There’s always a lot of speculation prior to the release of a new iPhone. However, Apple just did something major that gives weight to one particular prediction: that the iPhone 8 will charge wirelessly. Apple, rather quietly, just joined the Wireless Power Consortium. The Consortium is a group of 214 companies, dedicated to promoting wireless charging via the “Qi” standard. The Apple smartwatch already uses a modified version of Qi, so experts are predicting that the next iPhone will include this feature.
While this might seem revolutionary (and it would be…for an iPhone), this feature has already been around in many Android and even Windows phones for some time. If Apple jumps on board the wireless charging bandwagon, this feature will be be considered much more standard in phones and you may need to start thinking about how your library can support them.
- It Looks a Whole Lot Like the Next iPhone Will Have Wireless Charging [Gizmodo] “Whispers of a wireless-charging iPhone have been around for years, but Apple’s new membership in the Wireless Power Consortium is the most significant evidence to date that the company is serious about developing the technology. It also comes just months before the release of the next iPhone, which is rumored to be packed with expensive new hardware.”
- Apple takes a big step toward wireless charging on iPhones [Engadget] “The Wireless Power Consortium move doesn’t mean that Apple has given up on long-distance electricity, but it does suggest that the company believes conventional inductive charging is more practical in the near term. Also, it shows a firmer commitment to the very concept of wireless charging — Apple doesn’t think it starts and ends with one wearable product.”
- Here’s more evidence that the next iPhone will have wireless charging [CNBC] “Apple is likely working on its own wireless charging technology, based on numerous patents it has filed, though the company is notoriously secretive when it comes to its intentions with new products.”
- How to wirelessly charge your iPhone: Wireless charging could be coming to the iPhone 8, but why wait when you can use it today? [Macworld]”Here, we explain what wireless charging is and show you how to wirelessly charge your iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7 and 7 Plus.”
From the Ohio Web Library:
- Research and Markets: Impact of Wireless Charging Technology Advances in Consumer and Automotive Sectors – Paving the Way for Next-Gen Charging Technologies [Research and Markets, Business Wire (English), 01/14/2016]
- Consumers say wireless charging is the must-have feature for smartphones and cure for “battery anxiety” [PR Newswire, PR Newswire US, 12/15/2016]
- Wireless Charging 2016-2026: Wireless Charging will be on Almost all Mobile Phones and Millions of Cars by 2026 – Research and Markets [PR Newswire, PR Newswire US, 02/07/2017]
