Tesla beat Apple to an AirPower-like multi-device charger

Posted:
in General Discussion
While its CEO is a little busy elsewhere, Tesla has rolled out a wireless charger shaped vaguely like its Cybertruck, with the same goal -- but not design ethos -- as Apple's AirPower.




Forget naming cars so that the range spells out the word "S3XY," now Tesla's marketing department has released the "Wireless Charging Platform." Perhaps they knew they might as well use a description instead of a name because everyone's calling it AirPower.

Previously, in 2017, Apple announced AirPower, a then-forthcoming wireless charger where you could just put your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods down on its surface, and they'd charge. Except they wouldn't, or the AirPower would burn up, or something, and eventually Apple threw up its hands and abandoned the idea.

Now, Tesla has begun taking pre-orders for its version, the Wireless Charging Platform, which will begin shipping in February 2023.

"Inspired by the angular design and metallic styling of Cybertruck, our Wireless Charging Platform provides 15W of fast charging power per device for up to three devices simultaneously," says Tesla. "Its sleek design is composed of an aluminum housing, premium alcantara surface and a detachable magnetic stand that allows you to lay the charger flat or at an angle for better viewing."

It is specifically for "Qi capable devices such as phones or earbuds," which means it won't charge the Apple Watch. While in certain -- and rare -- conditions you can get a Qi charger to work on an Apple Watch, it's pretty clear given Tesla's marketing materials that they did not crack that nut.

So it's not quite the complete solution that AirPower tried to be. That means you're still going to have to have at least two chargers, which makes the $300 of Tesla's option seem even more costly.

Tesla is not the first firm to produce an multi-device charger -- but it is the first to have one that you can put devices down anywhere on the surface. Mophie released what it called the 3-in-1 wireless charging pad in 2019, and at launch it cost $140 - including a built-in stand for an Apple Watch charger.

That's still available at a steeply discounted $60 from Amazon.

Similarly, in 2020 there was the Satechi Trio Wireless Charger which includes an Apple Watch stand. That retails for $120 from Amazon.

Read on AppleInsider
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    JP234JP234 Posts: 1,412member
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    lkrupptmaywatto_cobraJaiOh81JanNLfreeassociate2
  • Reply 2 of 27
    Headline: Tesla beat Apple

    Body copy: Tesla didn't really beat Apple
    lolliverwatto_cobraJaiOh81dewmeStrangeDayssteve_jobs
  • Reply 3 of 27
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    Wait. Are you implying that Tesla vehicles are junk? That doesn’t jibe with all the comments I see from Tesla owners that say it is the best car they have ever owned. 

    Also, don’t look behind that curtain. 

    The article says the mat will charge at up to 15W but also says it is specifically for Qi devices. I thought max charging for Qi was 7.5W. Is that incorrect?
    edited December 2022 watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 27
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    You really have a hard on for Elon don’t you .
    edited December 2022 ravnorodom
  • Reply 5 of 27
    This is unexpected. It’s like Porche produced external hard drive at one point. 
    watto_cobraJaiOh81bestkeptsecret
  • Reply 6 of 27
    lkrupp said:
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    You really have a hard on for Elon don’t you .
    I don't own a Tesla car, but our neighbor across the street had 2 (not at the same time) and Tesla repair truck was at their house more frequently than I would expect for a new car.  My Hyundai has been flawless, never to a repair shop in 6 years (knock on wood).
    mknelsontmaydewmewatto_cobraJaiOh81JanNLfreeassociate2
  • Reply 7 of 27
    JP234JP234 Posts: 1,412member
    lkrupp said:
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    You really have a hard on for Elon don’t you .
    Not really. If Elon was on fire, I wouldn't cross the street to piss on him. You drinking his "Kool-Aid?"
    tmaywatto_cobraJaiOh81freeassociate2
  • Reply 8 of 27
    XedXed Posts: 1,747member
    Headline: Tesla beat Apple

    Body copy: Tesla didn't really beat Apple
    A common headline, especially after Android cropped up, but those features were always half baked.
    watto_cobrafreeassociate2
  • Reply 9 of 27
    tmaytmay Posts: 5,932member
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    Wait. Are you implying that Tesla vehicles are junk? That doesn’t jibe with all the comments I see from Tesla owners that say it is the best car they have ever owned. 

    Also, don’t look behind that curtain. 

