Will the iPhone 6 have wireless charging?

[Klae17]

The iQi charging base is a textbook example of what's wrong with wireless charging.

The charging base is a 70mm x 11mm disc. It receives power from a Lightning cable. That means you could just plug the Lightning cable directly into the phone and save yourself the cost, weight and bulk of the disc.

For larger items (iPad, iPad mini), you will have a wobblier setup. You'd really need a bigger charging ring for stability, but that adds bulk and weight, not something you'd want to schlepp along on a trip.

No matter what, it appears the charging disc would have difficulty making good contact if the iDevice is not horizontal, meaning you couldn't charge vertically, upside down, etc. without some fussing with the charging disc. By contract, a Lighting cable really doesn't care about what orientation is it.

Also, you really can't actively use the device while charging.

Worse are charging mats. Big pieces of desktop real estate taken away by a charging mat that you have to carry around and still require wired power.

Note that I have no problem with wireless charging technology per se. I have used rechargeable electric toothbrushes for about a decade, but then again, electric toothbrushes are left on bathroom counters most of the time.

Everything that is retarded about smartphone wireless charging is exemplified by the iQi charging disc.

It's not like you can't use the charger cable also. And if you don't like it don't buy the iMat.

 

[mappyman]

I'm curious. Is .5mm a real number? I'm not familiar with what would be in the phone.

To play devil's advocate, Apple has got into this whole size thing so instead of a comfortable phone it's getting thinner. They made great announcements on how much smaller the 5s is using percentages. So... .5mm is 6.6% of the 5s' 7.6mm thickness. Apple is not going to announce the iPhone 6 is 6.6% thicker.

The .5mm is just the thickness of an external receiver coil that can be bought for Samsung S4s.

If apple did incorporate Qi they could make it seamlessly integrate into the back without any added bulk because all it is a simple coil and a chip so it would be 0% thicker.