【1974 Archives】

There was a big Apple event974 ArchivesOct. 30. Perhaps you watched it.

If you did tune in, you would have caught all kinds of Mac Mini, iPad, Apple Pencil, and Lana Del Rey news. What you would nothave seen, however, is any announcement regarding AirPower or the next generation of AirPods.

Despite announcing AirPower, "an Apple-designed wireless charging accessory," in September 2017, we've yet to see any inclination that the product will be available before the end of this year. And the glaring omission of any AirPower mention during today's promotional event only serves to drive home the message that we're likely not getting the charging pad anytime soon.

And that's not the only product mysteriously absent from the Tim Cook-helmed presentation. Notably, we heard nothing about the long-promised next generation of AirPods. AirPods were originally unveiled more than two years ago, and there's been plenty of speculation since about when the company planned to release a follow up product.

Today, Apple came up empty on both counts. We were, however, presented with a new Lana Del Rey song.

So what's the hold up? It's possible that reported manufacturing problems with AirPower have delayed the release of a second generation of possibly wireless charging AirPods. After all, you can't release a product that has no way of being charged.

Or, it's also possible that AirPower has been straight up canceled — AppleToolBox has reported as much — forcing some kind of redesign of the forthcoming second generation of AirPods.

Either way, we don't know, and Apple sure isn't saying. But maybe, just maybe, that Lana Del Rey performance closing out the Apple event made the lack of AirPower and AirPods news go down just a tad bit easier.