Hidden AirPower image with iPhone XS and new AirPods discovered on Apple site [update: pulled]

Update: The AirPower image has been removed from Apple’s servers, but the HTML and CSS references remain for now. Who knows when AirPower will show up for real?

The AirPods page was updated yesterday to highlight the new features in the updated model and mentions the wireless charging case. However, the previously featured picture of AirPods and an iPhone X laying on the AirPower mat was removed in the redesign.

It turns out — there is actually a new never-before-seen official AirPower image hidden in the source code that was intended to be on the AirPods page. It shows the new AirPods charging case and “David’s” iPhone XS laying on the so far unreleased AirPower mat …

Thanks to Michael Bateman who originally tipped us off to the discrepancy. The US AirPods page does not include reference to the <figure class=image-wireless-airpower>, but it exists on the Australian site.

The image doesn’t show up as the styling isn’t fully formed, but we managed to pull the image straight off Apple’s servers. We’ve mocked up where it is meant to be placed on the page, if it was enabled:

Unsurprisingly, the image is meant to directly accompany the marketing copy that describes the how the wireless charging case works.

As a reminder, here’s what the old AirPower image looked like on the AirPods page, before it was removed.

The AirPower mat is capable of charging three devices simultaneously, but the company has always depicted it with just iPhone and AirPods for the AirPods-specific marketing. Apple only showed the AirPower mat with the Apple Watch as well on the watch site before the Series 4 introduction. The physical appearance of the mat does not seem to have changed.

The biggest difference is the switch from iPhone X to iPhone XS bubble wallpaper, but if you look more closely, the design of the on-screen charging interface has also been tweaked. The time is no longer visible and the ‘Charging Case’ label has been renamed to ‘AirPod Case’. The owner has also changed from Sam to David — lucky AirPower owners.

Many were expecting an AirPower announcement today, following the iMac, iPad Air and iPad mini, and second-generation AirPods, but that didn’t happen this morning at the same time as the prior announcements.

We aren’t sure when Apple is planning to announce the mat’s actual release, but clearly the AirPods page was specially designed to be able to incorporate the AirPower mat when it is official. And the change of image asset certainly indicates continued development on the product.

Let’s hope they announce it soon.