Apple's AirPower wireless charger has taken on near-mythical status recently. Not only was it a rare case of Apple announcing a product before it was ready, it was ultimately cancelled without ever seeing the light of day.

However, thanks to someone getting their hands on a prototype of the AirPower, that doesn't mean we can't learn about its potential (via The Verge).

Apple announced the AirPower in September 2017 along with the wirelessly charging iPhone X. However, the charger was subsequently cancelled in March 2019 due to difficulties in actually achieving its lofty goals.

Since then, we have seen many AirPower replacements and some of the best wireless chargers can actually charge iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. We've also seen teardowns of unannounced AirPower technology. However, this is the first time we have come across an AirPower prototype that actually works.

Giulio Zompetti, a 28-year-old Apple prototype collector from Italy, told the Verge that he was able to purchase this prototype from an e-waste source in China. Apparently, the charger has no outer casing at all, with all the internal electronics visible inside a "heavy stainless steel casing. There are 22 coils on the front of the mat and 22 controller circuits on the back.

Unfortunately, the AirPower prototype only works with a special prototype iPhone; according to Zompetti, the coils must be activated by the device itself, and he told The Verge that so far two prototypes have been used to charge simultaneously He stated that the device could be used. A video of such a device being charged was posted on Zompetti's Twitter account last week.

In any case, it appears that AirPower has been reborn, and Zompetti was on to something.

But if it worked, why did Apple cancel AirPower? The biggest difficulty is that AirPower was not supposed to be limited by location. That is, the device could be placed anywhere on the mat and start charging. [Most wireless chargers have only one coil, so precise positioning is necessary for charging to take place, and the fact that the Apple Watch uses a different charging standard than the Phone and other Qi wireless charging devices probably didn't help.

According to Apple, the technology "was not up to [Apple's] high standards." Rumor has it that the company had overheating problems, which Zompetti says he has not been able to replicate.

We can only take Zompetti's word for this much, but The Verge notes that he has been collecting Apple prototypes for some time. In any case, it is an interesting look at what might have happened if Apple had been able to make AirPower work the way it originally promised.

Or, if the rumors about a possible revival of AirPower had been true, it might still have been possible. But don't get too excited this time, as it seems unlikely we will hear about it until the charging mats are actually ready for sale.