    The article says the mat will charge at up to 15W but also says it is specifically for Qi devices. I thought max charging for Qi was 7.5W. Is that incorrect?
    Tesla is notable for their poor build quality, reliability, and service. That the owners are vested in Elon, and many in pumping TSLA stock, and that there is a huge contingent of Tesla Stans, doesn't change facts.

    https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-placed-bottom-consumer-reports-reliability-rankings/

    Consumer Reports‘ annual reliability rankings have been released, and with data from 24 brands and over 300,000 vehicles, Tesla fell near the bottom (19/24) along with Mercedes-Benz, Jeep, Volkswagen, GMC, and Chevrolet. Electric vehicles overall also placed poorly, being the second least reliable category of vehicles. Hybrids/plugin hybrids, especially those from Toyota, were found to be the most reliable.
    Toyota has nothing to fear from Tesla, and notably, Tesla is massively late with its Cybertruck, trucks of which are the bread and butter of profitability for the Big Three in the U.S, plus Toyota, and Nissan.

    In truth, tsla continues to be massively overvalued.

    edited December 2022 ITGUYINSDwatto_cobraJanNLfreeassociate2
  • Reply 10 of 27
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,019member
    Sensationalize headlines much? 

      “Yup.  All the time” 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 27
    but remember it's going to have the quality control from Tesla
    freeassociate2
  • Reply 12 of 27
    dewmedewme Posts: 4,839member
    I wonder if the “… you to lay the charger flat or at an angle for better viewing” part was intended to be humorous?

    I didn’t know that watching devices sitting on a wireless charger was something that attracted a viewing audience. Do people have viewing parties and gather ‘round the charger slab with bowls of popcorn and cheesy nachos, perhaps even some adult beverages, to see … what? Is there some sort of animation or music coming from the slab that wasn’t mentioned? Perhaps a little smoke? I suppose you could place a green banana on the cybercharger and watch it turn yellow … and then brown .. and then dry up and shrivel. Now that would be something to see!

    I think I’ll save myself nearly $300 and just cut a similarly sized board, slap a fresh coat of paint on it, and invite all of my friends and family over for a “watching paint dry viewing party.” Paint color to be selected by a vote of all those who RSVP on the invitation.

    Just goes to show that we don’t need no NFL football on Apple TV+ when we have so many other ways to amuse ourselves. 
    freeassociate2
  • Reply 13 of 27
    This is unexpected. It’s like Porche produced external hard drive at one point. 
    Porsche Design Group. They’re pretty much a separate entity from the car company. They make a bunch of different products. 

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_Design
    edited December 2022 ravnorodom
  • Reply 14 of 27
    JP234JP234 Posts: 1,412member
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    Wait. Are you implying that Tesla vehicles are junk? That doesn’t jibe with all the comments I see from Tesla owners that say it is the best car they have ever owned. 

    Also, don’t look behind that curtain. 

    The article says the mat will charge at up to 15W but also says it is specifically for Qi devices. I thought max charging for Qi was 7.5W. Is that incorrect?
    Yes I was implying Tesla vehicles are junk. But let me clarify in explicit terms: Tesla vehicles are junk. Ask anyone who owns one!
  • Reply 15 of 27
    XedXed Posts: 1,747member
    JP234 said:
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    Wait. Are you implying that Tesla vehicles are junk? That doesn’t jibe with all the comments I see from Tesla owners that say it is the best car they have ever owned. 

    Also, don’t look behind that curtain. 

    The article says the mat will charge at up to 15W but also says it is specifically for Qi devices. I thought max charging for Qi was 7.5W. Is that incorrect?
    Yes I was implying Tesla vehicles are junk. But let me clarify in explicit terms: Tesla vehicles are junk. Ask anyone who owns one!
    While I will never buy a Tesla (or product backed by their grifting CEO—whom Edward Norton clearly channels in Glass Onion on Netflix) your comment doesn’t lend authenticity.

    While I know of many issues with Tesla and EVs, to simply say they’re “junk” does nothing to paint Tesla in a poor light but a lot to paint your communication as such. 

    Additionally, nearly all Tesla owners that I know love their Tesla. While that is anecdotal and a very small subset of Tesla owners it does contradict your absolute statement that all Tesla owner will tell you their car is junk.

    Finally, I can find issues with any vehicle… and I do mean any in this sense. For example, a Bugatti Veyron is effectively “junk” if you need something off road, but it doesn’t mean it’s junk in other contexts. From what I’ve read, Tesla has a long tradition of great vehicle safety reports and I know that is something many buyers look at over the quality of upholstery or color options, which Tesla does lack considerably to more established automakers.
    edited December 2022 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 16 of 27
    thttht Posts: 4,798member
    50 W to 60W can go into that mat. No fan? There's going to be about 20W of losses that is just pure heat.
  • Reply 17 of 27
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    To be fair, Tesla only designed the look of the product. The actual charging tech is licensed from a company called free power (formerly aria when it was on shark tank). 

