Apple killed its plans to launch a highly anticipated iPhone accessory last year, but one of the most accurate analysts says a similar product may be on the way

• Apple may be working on a small wireless charging mat, according to predictions from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
• Apple scrapped plans to launch AirPower, a wireless charging mat that would be able to charge three gadgets at once, last March after saying the product did not meet its high standards.
• Kuo doesn't divulge many details about the accessory, but does describe it as "small," suggesting that it may not be designed to charge multiple devices.
• The report also comes as Apple is rumored to be developing an iPhone without a charging port that could launch in 2021.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

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Apple scrapped its AirPower wireless charging mat last year, a product that would have made it possible to power up three gadgets simultaneously. Now, the company is reportedly working on a smaller wireless charging accessory, according to predictions from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo's note from earlier this week, which blogs such as 9to5Mac and MacRumors reported, didn't divulge any details about the device. The analyst only said that the accessory would be small and is expected to launch in the first half of 2020. That detail about this rumored charging mat being described as small could indicate that it won't be designed to charge multiple devices simultaneously like AirPower would have.

Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. 

Apple canceled its AirPower wireless charging mat nearly one year ago in March because it did not meet the company's "high standards."  In a statement announcing the cancellation, Dan Riccio, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, said that Apple continued to believe that "the future is wireless" and remained "committed to push the wireless experience forward."

Given Apple's position on making the iPhone increasingly wireless, it wouldn't be surprising to see the company launch a new wireless charging accessory. Apple removed the headphone jack from the iPhone in 2016 when it launched the iPhone 7, and the tech giant is rumored to be planning to get rid of the charging port with its 2021 iPhone, as Kuo also previously reported. Apple has released a magnetic charging dock for the Apple Watch, but it is made specifically for the Watch and not designed to support other devices. 

Kuo is known for his often-accurate predictions about upcoming Apple products. He correctly said Apple would release a 16-inch MacBook Pro and redesigned AirPods in late 2019, for example, and made accurate predictions about the Apple Watch Series 4 getting a larger screen. But it's worth noting that his estimates are sometimes off; he said the iPhone 11 lineup would support bilateral wireless charging, for instance, but that feature wasn't present in the product.