Apple is releasing a new Wireless Charging Case in tandem with the AirPods 2 this week — the sort of accessory that would be perfect for the company's ever elusive AirPower charging mat. But AirPower is still missing in action, even as the new AirPods and case start reaching customers today (March 26). And just to make things a little more awkward, AirPower is now even making guest appearances on the back of Apple's other products.
Those who have already received their AirPods Wireless Charging Cases are noticing the silhouette of a familiar looking mat on the box. The illustration depicts how the charging case can placed on a pad that looks an awful lot like an AirPower. The illustration was originally shared by MacRumors, and has since been re-confirmed by users on Twitter.
In case you have any doubt that this is indeed an AirPower we're talking about here, the literature on the bottom of the case's packaging explicitly mentions Apple's rarely seen induction pad by name, alongside the fact that it's designed to support other Qi-certified chargers as well.
This discovery comes a few days after a new press image depicting an iPhone XS and Wireless Charging Case sat together on an AirPower emerged on Apple's website.
Given the frequency of AirPower-related leaks over the past few weeks, we really expected the product to launch amidst Apple's week of hardware-related announcements in the lead-up to its service-focused special event on March 25. When that didn't happen, we figured Apple would find a way to shoehorn AirPower into the keynote itself.
MORE: Everything You Need to Know About AirPower
Neither of those predictions came to pass, however. And with every opportunity Apple's passed up to unveil its long-awaited charging pad, it's looking increasingly less likely that we'll see it before the end of March as China's Digitimes reported last week.
So where does that leave things now? Well, it bears repeating — we must be very, very close to AirPower's launch. It's already hard to imagine Apple pushed out a product that advertises compatibility with another one of its products that the company doesn't yet sell. And it's just as hard to imagine Apple is comfortable letting things continue this way for much longer.
