Wirelessly Charge Your iPad 2 On A Wall, For A Price

The new LaunchPort system lets you mount and charge your iPad 2 anywhere without needing annoying cables. Still, it comes at a steep price. First announced at CEDIA 2011, the device consists of a Station and PowerShuttle. The stations, either a BaseStation and/or WallStation, include a mount and charger. Best of all, the WallStation works with magnets, meaning no tools are required! Meanwhile, the PowerShuttle is a sleeve-style, soft touch case. It holds your iPad 2 and used to mount to either the BaseStation or WallStation. It is equipped with a mini USB port for charging and syncing on the go. Put together, the system uses induction charging (through the air). Take a look:

As much as we enjoy the LaunchPort’s cool factor, we’re not sold on its price. The PowerShuttle alone is $149 plus you’ll need to pony up a $10 preorder deposit. Both the BaseStation and WallStation are $199 each. This means buying all three accessories would set you back $550. For another $49, you could buy another iPad 2 (32 GB Wi-Fi only) and charge it the old-fashioned way! Hopefully, the LaunchPort will catch on and in doing so, cost a lot less in the future.  We’ll keep you updated.