Apple could bring long-distance wireless charging to iPhone, iPad as soon as 2017
Apple is reportedly working on an advanced wireless iPhone and iPad charging technology capable of bridging longer distances than currently available hardware, with a potential launch targeted as early as next year.
Sources say Apple is working with Asian suppliers to make the long-distance wireless charging tech a reality sometime in 2017, though challenging engineering hurdles stand in the way of progress, reports Bloomberg. Apple is particularly concerned with energy loss over distance, a physical limitation inherent in any wireless charging system.
While other electronics manufacturers have marketed wireless charging solutions for sometime, rival Samsung being a good example, Apple only recently dipped its toe into inductive technology with Apple Watch. The Magnetic Charging Cable included with every Watch contains magnets that interface with complementary magnets in Apple Watch to correctly align the devices' inductive power elements, thus maximizing energy transfer efficiency. Still, the system is low-power, meaning Watch takes longer to charge than other Apple products.
The technology behind Apple's supposed wireless charging solution is unknown, though a number of patent filings point to ongoing research in a variety of disciplines. Perhaps most relevant to today's report is IP dating back to 2012, which offers a "realistic and practical approach" to creating a wireless power field effective at distances up to one meter.
Rumors of an Apple-branded wireless charging solution have circulated for years, but hard evidence of a near-term release of such technology has yet to materialize. With the competition already fielding their own products, however, it is possible that Cupertino is ramping up research on an architecture capable of meeting high-energy deployments like iPhone and iPad.
Sources say Apple is working with Asian suppliers to make the long-distance wireless charging tech a reality sometime in 2017, though challenging engineering hurdles stand in the way of progress, reports Bloomberg. Apple is particularly concerned with energy loss over distance, a physical limitation inherent in any wireless charging system.
While other electronics manufacturers have marketed wireless charging solutions for sometime, rival Samsung being a good example, Apple only recently dipped its toe into inductive technology with Apple Watch. The Magnetic Charging Cable included with every Watch contains magnets that interface with complementary magnets in Apple Watch to correctly align the devices' inductive power elements, thus maximizing energy transfer efficiency. Still, the system is low-power, meaning Watch takes longer to charge than other Apple products.
The technology behind Apple's supposed wireless charging solution is unknown, though a number of patent filings point to ongoing research in a variety of disciplines. Perhaps most relevant to today's report is IP dating back to 2012, which offers a "realistic and practical approach" to creating a wireless power field effective at distances up to one meter.
Rumors of an Apple-branded wireless charging solution have circulated for years, but hard evidence of a near-term release of such technology has yet to materialize. With the competition already fielding their own products, however, it is possible that Cupertino is ramping up research on an architecture capable of meeting high-energy deployments like iPhone and iPad.
Comments
Another pointless vapourware story.
How boring.
As is always said when the subject of wireless charging comes up, it isn't really wireless charging, it's only wireless charging for the last few millimetres. You still need a "charging station" or "charging pad" or cradle to put your device on to. What difference could it possibly make to the user, to be able to put your iPad down *beside* the charger instead of right on top of it?
The charger/cradle still has to be on your desk. You still have to have a spot on your desk for it thats as big as the iPad that sits on it. You could conceivably put the iPad down on the *other* side of your desk and it would (might) still work, but how big is your desk? And why would you bother doing that when you have a charger/cradle thingie just a foot or so away?
If if it is true, it doesn't mean the end of the Lightning port however ... I'm sure for the forseable future, a hard wired solution is going to charge quite a bit faster than wireless, just like Ethernet is going to be quite a bit faster than wifi.
A a second location that might be useful is inside your automobile. Especially on family trips where everyone is using their personal devices simultaneously. I'm sure the power would still be consumed faster than it charges, but such a setup could easily turn 6 hours of battery life into 7 or 8 - and for multiple people simultaneously!
Buses? Trains? Airplanes? Restaurants? Airport lounges? Anywhere that people are stationary for long periods of time would be candidates for such a charging station.
I would hope that they would do some sort of study on the effects this field of energy would have on the human body with extended exposure - although I suspect it will be fine since we are already bombarded daily with almost every type of radiation imaginable.
Thanks...
Tim Cook: "So as you can see, we somehow managed to scrape past the $70billion, even though Kelsocolt didn't buy a lightning cable."
You need your design of the whole iPhone to be capable of handling it. This isn't something like force touch to add on. So this is either iPhone 7 or 8 timing. Not 7s.
Apple's patents elude to building the charger into devices their computers, rather than having a separate charging unit. If you can charge your phone/iPad/headphones/whatever by placing it within three feet of your desktop/laptop then that shouldn't be a problem.
The phone will probably ship with something that look like the charger for the Apple watch: something like a flat disk attached to a lightning cable. If I plug into a desktop machine or a laptop then three feet is plenty. I'm working (?) at a fairly large desk now, and my phone is about a foot away from the laptop. It may also be possible to charge more than one device from the cable.
Agreed. This won't see the light of day for another two years at least.
I think Samsung's approach is best. You can just plonk your phone on a pad when time isn't a real concern or plug it in for a really fast charge where a few minutes will give you hours of run time. Reportedly the S7 will have even faster charging via USB-C, reaching a full charge in just half an hour.
Effective and practical charging at a distance is a Unicorn.
If they can solve radio focussing for cell phones on the move, I think it's doable for a device that's lying still on your desk. Sure, they're only transmitting signals to the devices (not powering) but it definately proves that dynamic EM focussing is not a problem.