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Apple’s cancelled AirPower inspires this wireless charging desk invented by Chinese influencer

  • In his latest video, Chinese influencer He Shijie said he has created a wireless charger that can simultaneously juice up three devices
  • Shares of Loctek Ergonomic Technology, the Shenzhen-based sponsor of the video, saw its stock price shoot up

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He Shijie, a tech vlogger with millions of online followers, said he has invented a wireless charger inspired by Apple's cancelled AirPower, calling it AirDesk. Photo: 老师好我叫何同学/Bilibili
Tracy Qu
A young Chinese tech vlogger, famed for his one-to-one dialogue with Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier this year, said he has created a multi-device wireless charger inspired by the US company’s abandoned AirPower project, sending the shares of a Shenzhen-listed furniture manufacturer that sponsored the video soaring.

In a 7-minute video titled “I made a product that Apple gave up on”, He Shijie, a 22-year-old influencer who has more than 8 million followers on Chinese video platform Bilibili, showed off a desk designed to wirelessly charge up to three devices at once.

Users can charge a device, such as a smartphone, by placing it anywhere on the desk, He said, thanks to a charging coil that automatically moves to the device’s location based on data supplied by a camera mounted on the ceiling. Two other devices can be charged at the same time using stationary coils installed at the desk corners. He named his creation the AirDesk.

The video, released on Sunday, had been viewed more than 8 million times by Wednesday afternoon. It has also been trending as a hot topic on Chinese social media platforms including the microblogging site Weibo.

Apple first announced in 2017 that it was working on a charging mat, called AirPower, that can simultaneously charge three devices – the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods – wherever they are placed on the mat. The idea never materialised into an actual product, with insiders citing technical difficulties associated with overheating and complex circuitry. The Californian giant said in 2019 that it had cancelled the project because it could not achieve the company’s “high standards”.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the AirDesk.

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