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Future MacBook Air to wirelessly charge iPhones and iPads

Sunday, August 12, 2012 · 1:15 pm · 16 Comments

“A recent report claims a new wireless charging feature for our iPads and iPhones may be available in ultrabooks – including Apple’s MacBook Air – by 2013,” Alicia Jones reports for Macworld Australia.

“Intel is currently developing a technology for Intel processor-based ultrabooks and smartphones that could enable you to charge devices like the iPhone wirelessly,” Jones reports. “It is set for launch in the later half of 2013, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.”

Jones reports, “Apple’s MacBooks are often the first to receive Intel’s latest software so don’t be surprised if this features in the 2013 MacBook Air.”

Read more in the full article here.

Categories: News

Tags: inductive charging, Intel, iPad, iphone, iPod, iPod touch, MacBook Air, Ultrabooks, wireless charging

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Comment Feed

16 Comments

kingmel

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 1:34 pm · Reply

Now that Intel has made a $400M push to attempt to duplicate the MBA via thin PC laptops running Windows, don’t be surprised if Intel starts promoting new functionality on Windows “ultrabooks” first, before the MBA.
- Spark
  
  Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 6:39 pm · Reply
  
  Ha! Not if they want to sell more than a few thousands.
Ballmer's left nut

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 3:03 pm · Reply

Pointless feature. It takes approximately 10 hours to charge the iPad 3 from 10% to full via a cable from a wall charger. How much longer do you think induction charging will take. How difficult is it to carry a connector cable with you that plugs into a USB port or hub if you’re lacking direct ports to the MBA.
John

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 3:22 pm · Reply

I wouldn’t want this is my laptop (would have to be a hell of a drain on the battery),but it would be lovely to have in the house! Come home, and no need to remember to plug anything in: it just charges while you’re home!
- twimoon1
  
  Monday, August 13, 2012 - 8:25 am · Reply
  
  ^ this.
alanaudio

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 4:03 pm · Reply

It makes more sense for this to be a feature of mains operated devices like the iMac or a plugged in MacBook. When the battery capacity of an iPad is a significant proportion of the capacity of a MacBook battery, there is little to be gained from charging one battery from another. There might be more point in topping up an iPhone from a MacBook in battery mode, but a MacBook battery holds roughly twice the charge of an iPad battery, so if you charge up your iPad, you pretty well drain your MacBook battery.

It’s probably worth having the ability for emergency use, but it would be a feature that would normally be used when powered from the mains.
Alan

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 4:32 pm · Reply

Wireless charging technology that Intel is developing is for Intel based Ultrabooks (which MBA technicaly is) and Intel based smartphones so I think that Apple users will be out of luck here as iPhones is not powered by Intel CPU.
- silverhawk1
  
  Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 7:34 pm · Reply
  
  Wrong! The MBA was first, Intel copied them to come up with the Ultrabook. For a MacWorld writer, she doesn’t seem to know squat about Apple products. The iPhone nor the iPad contain a Intel processor.
  - Derek Currie
    
    Monday, August 13, 2012 - 2:41 am · Reply
    
    This seriously is the most incoherent article I’ve seen come out of Alicia Jones. It’s got to be ‘The August Effect’, iPhoned in from the beach while high on vodka martinis. Oh well. See you next month.
MacFreek

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 6:50 pm · Reply

Why limit this function to notebooks?
Kevin

Sunday, August 12, 2012 - 7:13 pm · Reply

I like to think of this as a hybrid solution. Sure, it may take 12 hours to charge from scratch this way, but if it’s charging this way the whole time it’s being used, it could potentially double the battery life, all without a cord.
ZuneTang®

Monday, August 13, 2012 - 1:43 am · Reply

LOL,,at Windows Phone,this feature has existed since the beginning…

Apple now copy cats Windows Phone Feature….oh gods …
- Derek Currie
  
  Monday, August 13, 2012 - 2:38 am · Reply
  
  I don’t know who you are. But the real ‘ZuneTang®’ was familiar with English spelling and grammar. But keep working on it. Satire is welcome here.
- Bandit Bill
  
  Monday, August 13, 2012 - 2:39 am · Reply
  
  If you are going to try to imitate ZuneTang, at least use proper English. Even ZuneTang would be embarrassed.
Phil mcmillan

Monday, August 13, 2012 - 11:40 am · Reply

I’m ULTRA confused by this article.

1. ” Intel is said to be planning to integrate the transmitter and receiver together to lower the cost of production.” – surely transmitter and receiver and in different devices? Or does she mean each device will have the capability to transmit or receive power.
2. “Intel’s data shows the feature will use lower power consumption. The technology does not require the phone to be in a specific position.” – how can it be lower energy consumption if Omni-directional (I.e. doesn’t need the phone to be in a particular position), as radiating the power out will surely suffer the same signal degradation as any other Omni-directional transmission!
3. If this on Intel technology, and the iPhone doesn’t contain intel technology, then how can it work? Or is it being implied that the next iPhone will be powered by intel?
4. Charging one mobile device from another mobile device makes no sense. A wireless charging hub, which charges all mobile devices is more logical but then standards already exist for it. What is intel adding to the party? If the power transfer is done in a way that data is also transmitted, i.e., you can synch and charge your phone wirelessly, then it may be interesting.
tbone

Monday, August 13, 2012 - 11:51 am · Reply

This article is perfectly clear. Someone is doing something that will or will not benefit someone in some way reported by some reporter who has the reasonable expectation that they are doing something that someone will read (or not).