Apple Inc.’s long-awaited AirPower wireless charger may be finally coming to market in September following surprising revelations about the reasons for the unprecedented delay.

According to Bloomberg, the AirPower, announced alongside the iPhone X in 2017, has been delayed because of multiple problems, including overheating, issues with circuitry and software requiring additional engineering time.

Given that the technology behind battery charging pads is well established and usually easily duplicated, the report claimed, the problems have arisen from Apple essentially overengineering the device. It may not be rocket science, but Apple is heading in that direction.

Leading the list is the ability to charge up to three different Apple devices at once, specifically an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods. All of those devices have different-sized batteries and hence require different charging sensors. Instead of allocating specific space on the pad for each device, Apple instead has been attempting to merge the sensors into one, allowing users to place any of their devices anywhere on the pad.

The second issue is that Apple designed a custom chip running a stripped-down version of its iOS mobile operating system to manage on-device power management and pairing with devices being charged. Along with software bugs, the chip causes the AirPower to overheat as well.

Wireless battery chargers don’t usually require processors and operating system software to operate. A Qi-standard base station charger, the standard Apple uses with its devices, contains a power transmitter which comprises a transmitting coil that generates an oscillating magnetic field that charges a device in proximity to it. Arguably, the gloriousness in the standard is its simplicity, and yet Apple is seemingly building a rocket ship rather than settling for a Wright Flyer.

Along with the news that the AirPower may finally come to market in the fall, the same report also claimed that Apple considered removing the Lightning Port from the iPhone X completely — that is, with no substitute. But it delayed the decision over the issues in bringing the AirPower to market. Apple may still be planning to do so in future models, with Apple designers said to be hoping to “remove most of the external ports and buttons on the iPhone.”

Image: Apple