    Check out their site, they boast the exact same specs. https://www.freepower.io/technology
  • Reply 18 of 27
    JP234JP234 Posts: 1,412member
    Xed said:
    JP234 said:
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    Wait. Are you implying that Tesla vehicles are junk? That doesn’t jibe with all the comments I see from Tesla owners that say it is the best car they have ever owned. 

    Also, don’t look behind that curtain. 

    The article says the mat will charge at up to 15W but also says it is specifically for Qi devices. I thought max charging for Qi was 7.5W. Is that incorrect?
    Yes I was implying Tesla vehicles are junk. But let me clarify in explicit terms: Tesla vehicles are junk. Ask anyone who owns one!
    While I will never buy as Tesla (or product backed by their grifting CEO—whom Edward Norton clearly channels in Glass Onion on Netflix) your comment doesn’t lend authenticity.

    While I know of many issues with Tesla and EVs, to simply say they’re “junk” does nothing to paint Tesla in a poor light but a lot to paint your communication as such. 

    Additionally, nearly all Tesla owners that I know love their Tesla. While that is anecdotal and a very small subset of Tesla owners it does contradict your absolute statement that all Tesla owner will tell you their car is junk.

    Finally, I can find issues with any vehicle… and I do mean any in this sense. For example, a Bugatti Veyron is effectively “junk” if you need something off road, but it doesn’t mean it’s junk in other contexts. From what I’ve read, Tesla has a long tradition of great vehicle safety reports and I know that is something many buyers look at over the quality of upholstery or color options, which Tesla does lack considerably to more established automakers.
    I'm really glad that a responsible and logical writer (that's you, BTW) claims he will never buy a Tesla. They're not just junk, they're lethal junk. Here's the latest two from November (NTSB is investigating 18 Tesla autopilot-related traffic deaths from the last 2 years). Where there's smoke…
    tmay
  • Reply 19 of 27
    XedXed Posts: 1,747member
    JP234 said:
    Xed said:
    JP234 said:
    JP234 said:
    Yet another expensive piece of junk from Tesla, guaranteed to stop working, if you can get it to work at all.
    Wait. Are you implying that Tesla vehicles are junk? That doesn’t jibe with all the comments I see from Tesla owners that say it is the best car they have ever owned. 

    Also, don’t look behind that curtain. 

    The article says the mat will charge at up to 15W but also says it is specifically for Qi devices. I thought max charging for Qi was 7.5W. Is that incorrect?
    Yes I was implying Tesla vehicles are junk. But let me clarify in explicit terms: Tesla vehicles are junk. Ask anyone who owns one!
    While I will never buy as Tesla (or product backed by their grifting CEO—whom Edward Norton clearly channels in Glass Onion on Netflix) your comment doesn’t lend authenticity.

    While I know of many issues with Tesla and EVs, to simply say they’re “junk” does nothing to paint Tesla in a poor light but a lot to paint your communication as such. 

    Additionally, nearly all Tesla owners that I know love their Tesla. While that is anecdotal and a very small subset of Tesla owners it does contradict your absolute statement that all Tesla owner will tell you their car is junk.

    Finally, I can find issues with any vehicle… and I do mean any in this sense. For example, a Bugatti Veyron is effectively “junk” if you need something off road, but it doesn’t mean it’s junk in other contexts. From what I’ve read, Tesla has a long tradition of great vehicle safety reports and I know that is something many buyers look at over the quality of upholstery or color options, which Tesla does lack considerably to more established automakers.
    I'm really glad that a responsible and logical writer (that's you, BTW) claims he will never buy a Tesla. They're not just junk, they're lethal junk. Here's the latest two from November (NTSB is investigating 18 Tesla autopilot-related traffic deaths from the last 2 years). Where there's smoke…
    Again, you're not really creating a convincing narrative about Tesla automobiles. If anything it's just about the poor quality of their AutoPilot system, or even a problem with the ethos of the company and their clearly devoted fans who are trusting in Musk's claims about self-driving abilities.

    I do have several people in my family with Teslas (4 at last count, and only one cared to get AutoPilot.
  • Reply 20 of 27
    Is there any indicator that this does something different than the many other Qi mats we’ve already scene? That it achieves what AirPower sought, with random placement of devices?

    Not in the article I read. It certainly doesn’t do the Watch. 


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