Apple Exploring Wireless Charging for iPhone as Early as 2013?

If it doesn't follow the Qi wireless charging standards everyone else uses (which I doubt it will), then the wireless charging feature will be pointless. I'm not gonna buy a new wireless charging base just because Apple wants to be different. But that's just my opinion.

bryan85 said:

+1

Honestly don't bother. They should focus on longer battery life.

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Agreed. It's probably unrealistic, but I wish that the battery on the iPhone was about as long as the iPad battery

mehanika said:

Im sorry if you feel offended - that was not my intention.
Programming is not the same as tech however.
Seeing into the future is part of what tech does and can. Pushing boundaries of what you and I experience as "state of the art". This should (and must) happen in order for technological breakthrough.

Maybe you don't see the need or idea behind it, but odds are the younger generation (your kids eg). Will and cannot live without. Showing them a cable will seem silly to them at some point.
I guess you have come to a point in life where you don't care about technological advancements. But that is not really an excuse to hate a potential technology.

Also see this as a feature rather than a alternative (for now)

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I apologize, I use the f-word too easily. I'm French Canadian and a "phoque" is an animal whose cubs we bludgeon to death with a baseball bat, so nothing offensive...

But yeah, I was a bit offended, when I shouldn't have been. Sorry once again.

Adam22 said:

So you don't want thing to move forward ? U want to charge the phone by plugging it in for 20 more years? Apple won't implement wireless charging unless is convenient and the wireless pads they sell now are not really that convenient . If apple manages to perfect it or come close to that then why not!!! Stop complaining ,it's about tech moving forward. If u ran things we would still have old flip phones because those phones battery would last longer than iPhones because of the screens that use more power.

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Waiting for an better iteration before jumping in is not not moving forward!!!

FYI, I had HDTV in 2002 with a rear projection when my cable provider's only HD content was PBS and the odd hockey game on CBC on a special channel...

That thought me to wait a bit before taking the plunge... let other early adopters iron out the wrinkles for me... I have other priorities than to be on the bleeding edge.

I also had the first Intel iMac (still running too!)

Neodym said:

What are you doing with your cables?

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They actually suck. Bought 3 from , only one worked :/

It's a stupid idea, until it's implemented and everyone here laps it up like it's the first time they've seen a rube goldberg machine

GenesisST said:

Relatively new here, are you? :-D

That said, I'd rather see too much whining than blind worship of Apple... (or any corporation for that matter).

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Been reading for many years.

Difference between blind devotion and appreciation of innovation and convenience. Whining every time is getting old. EVERY TIME.

inlinevolvo said:

Perhaps. What I meant to write previously before my phone freaked out and posted my half comment, is that I'd rather see them invest more time and energy into longer battery life. It's not a big deal that I have to plug my phone in. While battery life on my iphone trumps my HTC droid, more is better in this case.

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OK, but why is it a zero-sum game? Certainly Apple has the money and resources to do both.

Chupa Chupa said:

OK, but why is it a zero-sum game? Certainly Apple has the money and resources to do both.

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It has to do with how much you can stuff in your phone. If you make it bigger for induction coils, you could have just put in more battery.

The REAL Dirt

baryon said:

With Magnetic Resonance, I've seen experiments where energy could be transferred over greater distances like a meter or so. Imagine if you could just put your iPhone on the table with your Mac close by, and your Mac would charge your phone. No extra cables. That would be worth it!

If it's just a plate that you have to plug in to the wall, and rest your iPhone on it, it's a bit pointless.

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Here's the deal folks, since I waded through 10 pages of FUD to get here...

This tech is not new. It was developed OVER 100 years ago by Nikola Tesla and was slated to be the delivery method for ALL electricity, but was mothballed because at the time, the electrical utilities had no way to meter consumption.

In essence, it consists of an antenna (tesla coil style, for transmitting and receiving longitudinal waves) and an RLC Tank circuit, on each end (where the power comes from and where it is going).

In the last ten years, there have been tremendous advances in the fields of fractal antenna design and digitally tuned RLC circuit design that are facilitating the new wave of non inductive power transmission technologies.

WiTricity is just the beginning, and in 20 years, nothing sold in stores that uses electricity will have external wires as every household will have a multi-node, password protected wireless power distribution appliance much like your WIFI router handles all the data in your house now.

