Could the iPhone 7 be Apple’s first with wireless charging? Some reports have claimed the feature is coming, and it looks even more likely now that Apple has added a number of wireless charging experts to its ranks.
Wireless charging seems like a gimmick until you actually use it. You don’t think you need it, then you get used to slapping your phone down on a pad when you go to bed or get to the office and never worrying about cables, and you wonder how you ever lived without it.
Sadly, iPhone owners are yet to experience that — but this could be about to change.
A January report from Bloomberg claimed Apple was working to bring wireless charging to the iPhone, and that it could happen as early as this year. We’ve heard the odd whisper about wireless charging in the iPhone 7 series since then.
But those claims just got a lot more promising. “In the last four months two former uBeam engineers with expertise in wireless charging and ultrasonic technology had been hired by Apple,” reports The Verge. And there’s more.
In the last two years, Apple has hired more than a dozen people with expertise in wireless charging. This indicates the company is finally getting serious about bringing a feature that’s now widely available on rival Android devices to the iPhone.
But Apple’s implementation may be different. Unlike existing technologies, which require you to place your phone on a special pad, Apple’s could allow you to continue using your device while you move around — so long as you stay don’t stray too far from the charger.
Apple has already filed patents for wireless charging solutions that allow this, and that’s exactly what startup uBeam has been promising — charging within a field, rather than via a pad. That makes Apple’s most recent hires even more interesting.
The only concern right now is that neither uBeam or any of the other companies that promise wireless charging over the air have made their technologies available. There have been plenty of demonstrations, but no public testing — and no saleable products.
Apple may have a lot of work to do before it can change that, then, which means we can’t be certain the iPhone 7 will be first to deliver these capabilities. But we can be fairly certain Apple is at least working on it — and that’s incredibly promising.
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
5 responses to “Apple’s new hires point to iPhone wireless charging”
Your picture doesn’t show wireless charging, rather inductive charging. And inductive charging is absolutely pointless. I’d rather have a Lightning cable and wall plug than an oversized charging surface that also has to be plugged in. Who would be stupid enough to want to carry something like that with them to charge their iPhone? Can I also get one of these for the car because that would be practical? Worst idea ever, which is why Samsung already has one.
Ever fumble in the dark with a Lightning connector? Yeah, it’s reversible but small, and it’s hard to line it up in the jack in the dark. Plus, I’ve worn out a few plugs – the tiny gold fingers get worn down with repetitive use, and those cables are not cheap, given the vise-like grip Apple puts on cable manufacturers, even putting a chip in their plug so it’s hard for third-parties to make cables.
Sorry, but I think it’s convenient as hell for bedside charging or at Starbucks.
Thank you for pointing out it’s inductive charging and not wireless charging. People seem to get the two confused and Sammy definitely popularized inductive. From what I’ve seen, Apple is tackling true wireless charging. None of that pad bs.
And yes I realize the story talks about new patents that allow you to move around while you charge your phone. So why show an inductive charging concept?
As long as it’s true wireless charging and not inductive charging, I’m all about it. Inductive charging is garbage and a gimmick for most. I want to be able to use the phone while it charges. However, inductive charging has seen some really cool mods where it’s integrated into a desktop surface.