Rumor: Apple multi-device wireless charger coming 2018, Belkin & Mophie to support iPhone ...
While the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are expected to feature support for wireless inductive charging, customers will need to rely on accessories from third-party manufacturers at launch, with an unconfirmed rumor claiming Belkin and Mophie will be stepping up to the plate.
An anonymous source who reached out to AppleInsider on Tuesday said Apple is planning its own multi-device inductive wireless charging accessory to launch in the first quarter of 2018.
The veracity of the claims could not be verified, however the information does align with a separate report from earlier Tuesday claiming Apple will not offer its own wireless chargers alongside the iPhone X and iPhone 8. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said customers would have to rely on third-party accessories, but did not offer any specific companies.
AppleInsider's unconfirmed source did, however, name two major brands: Belkin and Mophie, both known for charging docks and battery cases. It's likely that the companies could fill the void with inductive charging pads, and potentially even battery cases that would not need to occupy the Lightning port, thus leaving it free for wired headphones.
Further, the source claimed that Apple's own charger will launch at some point between January and March of 2018. They indicated that the charger will be a multi-device accessory, which would imply support for the Apple Watch as well as iPhone X and iPhone 8.
If Apple plans to launch its own wireless charging accessory next year, it's highly unlikely that such an accessory would get a mention at today's keynote unveiling.
Such a move would not be entirely unprecedented. The first Apple Watch went on sale in April of 2015, but the official Magnetic Charging Dock did not launch until November, leaving users with just the bundled USB cable charger as the only first-party solution for 7 months.
It's expected that all three of Apple's new iPhones will support the Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard. Whether or not accessories require a Made for iPhone certification chip, however, remains to be seen.
It's also expected that the iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 will include USB3 Lightning ports, allowing for quick charge capabilities like on the iPad Pro. Wireless inductive charging will not be able to juice the iPhones at the same fast rate.
Join AppleInsider as we cover Apple's special media event live from Apple Park today at 10 a.m. Pacific. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest news, analysis, photos, video and more.
An anonymous source who reached out to AppleInsider on Tuesday said Apple is planning its own multi-device inductive wireless charging accessory to launch in the first quarter of 2018.
The veracity of the claims could not be verified, however the information does align with a separate report from earlier Tuesday claiming Apple will not offer its own wireless chargers alongside the iPhone X and iPhone 8. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities said customers would have to rely on third-party accessories, but did not offer any specific companies.
AppleInsider's unconfirmed source did, however, name two major brands: Belkin and Mophie, both known for charging docks and battery cases. It's likely that the companies could fill the void with inductive charging pads, and potentially even battery cases that would not need to occupy the Lightning port, thus leaving it free for wired headphones.
Further, the source claimed that Apple's own charger will launch at some point between January and March of 2018. They indicated that the charger will be a multi-device accessory, which would imply support for the Apple Watch as well as iPhone X and iPhone 8.
If Apple plans to launch its own wireless charging accessory next year, it's highly unlikely that such an accessory would get a mention at today's keynote unveiling.
Such a move would not be entirely unprecedented. The first Apple Watch went on sale in April of 2015, but the official Magnetic Charging Dock did not launch until November, leaving users with just the bundled USB cable charger as the only first-party solution for 7 months.
It's expected that all three of Apple's new iPhones will support the Wireless Power Consortium's Qi standard. Whether or not accessories require a Made for iPhone certification chip, however, remains to be seen.
It's also expected that the iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 will include USB3 Lightning ports, allowing for quick charge capabilities like on the iPad Pro. Wireless inductive charging will not be able to juice the iPhones at the same fast rate.
Join AppleInsider as we cover Apple's special media event live from Apple Park today at 10 a.m. Pacific. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest news, analysis, photos, video and more.
Comments
That worked so well with the LG monitors.
1. I like the convenience of inductive charging on my Watch. Minor convenience, but nice.
2. Wireless charging of iPhone potentially helps with waterproofing by eliminating one use-case for a physical hole (port) in the device.
Obvious example: If you buy a new MacBook Pro, you cannot charge your iPhone or iPad through it without spending $30 for a USB-C to Lightning cable. And if you buy an Apple Watch, there is no USB-C to watch cable *at all* — your only real option would be to buy a USB-C to Lightning cable, and then get Apple's $80 magnetic dock (with female Lightning port). That's like $110 plus tax just to charge your watch through your MacBook Pro.
And don't even get me started on the iPad Pro, which ships with a paltry 12W power adapter even though both models can support a 29W adapter with USB-C. The fact that the 12W power adapter ships with the 12.9" iPad Pro in 2017 is inexcusable.
And then there's Beats. The Beats Pill speaker and BeatsX headphones recharge through Lightning, but other products (including the brand new Beats Studio 3 Wireless and the Powerbeats 3) recharge through microUSB. Not Lightning, not even USB-C.
Logically, I think Apple should offer a wireless charging accessory at launch (and I really hope they do). Rumors suggest they will not — and frankly, given the mess I just summarized, would that be so surprising?
Any charging system that precludes you from using the phone while it is charging is fundamentally limiting and will never become the only method of charging. Now, if they could somehow develop a system that could charge from 2-4 feet away, that would be very cool.
Aside from battery cases that don't cover the Lightning port, I'm with you — I don't really care about wireless charging. I think USB3 quick charging is a much bigger deal. Maybe Apple thinks the same way. We'll find out shortly.
- Charging the Watch from a laptop is an edge case. The Watch requires a nightly charge and it is unlikely you’d do this from a notebook. Majority use case is a dock or wall plug next to the bed. It doesn’t require mid-day charging at your desk. But if you must charge from the USBC MBP for some fringe reason, simply get a cheap usb dongle and use the supplied charging cable, done.