By the way, I have seen experiments where power is transmitted in this fashion across dozens of miles...

pecdg said:

Here's the deal folks, since I waded through 10 pages of FUD to get here...

This tech is not new. It was developed OVER 100 years ago by Nikola Tesla and was slated to be the delivery method for ALL electricity, but was mothballed because at the time, the electrical utilities had no way to meter consumption.

In essence, it consists of an antenna (tesla coil style, for transmitting and receiving longitudinal waves) and an RLC Tank circuit, on each end (where the power comes from and where it is going).

In the last ten years, there have been tremendous advances in the fields of fractal antenna design and digitally tuned RLC circuit design that are facilitating the new wave of non inductive power transmission technologies.

WiTricity is just the beginning, and in 20 years, nothing sold in stores that uses electricity will have external wires as every household will have a multi-node, password protected wireless power distribution appliance much like your WIFI router handles all the data in your house now.

By the way, I have seen experiments where power is transmitted in this fashion across dozens of miles...

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Given the loss of efficiency, some of which will improve with technology, and the looming energy crises I'm skeptical that we will be going this route. At least not outside of a niche "premium" function.

Before Apple release it:
"Such a useless feature, Lightning cable are so great and inexpensive, and I love to use them on my they-must-not-make-a-bigger-screen iPhone."

After Apple release it:
"Wow so great, Apple are such innovators, they invented wireless charging while the competition are stuck with expensive cablejunk. The wireless charger costs 100$, but that's cheap for not having to scrub my iPhone back with the plug.
But please Apple no larger screen."

Muhaha.

inlinevolvo said:

Given the loss of efficiency, some of which will improve with technology, and the looming energy crises I'm skeptical that we will be going this route. At least not outside of a niche "premium" function.

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There is no loss in efficiency. All power transmitted will be received on the other end because you're creating a charge dipole in space that is resonantly tuned. Your losses with this system are better than through copper transmission lines at high voltage. This is not a run of the mill inductive charging system.

There are lots of people dumping money into this right now for R&D, it is not the jetsons or some stupid money black hole. I assure you if Apple is considering this (they are keen on front running innovation) and it comes to pass the adoption in other sectors will be almost instantaneous. Remember we had no smart phones 7 or 8 years ago and there is now a legitimate "race to the tricorder" competition underway...

Love wireless charging on my Nexus 4. Face it, if Apple "invented" this first, this place would be swooning off the chain.

Now that Apple isn't first, the comments are all "what a waste - how is this useful - gimmick - joke, etc."

Once the iPhone 6 has it, the comments will be all "OMG BEST THING EVER THANK YOU APPLE FOR INVENTING WIRELESS CHARGING" and so forth.

Lol. Also, Google Wallet/NFC is awesome. But Apple will invent it. We're all excited about these upcoming revolutions.

Useless IMO

A charging system that is bigger than the mini-block and USB cable, charges at a slower rate, adds components to the phone that increase weight and size, and prevents (practical) use of the device while it is charging (unless you want to hold your charging mat as well while charging your phone at the airport - really convenient while making a phone call). Sounds like a great idea

At times higher-tech is not an improvement.

Adam22 said:

Then only use the wireless charging accessory /pad at night on your nightstand . Take your lighting cable to work as you do now !! LOL why would any company force a problem like that of only being able to charge your phone on wireless pads?! LoL are you seriously thinking they will eliminate regular USB charging?! HAHAHAHHHAH

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That's right. No company would totally eliminate wired charging over inductive charging at this point.

People complain here because it's not the time YET to offer "wireless" charging at this point. It's just in a sad phase, totally not ready.

A WiFi router which can't maintain a stable connection longer than one feet should not be a WiFi. Why would I use WiFi like that over an Ethernet which is 1000x better, cheaper and more reliable? Just nothing worth the compromise.

Wireless charging is nothing more than turning the back of your phone into a giant charging port. It's still cumbersome. It's still tiring.

Wireless charging is still charging. With all its limitation..

notabadname said:

A charging system that is bigger than the mini-block and USB cable, charges at a slower rate, adds components to the phone that increase weight and size, and prevents (practical) use of the device while it is charging (unless you want to hold your charging mat as well while charging your phone at the airport - really convenient while making a phone call). Sounds like a great idea

At times higher-tech is not an improvement.

