A new project on Kickstarter is gearing up to add wireless charging capabilities for current AirPods without the need to replace the AirPods case. The new PowerPod Case is a silicon case that goes over the standards AirPods case, not unlike many other cases we’ve already seen for AirPods, but in this case, PowerPod adds Qi charging capabilities that promise to allow the AirPods to be recharged from any standard Qi wireless charging pad. The PowerPod Case is expected to retail for $40, which will likely be less than the price of Apple’s new wireless charging AirPods case, and has the added environmental benefit of not requiring that you replace the existing AirPods case.
This is the second instance we’ve seen of a crowdfunded project attempting to provide an alternative to Apple’s own wireless charging initiatives, with PowerPod Case joining last month’s Plux wireless charging pad, intended as a more inexpensive alternative to Apple’s soon-to-be-released AirPower mat. PowerPod Case is expected to begin shipping this summer, assuming it meets its funding goal. [via The Verge]