In 2016, customers were not happy that Apple abandoned the headphone jack in the new iPhone 7.
So, in 2017, Apple wanted to make it clear to everyone that it was serious about a truly wireless future.
Apple did something at its September 2017 event it doesn't normally do: It unveiled a product that was still in its concept stages, and not close to ready.
The AirPower wireless charging mat could charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously, and the mat could recognize each device and charge it accordingly. Apple even created nice software around this accessory so you could see the charging state of all of your devices, right from your iPhone's screen.
Apple said AirPower would be released in 2018, but the entire year passed, and we heard nothing from Apple. References of AirPower were quietly removed from Apple's website in September. The only things we heard were a few reports, which said Apple was having engineering issues with AirPower's thermals (as in, the product was overheating).
Finally, AirPower had some signs of life in March. References to AirPower popped up on Apple's Australian website. Apple released its second-generation AirPods, which actually showed a picture of AirPower on the back of the packaging (and still do, to this day), suggesting an imminent AirPower announcement.
But on Friday, Apple dropped the news to TechCrunch: It was canceling AirPower once and for all, saying could not live up to Apple's high bar for quality.
Apple canceling AirPower was, in many ways, unprecedented, and embarrassing. Apple had never announced and shown off a product, and then canceled it before its public debut. Of course, it's probably for the best that Apple recognized the issue and killed it instead of pouring time and resources into re-engineering the mat, which may not have been worth the investment. But it's not a good look that Apple was fine with unveiling a product that wasn't close to ready.