“Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium, the company confirmed Monday,” Erin Carson reports for CNET.
“‘Apple is joining the Wireless Power Consortium to be able to participate and contribute ideas to the open, collaborative development of future wireless charging standards,’ a spokeswoman said,” Carson reports. “The Wireless Power Consortium is a group of 123 manufacturers that backs a single standard, called Qi, for wireless charging. It includes companies like Samsung, LG and HTC.”
Carson reports, “‘As we have seen in the past year, Qi has become the de facto standard for wireless power, and this year we expect to see even more momentum by the entire ecosystem,’ WPC said in a statement.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Qi is so-called wireless charging.
Hopefully, this doesn’t mean that the next-gen iPhone(s) will offer Qi “wireless” charging (which, of course, requires wires) instead of delivering true, groundbreaking wirelsss charging, as in Energous.
Right now, the Apple Watch’s charging system is nice because it’s less fiddly, and especially useful in the dark, but it’s still essentially a wired charging system in practice (when you travel, you’d better bring along a Magnetic Charging Cable for your Apple’s Watch or you’ll be out of luck).
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s ‘iPhone X’ to feature wireless charging and iris scanning technology, sources say – February 10, 2017
KGI’s Ming Chi Kuo predicts wireless charging for all three new iPhones – February 9, 2017
More evidence suggests Apple tie-up with true wireless charging firm Energous – December 21, 2016
Apple supplier Dialog partners with wireless charging company Energous – December 15, 2016
Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple’s next-gen iPhone to feature all-glass case for wireless charging – November 23, 2016
Two major ‘iPhone 8’ leaks reveal groundbreaking new features – November 23, 2016
Evidence suggests Apple is working on the biggest mobile game-changer since the original iPhone – November 8, 2016
Apple possibly working with Energous on extended range wireless charging for future iPhones – February 5, 2016
Apple developing cutting-edge long-range wirelessly-charged iPhones and iPads – January 29, 2016
iPhone 7 and the potential for wireless charging – January 19, 2016
Apple will drop headphone jack to make the iPhone 7 super slim, source confirms; wireless charging and waterproof, too – January 7, 2016
Apple looks to patent inductive charging system that could power an Apple Pencil or even a future kitchen appliance – January 7, 2016
Apple files 5th wireless inductive charging patent application since Late September – November 5, 2015\
Apple patent application reveals iPhone inductive charging sans extra hardware – October 8, 2015
Patent application reveals Apple working on wireless charging systems focused on rapid power delivery – August 27, 2015
Apple invents inductive charging interfaces for mobile devices – April 2, 2015
Apple ‘iPhone 7’ models likely to offer wireless charging – April 2, 2015
Apple will offer the exact same tech as everyone else but market it as a breakthrough technology and charge double what everyone else does.
While Energous demos really well, I can’t imagine it’s really ready for prime-time for the iPhone, and won’t be for a really long time.
So while it’s what we really want, I wouldn’t mind having industry standard charging pads in the meantime.
MDN…They all require wires!
Qi requires a mat.
Putting something down on a mat (that you plug in once, per location) is more convenient than plugging in each and every time.
I have mats all over my house, office, and even my car. It much more convenient having a Qi car cradle than fussing with wires while driving. If my phone isn’t in my pocket, it’s charging.
Energous seems very interesting, but as of right now it seems to require a professional installation. I’m waiting for the scientific safety speech too.
The iPhone 8 and galaxy is going to be identical
Wireless Power is a bigger Bag of Hurt.
Remember, Apple was on the Blu Ray consortium too. Then suddenly they reneged on support for BR discs because Apple thought it would hamper video rentals on iTunes. Bad move. With some extensive hunting, you can find an antiquated external Superdrive to burn CDs and DVDs, but Apple just won’t allow its users to use a blue laser instead of a red one. Thus after all these years it is a pain for Mac owners to create and distribute media on BR discs.
Lest you think it doesn’t matter, I welcome you to attempt to operate in the majority of the world that does not have a T1 internet connection. Want to share home movies taken with your 4K iPhone? Good luck with that. Apple TV is no help. Apple demands that you degrade the video quality or use Windows. What about new video purchases? Your local library and video store have BluRays on the shelf. They are cheaper and better quality than iTunes even if you are fortunate enough to live in a land of fast internet.
I don’t have optimism that Apple TV will ever turn the corner either. Given that 4K video is a large data file and now without net neutrality being defended by unelected public servants, you can expect high surcharges in the future for large video downloads.