Zagg Develops Charger to Rival Apple’s Doomed AirPower Mat
Zagg Develops Charger to Rival Apple’s Doomed AirPower Mat
(Bloomberg) -- Zagg Inc. said it is developing a wireless charger with capabilities that Apple Inc. has so far failed to master with its canceled AirPower.
The new accessory will power iPhones and other mobile devices regardless of where they are placed on the charging mat, Zagg said. This feature has been a challenging goal of several technology companies in recent years.
Apple announced its AirPower solution in 2017, but missed a 2018 launch date, and then canceled another rollout in early 2019 citing quality issues. The product faced problems with overheating, Bloomberg News reported.
Zagg plans to make its attempt under the Mophie brand later this year, marketing executive Brad Bell said on the sidelines of CES in Las Vegas. The mobile accessory maker is pitching the charging device to retailers at the conference this week and is gathering feedback, he added.
Zagg shares reversed losses following the comments, but soon dipped back to trade down about 2% on Tuesday.
Existing charging mats require devices to be placed in exact positions, and users often complain about missing the target and their gadgets not charging.
Midvale, Utah-based Zagg is also exploring long distance charging that would power up devices from several feet away, but said that technology is still many years away.
To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Gurman in Los Angeles at mgurman1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net, Alistair Barr
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