprietary, which means the smartwatch can’t be charged using standard Qi chargers. Unfortunately, the Apple Watch got quite warm when charging on this prototype and may have been one of the reasons why the project was scrapped entirely. Since the 16 coils are evenly placed throughout the base, setting your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch anywhere on the surface would have worked.