Air Power, Apple’s much speculated upon charging mat, could be with us by the end of March 2019. That is according to a report in DigitTimes. As MacRumors pointed out, the publication has a mixed record on predicting Apple releases. However, it does feel like a launch is getting nearer. There was even an updated picture of the product hidden in the new Air Pods page.

The report cites unnamed «industry sources» within Apple’s supply chain: ‘Lite-On Semiconductor, a maker of discrete and analog IC components, is expected to see its second-quarter revenues register a double-digit sequential growth as it will soon kick off volume shipments of GPP (glass passivated package) bridge rectifiers needed for Apple’s wireless charger AirPower, according to industry sources. The sources said that Apple’s AirPower wireless charger for iPhones, Apple Watch and AirPods is set to be officially launched in late March, which will significantly drive up Lite-On’s revenues for the second quarter of 2019.’ There are 10 days remaining in March including today.

Apple will not be launching a Netflix competitor on Monday. That is according to Re/Code’s Peter Kafka. He reported that instead, the company will be looking to increase service revenue by helping others sell their streaming subscriptions. He also noted that Apple doesn’t have the back catalogue of content that the likes of Hulu, Netflix, Disney can offer.

One thing Apple won’t do is unveil a serious competitor to Netflix, Hulu, Disney, or any other entertainment giant trying to sell streaming video subscriptions to consumers. Instead, Apple’s main focus — at least for now — will be helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions and taking a cut of the transaction. Apple may also sell its own shows, at least as part of a bundle of other services. But for now, Apple’s original shows and movies should be considered very expensive giveaways, not the core product.

LONDON – Apple has reportedly acquired Italian start-up Stamplay. AppleInsider reported that the deal is worth $5.6 million.  The company provides developers with a backend from which they can run their app in the cloud. It likely attracted Apple’s interest as a way of helping  iOS app developers.

Using a web-based editor, the service can combine together multiple APIs for payments, notifications, messaging, and other elements, with Stamplay handling the majority of the coding. Newspaper Il Sore 24 Ore reports the acquisition is valued at 5 million euro, with the purchase requiring the founders to become Apple employees, though it is unclear if it is an acquihire or a complete acquisition of the business. Founders Nicola Mattina and Guiliano Iacobelli grew the company to have three offices in Rome, London, and San Francisco, and has received about 800 thousand euro in funding. The company also won Visa’s «Everywhere Initiative» project in 2016, gaining it work from the card company.