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Apple Still Working on AirPower-Like Charger, Also Long-Range Wireless Charging and Reverse Charging
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Apple cable and charging situation is still a mess especially for traveling.
- iPhone still uses Lightning Cable
- Apple Watch uses Apple Watch Puck Cable
- iPad Air/Pro use USB-C Cable
- New (or Pre 2016) MBP Uses MagSafe Cable (Yes thankfully the new MBP can also use USB-C, but then you lose the features of MagSafe which are most important when traveling!)
- iPhone still uses Lightning Cable
- Apple Watch uses Apple Watch Puck Cable
- iPad Air/Pro use USB-C Cable
- New (or Pre 2016) MBP Uses MagSafe Cable (Yes thankfully the new MBP can also use USB-C, but then you lose the features of MagSafe which are most important when traveling!)
? I’d much rather see fast charging innovation. Don’t care about cables if I can fully charge quickly.
While I'm not sure that one has to manage their battery quite that much, I do think wired probably is better for battery health overall. I didn't notice any issues with the X through 11, but the 12 Pro Max on Magsafe was down to 90ish% on battery health after a year. I don't know if the 1st gen 5G radio had anything to do with it, but it was definitely the worst I've had after a year. I switched back to wired charging for my 13.
They will do it using quantum mechanics and room temperature super-conductance. Either that, or quantum teleportation of charge. Of course at that point, the iPhone will just be an elegant slab of transparent glass, with stuff appearing on it and floating in it when the user thinks of something they want, because also quantum AirPods.
Agree with your points. The further reach is to enable wireless charging without contact as described...and if it does become a reality, that probably means a lot less wire and charging items needed. (think production, mining, productions etc) Less materials produced and thrown away. I'm sure may factor into the equation.
AplInc is always working on stuff. Their R&D budget is enormous. Most of their research never sees the light of day.
You‘re right it’s probably overkill but I use an app called Juice Watch with watch notifications and a complication that makes keeping within those margins a total cinch. I can easily get through a day without going above or below those limits, so for me it’s worthwhile. Especially as I plan on keeping my 12 Pro for many years ?
Is it me, or do we keep hearing about magical, "space-aged" solutions and keep getting mundane, but solid, implementations?
Every time I see the image of a charging mat where there is an iPhone, Watch and AirPods case laying on it, I question why this is being shown as a typical scenario. For anyone who owns AirPods, you know that the case doesn’t require daily charging, even if you’re wearing and using your AirPods for 12 hours a day (not a likely use-case for most people).
The Watch definitely needs to be charged daily, but for those who like me wear their Watch overnight, you’re not charging it at the same time as the iPhone. Really, for those who wear their Watch for all the health tracking it provides, the key issue with charging is how to get it done as quickly as possible. It’s not that you want to be able to nonchalantly toss it down onto a charging mat hoping that the coils properly line up and charge the Watch.
So that leaves the iPhone as the one device that needs to be re-charged daily and for the vast majority of people this happens overnight. It would be fantastic if it was possible to just set your iPhone down anywhere, such as on your nightstand, desk, or countertop and have it wirelessly charge without having to do anything. But over-the-air wireless charging isn’t yet possible, and it feels like the multi-device charging mat idea is a poor implementation of this ideal.
The Watch definitely needs to be charged daily, but for those who like me wear their Watch overnight, you’re not charging it at the same time as the iPhone. Really, for those who wear their Watch for all the health tracking it provides, the key issue with charging is how to get it done as quickly as possible. It’s not that you want to be able to nonchalantly toss it down onto a charging mat hoping that the coils properly line up and charge the Watch.
So that leaves the iPhone as the one device that needs to be re-charged daily and for the vast majority of people this happens overnight. It would be fantastic if it was possible to just set your iPhone down anywhere, such as on your nightstand, desk, or countertop and have it wirelessly charge without having to do anything. But over-the-air wireless charging isn’t yet possible, and it feels like the multi-device charging mat idea is a poor implementation of this ideal.
People here keep saying wireless charging needs to be efficient. I don't know where this argument came from, but it doesn't make any sense. It costs 0.3p (about 0.5 cent) to charge a smart phone. Charging a phone for a year costs about £1.10. ($1.60 maybe).
Efficiency on such tiny scales is not useful to a human. The power waste is negligible.
Efficiency on such tiny scales is not useful to a human. The power waste is negligible.
I already have stands around the home I place my phone on.
It's handy as it means I don't generally lose a phone
I'd be more happier with an official magnetic charge connection built into these stands.
I have a cheap tablet like this and seems a simple idea, snaps into place, and really almost as easy are wireless but without the wastage of wireless.
It's handy as it means I don't generally lose a phone
I'd be more happier with an official magnetic charge connection built into these stands.
I have a cheap tablet like this and seems a simple idea, snaps into place, and really almost as easy are wireless but without the wastage of wireless.
Is Tesla green? Mining and disposing of lithium and shifting the pollution burden to power delivery? Is not producing 100s of millions of cables green, even though wireless charging is less efficient.
Not every trade off is one for one.
Apple PowerShare?
No. Wait. Can't call it PowerShare because that's what Samsung calls their device-to-device charging function they've had for like 4 years now.
How about Apple PowerDrop? It'd be a play on AirDrop. It also describes what happens to the primary device... the amount of power it has drops. ?
What's so difficult about plugging in each device? You only need to charge your phone once a day, maybe twice. AirPods? probably once every three days. Apple Watch? just take it off at night and let it charge while you sleep.
Seriously Qi charging is a joke. It's not wireless. It's pointless, wasteful and expensive.
Seriously Qi charging is a joke. It's not wireless. It's pointless, wasteful and expensive.
Someone needs to offer a fan-out multi-charge cable with USB-C in one end, and Lighting, USB-C, and MagSafe on the others. I have one for traveling but it still uses USB-A as the main charging point.
