It's easy to point fun at Apple for canceling AirPower — its special wireless charging pad that was supposed to somehow charge things better than other wireless pads. And maybe we should just a little, because when you announce things as breathlessly as Apple does, you damned well better produce. (Note to Apple: That also applies to TV shows.)
But it's not as if AirPower (seriously, that name, though) was the only way to charge Apple products wirelessly. It's not even the only way to charge multiple products wirelessly.
Ikea — charging in style since, forever.
Take, for instance, this Qi-standard wireless charger from Ikea, which I've been using since (checks Amazon history ...) September 2017.
It's not inexpensive — just north of $100 when I bought it, though you can get it directly from Ikea for just $60. But it was the perfect fit for my family. Three of us have phones that can be charged wirelessly. (OK, one of us has multiple phones that can be charged wirelessly.) We have a little hutch in our breakfast area that's a perfect place for this sort of thing. We come home, we place our phones on the charger, and there they sit until such time as it's appropriate to be back on our phone. ...
OK, that's a best-case scenario. In reality they're probably back in our hands in just a few minutes. But you get the point. And it really is a perfect place for our phones to live overnight. Not in the bedroom, plugged in just inches from our heads. They're out of sight, out of mind, and far enough away that stray notifications won't be an issue.
I don't even know how fast it'll charge, and because of its location in our home, and the way we use it, I don't particularly care. If I need to charge quickly, I'll use something else.
But for a family full of phones, it's been a great solution. Shame Apple couldn't get it done.
And if that doesn't float your boat, check out these multi-charging alternatives:
When it needs to work well and look good.
I love Nomad products, and I love the look of this one. It'll charge two devices wirelessly, and two more over USB. Things can get a little cable-crazy, but it's still a great buy.
Fast charging the Samsung way.
Samsung has been doing wireless charging just about as long as anyone, and it's been doing Fast Charging as fast as anyone. And the Duo brings it into a sleek two-device package.
When you don't want to spend a fortune.
OK, maybe you want to charge a few devices wirelessly but don't want to spend north of $50. This is where you turn.