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Charges at the same rate. It's highly convenient. Come to a dark room (for bed) and just lay your phone on the charger. An NFC tag sets your phone to night mode and activates your alarm. In the morning, just lift it and go (the NFC tag sets to normal when you pick it up). That's revolutionary.

Also, as these become more popular, you go to Starbucks...lay your phone on a charging pad while you have a coffee, etc. You guys will be all over it if Apple includes it in an upcoming iPhone. Until then, full haterade mode. Charging port breaks/damaged? No worries.

I'm not trolling here. It's a legitimate technology that makes your life easier for sure. You guys will figure it out one day.

coolbreeze said:

Love wireless charging on my Nexus 4. Face it, if Apple "invented" this first, this place would be swooning off the chain.

Now that Apple isn't first, the comments are all "what a waste - how is this useful - gimmick - joke, etc."

Once the iPhone 6 has it, the comments will be all "OMG BEST THING EVER THANK YOU APPLE FOR INVENTING WIRELESS CHARGING" and so forth.

Lol. Also, Google Wallet/NFC is awesome. But Apple will invent it. We're all excited about these upcoming revolutions.

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Apple will "invent" it in a way that makes it worthwhile. Not the "gee whiz, this is cool" crap that Nexus has.

coolbreeze said:

Charges at the same rate. It's highly convenient. Come to a dark room (for bed) and just lay your phone on the charger. An NFC tag sets your phone to night mode and activates your alarm. In the morning, just lift it and go (the NFC tag sets to normal when you pick it up). That's revolutionary.

Also, as these become more popular, you go to Starbucks...lay your phone on a charging pad while you have a coffee, etc. You guys will be all over it if Apple includes it in an upcoming iPhone. Until then, full haterade mode. Charging port breaks/damaged? No worries.

I'm not trolling here. It's a legitimate technology that makes your life easier for sure. You guys will figure it out one day.

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You are simply incorrect on charging rate. Inductive charging has inefficiencies as compared to direct charging (some power lost to heat in the induction process). For the same current/amp rate out of wall, direct is faster- period. So instead labeling people as being in"full hatermode", read the science. Additionally, numerous airports and planes already have USB built in. So using a induction wireless charger on an airplane would not be convenient by any measure. And walk through an airport and see how many people make calls while plugged into USB - charging and talking - you telling me you can play "Angry Birds" or make a call while charging on your mat? And I would love to see you do it while leaning against a wall, using a wall-plug at JFK. I'm not hating, I'm stating practicality, and how many of us use our devices.

pacalis said:

Nearly everyone's life gets a little bit better with a wireless charging option.

It's bizarre that most of this thread is in a huff. Why is this really? Because the leading android phones already have it?

And this idea that it's too expensive? Really? Too expensive for the most expensive mass-market consumer phone?

I just hope they go with the Qi standard, like everyone else, that way people don't have to keep buying new chargers everytime apple trys to make some additional money on an accessory.

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Leading Android phones clearly have nothing to do with it. Their implementation is worthless. Let's face it, plug in a connector or put it on a special pad that STILL has to be plugged in, your still connected and limited by wires. When it can truly be done in a wireles manner, then it will be special, and yes, it will take the likes of Apple to make that happen.

Qi standard? Talk about sheep.

notabadname said:

You are simply incorrect on charging rate. Inductive charging has inefficiencies as compared to direct charging (some power lost to heat in the induction process). For the same current/amp rate out of wall, direct is faster- period. So instead labeling people as being in"full hatermode", read the science. Additionally, numerous airports and planes already have USB built in. So using a induction wireless charger on an airplane would not be convenient by any measure. And walk through an airport and see how many people make calls while plugged into USB - charging and talking - you telling me you can play "Angry Birds" or make a call while charging on your mat? And I would love to see you do it while leaning against a wall, using a wall-plug at JFK. I'm not hating, I'm stating practicality, and how many of us use our devices.

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Ok. By all means, keep your head in the sand. I'll continue to enjoy my Nexus 4. It's by far my go-to over my iPhone 5, but hey, that's me.

