The POP Charger, an immensely popular Kickstarter project, has just been killed off by Apple. The device raised $193,000 on the crowdfunding site, but now it all has to be returned to its backers. Apple is reportedly responsible for killing the POP Charger as it refused to license its Lightning connector technology to the people behind POP. Apple denied licensing the Lightning connector to POP Charger because it doesn’t want its Lightning connector being used alongside other connectors, including Apple’s own 30-pin cable.
If you’re unaware, the POP Charger was supposed to be offered in two different models: POP Station and POP Portable. The POP Station was on track to be a large yet well designed wall-charger for up to four different handheld electronic devices. The POP Charger, on the other hand, featured the same design as the POP Station but offered a 26,000mAh internal battery for on-the-go charging. Apple refusing to license its Lightning connector killed the purpose of the POP Charger: to charge all of one’s devices, regardless of the connector.
So, how are the people behind the POP Charger going to refund POP backers? Kickstarter uses Amazon Payments to process all funds from backers. Unfortunately, Amazon has no way of refunding credit or debit cards 60 days after the transaction takes place. Because of this, Jamie Siminoff, the man behind Edison Junior design lab who created the POP Charger, has decided to take matters into his own hands. His company recently launched its own crowdfunding service, Christie Street. All POP refunds will be deposited in Christie Street accounts. Backers can then use these accounts to request a check or PayPal payment to get their money back. Siminoff is also working with Kickstarter to get $11,000 worth of Kickstarter fees returned to him.
