Rumors suggest that Apple is now working on a next-generation technology that will allow users to charge their iPhones and iPads from a further distance.
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Apple already started making units of the iPhone 5se, the rumored 4-inch iPhone expected to debut in March, way back at the beginning of a year ago, according to Japanese tech site Nikkei (via AppleInsider).
Apple is looking to add wireless charging technology to the iPhone, according to a Bloomberg report.
Now the problem with this kind of technology is, the farther you are, the less efficient it is and the longer the charging time becomes. In 2010, Apple filed a patent for a wireless charging system that uses “near field magnetic resonance” to transmit power to devices up to a meter away. The challenge is that wireless charging doesn’t do well with distance, hence why today’s devices that support wireless charging need to be placed on or near the power source (a mat, typically). Speaking at a recent earnings call, CEO Jason Rhode hinted that he’s working with one of the firm’s biggest clients to introduce the technology. With the iPhone still accounting for the lion’s share of Apple’s quarterly revenue, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that a good deal of Apple’s R&D has a decidedly iPhone-oriented approach.
Companies such as Samsung, Sony and Google already offer phones with wireless charging technology that requires placement on a charging plate.
The technology could be included in phones and tablets by next year and would allow devices to be charged at a longer distance than current power mats – a wireless solution now used by some phones.
A report on Chinese site Anzhuo, has said that supply chain sources have confirmed the removal of the 3.5mm port on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
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“Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated”, Schiller said. But the benefit of passively charging your phone wirelessly throughout the day and night could help ensure that it never runs out of juice.
