Apple Applies for Patent on Wireless iPad Charging via Smart Cover

Beside the obvious other problems, I wonder why one would use inductive coupling for transferring the energy from the cover to the iPad. They could easily make the contacts of the magnets be conductive and use a more solid copper connection for transferring the energy. Wastes much less energy.

Radio said:

How innovative!!!


That would give me about 5 minutes more of battery life.

Lol - damn cover wouldn't even stay on with that weight.

Seriously this is the next big thing?

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Who said this was the next big thing? Who said how much battery life you would get from it? How do you know how much it will weigh?

Stop making assumptions.

Radio said:

How innovative!!!


That would give me about 5 minutes more of battery life.

Lol - damn cover wouldn't even stay on with that weight.

Seriously this is the next big thing?

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Do you have some secret trick to gather all these "informations" from this patent? Other people must be stupid if they aren't able to understand this stuff like you do so easily.

No doubt people study this stuff with the purpose of adding 5 minutes of battery life and requiring a chain to get the cover attached to the device…

The rumors are what takes out the excitement and the surprise on the Keynote when the product will be released.

Mr.damien said:

What's your point ?

I never saw a single iPad without a cover.

Now this one give you more battery life for free, what's the problem ?

you are kind of a guy that likes to complain right ?

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1. The point I made.

2. You haven't looked very hard. The majority of the iPads I've seen don't have big covers. Say for a second that everyone with an ipad or phone wants to have a big floppy cover on it:

3. The problem has already been stated. It's in every way inferior to either of its alternatives. Not convenient like using an induction pad, not efficient like a physical connection. ...What gives you the idea it'd be free?

4. I'm the kind of guy that expects a company with a million times the resources mine has, to innovate proportionately great ideas. Way to counter my concerns on the design with a personal attack though.

The picture looks more like the coils will be in the smartcover.
So you'd just put the iPad with cover face down on some kind of charging tablet.

Batteries IN the cover seems like BS, guess someone misread what Apple was trying to explain with the image?

bloggerblog said:

Wanna be innovative? Incorporate solar cells into the display.

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Or the bezel, at least...

so wait... you have to plug the cover in? Doesn't that miss the point? Smart covers are supposed to travel with the iPad, so having to plug the cover in completely defeats the purpose of wireless charging.

The idea of wireless charging is that you just set your device down on a mat that is plugged in and it charges, and when you pick it back up it's done charging. The mat is permanently plugged in - you never have to unplug it. You can buy a charging mat for the office and home if you want to be able to charge in more than one location, or you can just do it the "old fashioned" way via a cable.

Blackberryroid said:

The rumors are what takes out the excitement and the surprise on the Keynote when the product will be released.

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I think maybe the website you're looking for is apple.com? That's where they talk about the actual, released products, and post the keynotes.
This site is called macrumors.com, where we talk about rumours.

flottenheimer said:

Nice.
But what I'd much rather like is for Apples standard headphones/ear-plugs to become wireless. That would be a killer feature for me. I hate those tangling white wires.

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And how would you propose for earbuds to be wireless? Where would the batteries go and how long could they possibly last before charging? I get ya, but not everything should be wireless, it usually requires compromises.

iPusch said:

I don't really get this -.-

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it's simple.
now, to charge you plug in (with a cable) the iPad .
with this system, to charge you plug in (with a cable) the smartcover, which needs to stay attached to the iPad to transfer the charge "wirelessly".

since i would assume that you can still charge your ipad normally, the net effect is that now you need two cables instead of one. but it's wireless.
brilliant.

Hopefully we'll see this feature soon! There was talk of Apple making it so you could charge your iPhone from your iPad and this seems to be the first sign of that. Making it a seperate product seems logical too as it will probably keep iPad costs down and people who don't need it don't have to have it.

So instead of plugging in the iPad, you have to plug-in the iPad cover? And this is more convenient how?

flottenheimer said:

Nice.
But what I'd much rather like is for Apples standard headphones/ear-plugs to become wireless. That would be a killer feature for me. I hate those tangling white wires.

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HenryDJP said:

And how would you propose for earbuds to be wireless? Where would the batteries go and how long could they possibly last before charging? I get ya, but not everything should be wireless, it usually requires compromises.

