Apple unveiled AirPower, its charging pad that let you power up multiple devices at once, in 2017 - but after two years of it not showing up anywhere, Apple officially canceled it in early 2019.
It seems, though, that another company has solved the problems Apple had - Xiaomi just unveiled its Smart Tracking Charging Pad, which lets you charge up to two devices wirelessly at the same time, and place them anywhere on the pad to do it.
So for example you can boost up your headphones and watch before a run, or you and your friends' smartphones simultaneously.
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Leave, Charge, and Go. No more worrying about locating your smartphone outside a charging zone. #MiSmartTrackingChargingPad solves it all. #From10ToInfinity pic.twitter.com/BiUdfXoFUfAugust 11, 2020
Sure, dual wireless chargers exist already, but the catch with Xiaomi's is that it doesn't matter where you put your device on the pad - it'll power up regardless. Most other chargers won't power your phone properly if it's not placed in the perfect position, so Xiaomi seems to be solving a common wireless charging problem.
Rumors suggest Apple's AirPower fell apart because the company couldn't get the Apple Watch charging to work well, though others say it's because the AirPower pad heated up too much and Apple couldn't find a way to prevent that. The company hasn't commented officially on the rumors, and likely never will.
Clearly some companies found a way to avoid those issues, though, both Xiaomi and a few other smaller brands which offer alternatives. Those ones generally don't let you put your device wherever you want on the pad though, so Xiaomi's has an advantage.
The Smart Tracking Charging Pad was unveiled alongside a few other products like the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra, Redmi K30 and Mi TV Lux, at a Chinese event. So we don't know for sure if the charging pad is coming to global markets, or when it will do so, but since the company does sell similar products in a variety of countries, it could come to many locations before too long.