Edit: when I charge my phone at night, I care not about the mAh's flowing through the charger. When I wake up, it's fully charged. So the minimal (?) loss of inductive charging is a seriously irrelevant spec-war for me. It's not like you are prohibited from ever using an actual charger/cable if your phone is inductive charging compatible. Inductive charging way too slow for your tastes? Cool, just use your normal charger! Sensitive bunch around here!

coolbreeze said:

Charges at the same rate. It's highly convenient. Come to a dark room (for bed) and just lay your phone on the charger. An NFC tag sets your phone to night mode and activates your alarm. In the morning, just lift it and go (the NFC tag sets to normal when you pick it up). That's revolutionary.

Also, as these become more popular, you go to Starbucks...lay your phone on a charging pad while you have a coffee, etc. You guys will be all over it if Apple includes it in an upcoming iPhone. Until then, full haterade mode. Charging port breaks/damaged? No worries.

I'm not trolling here. It's a legitimate technology that makes your life easier for sure. You guys will figure it out one day.

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1. Finding a charging pod is no easier than finding and plugging a charging cable in a totally dark room.

2. A wired charging dock does not need any fancy NFC tag to put your phone into night mode

3. Actually not all things [revolutionized] by iPhone are picked up like crazy. iTunes syncing, tiny 3.5" screen, and also Siri are some examples of mediocrity.

4. All in all, wireless charging nowadays is more like IR port on a phone back then, it was short lived, rubbish and gimmicky until something more useful and reliable like Bluetooth emerged.

Yep inductive charging is the IR port of smartphone charging.

Sedrick said:

I bought a wireless mouse once. Stupidest thing I ever did. You still had to have the base plugged in and near the actual mouse. Same thing with wireless charging. I've got plenty of docks and usb cables. Don't need another $100 accessory to do the same thing.

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Technology advances. How long since you've bought a wireless mouse? The receivers are now as small as your thumbnail and just plug into a usb port.

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NeilGoBlue said:

When I travel with the family, we bring:

4 Iphones/Ipods
3 Ipads

Can you imagine what I need to to do to pack all the chargers and what not for all of these?

Wireless charging would be a godsend.

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When my family travels w bring 2iPads, 2 iPhones and 2 iPods and 1charger. What's the big deal? no problems.

Dr McKay said:

It's more for the sake of a little extra convenience, I use a Wireless Charger because all I have to do is set it on a little orb and not fumble in the dark trying to find the port on the bottom. I also like the angle it sits at.

Image

The lightning charger goes in both ways, is there a point? Yes, a little extra convenience. Is wireless syncing pointless? No, it's a little more convenient.

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What is that and where can I get it?

cclloyd said:

What is that and where can I get it?

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google.com/nexus

With all those jailbroken devices you have, may I suggest you explore Android JellyBean 4.2.2? It's fantastic. I used to jailbreak my old iPhones and root Android phones. Not so with the Nexus 4 and JellyBean. It's butter and pretty much owns. So flexible.

BTW, that's the wireless orb for the Nexus 4. Yah, it's old news around here.

To those complaining about speed of charging... I'm willing to bet that most of the charging people do on their devices happens overnight while they sleep. Wireless charging certainly isn't going to see us without being able to plug the device in if need be. Set the phone down on a pad when you sleep, and grab it when you are ready in the morning.

To those complaining about efficiency... Newer standards have become quite efficient. Perhaps not quite as efficient as a cable, but hey, that's the price of convenience sometimes. As it stands, it's costs under two bucks to charge an iPhone from dead to full every day for a year. If you are an environment warrior (Incan respect that), you can save the earth more by driving a car that gets just one more mile per gallon than you currently do.

To those saying that this doesn't remove cables... That's not the point. It removes the need for you to keep plugging the device in. This inevitably reduces wear and tear. For those that buy a phone every time a new one launches (I am sure many of you here), this may not matter. But there are
Plenty of people who use their devices for many years. Ports and buttons are probably the two weakest points most prone to failure, hence reducing wear and tear being quite desirable.

Wireless charging isn't likely to change the world. But it certainly is quite convenient. It's something I would like to see, but would like to see it with the Qi standard, unless Apple is able to demonstrate legitimate improvement over Qi with their own proprietary solution. One ofnthenworst things a tech user has to face is getting difference cables, chargers, and accessories for all of their devices. Wireless charging coupled with NFC could be a fantastic way for us to see base stations compatible with all kinds of different devices and bands, rather than being brand specific.