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Um... http://www.plantronics.com/us/product/backbeat-go
- I own these... and they last about 4.5 hours.
http://www.novero.com/collections/music-headsets/rockaway.html
had these - Also nice - but broke on me. - about 4.5 hours.

or these new ones...
http://www.jaybirdgear.com/bluebuds-x-bluetooth-headphones/
8 Hours! No Sweat guarantee - will get these when they are available here.

The batteries are in the earpieces. Personally I think they house the battery and the mUSB in a bit round the back of the neck... just to make the ear buds slightly smaller - and that's that apple could do without changing the design of the new earpieces.

Regarding the pad. I can see the point - but they do have patents on in screen solar too. that would be more useful.

It's just a patent for the sake of have one.

thewinelake said:

This sounds a bit odd to me.

Why would one want to pack an inductive charger *with battery* into a cover? After all, you take the cover around with you. It might make some sense if the cover contained solar panels.

So how do you charge the cover up?

Mmmm, on second thoughts, the more useful thing might be if the cover acted a bit like a "reserve tank" or battery extender. When you charge the iPad, that drives the induction in reverse. But why use induction when you could probably have electrical contacts on the hinges?

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I don't get it either. This thing is nothing more than an extended battery.

And if they stick solar panels on it, can't wait til someone tries to charge their ipad in the sun and it shuts down due to overheating.

Enough of the patents, Apple, please just roll out the new tech already!

Sounds good but will believe it when I see it.

I cannot believe that no-one (including MacRumors) is able to understand a diagram, or a description.

This cover does not include a battery! You do not plug the cover into a power source!

The cover has an internal induction aerial to charge the iPad's internal battery. I.e. having a metal case the ipad cannot use an internal aerial to charge by induction, so it has to be placed outside the metal enclosure. The cover, being non-conductive, is a good place for the aerial to be. The aerial is foldable, to enable the cover to work as the current one does. The induction charging only takes place when the cover is closed over the screen.

flottenheimer said:

Nice.
But what I'd much rather like is for Apples standard headphones/ear-plugs to become wireless. That would be a killer feature for me. I hate those tangling white wires.

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Didn't they offer wireless earbuds a few years ago but had to stop because they didn't work when you turned your head?

nope7308 said:

So instead of plugging in the iPad, you have to plug-in the iPad cover? And this is more convenient how?

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This.

Liquorpuki said:

I don't get it either. This thing is nothing more than an extended battery.

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Exactly, but since many of us already have the covers, if the cover acts as an extended battery that's a win win, even if it only boosts the usage by 1-2 hours.

Also, perhaps the ipad can charge the cover wirelessly, and the cover can charge the ipad wirelessly. That way you never need to actually plug the cover in. When you plug your ipad into the wall, it charges both the ipad and the cover, and then the cover acts as an extended battery when you are out and about. This strikes me as a brilliant idea. If they can add solar cells into the covers and screens to extend battery life even more, even better.

pyropath said:

having a metal case the ipad cannot use an internal aerial to charge by induction, so it has to be placed outside the metal enclosure.

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Possibly... Aluminium is not overtly effected with induction charging - and there are other metallic case options that could work.

though it's entirely possible to have the induction coil within the Metal casing - possibly in the future with Liquid metal.

Oh and you could always charge with the glass side on the induction pad

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Snookerman said:

Didn't they offer wireless earbuds a few years ago but had to stop because they didn't work when you turned your head?

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No. Apple have never made any wireless headphones... yet...

But yet another patent shows something pretty cool.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...o-hybrid-wireless-headphones-for-active-usershttp://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/04/apple-looking-into-hybrid-wireless-headphones-for-active-users

RenoG said:

Its called innovation so let them....

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Hows this innovation, wireless charging has been around for a while now

This thread is full of /facepalm

flottenheimer said:

Nice.
But what I'd much rather like is for Apples standard headphones/ear-plugs to become wireless. That would be a killer feature for me. I hate those tangling white wires.

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Good luck finding room for batteries that can power the earphones and Bluetooth transmitters for more than 10 minutes.

There would have to be a battery revolution first.

EDIT: I know Bluetooth IEMs already exist, but they're bulky and there's a wire going behind your neck, thus making them not totally wireless. Plus 4.5 h battery life is pretty weak, although it would be fine for me as long as earphones would be 100% wireless.

The problem with 100% wireless IEMs though is that you would look awkward since people wouldn't know you are using them. They'd talk to you and find you rude for not replying back, or assume you talk to yourself or something.