Apple pulls plug on wireless charging mat

Apple Inc says it is cancelling the AirPower wireless charging mat that the company announced in 2017 on the same day as its iPhone X, a rare public retreat for the gadget maker known for splashy product launches.

The mat was intended to wirelessly charge up to three Apple products at once, such as an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods wireless headphones.

While wireless charging has spread through the gadget industry, charging three devices at once with higher wattage "fast charging" has proved challenging.

In a statement, Apple said that it had concluded that its AirPower mat "will not achieve our high standards".

"We apologise to those customers who were looking forward to this launch," Dan Riccio, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, said in the statement.

"We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward."

The announcement was a rare move for Apple, known in the electronics industry for keeping tight wraps on product plans until it publicly launches them at splashy events in Silicon Valley. T