• Home
  • Trends
  • Company News
  • Product News
  • Fashion
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • April 18, 2021

Wearable Tech Insider

The Inside Word on Wearables and Wearable Technology

You are here: Home / General News / Apple Joins Wireless Power Consortium, but Don’t Jump to iPhone Conclusions

Apple Joins Wireless Power Consortium, but Don’t Jump to iPhone Conclusions

February 13, 2017 By Dan Rosenbaum

Apple-Watch-Fitness9to5Mac noticed today that Apple has joined the Wireless Power Consortium, which controls the Qi standard, and promptly jumped to the conclusion that the next iPhone will feature wireless charging. We’re not all that interested in iPhones around here — at least, not to cover them — but there may be both more and less here than meets the eye.

The Apple Watch uses inductive wireless charging that’s “Qi-like” but not quite Qi; the difference, we’re told by people in a position to know, is that the charging coils that the Watch uses are not quite standard Qi sizes. Apple’s joining the WPC is one possible way to get a vote that would make the Watch’s chargers part of the standard, opening it up to third parties.

What’s maybe a little odd about Apple’s embracing Qi is that the AirPods wireless earphones (which are of interest to us here) are incredibly badly suited for Qi — no large flat surfaces for induction coils — but may work just fine for resonant wireless charging of the sort that Qi rival AirFuel Alliance uses. So keep an eye out to see if Apple embraces AirFuel, too.

(In fact, AirFuel put out a statement today welcoming Apple to the world of wireless charging, forgetting that it’s already been there for a year or so already.

For the next iPhone to use Qi charging, it will have to have a perfectly flat back, like Samsung’s Galaxy S7s. As leaks and supposed prototypes get passed around, keep that in mind: a curved back and wireless charging are counter-features. You can’t have both unless you change the laws of physics.

 

Last updated by Dan Rosenbaum on February 13, 2017.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: Company News, General News, Trends Tagged With: airfuel, qi, wireless charging, wpc

← First Reviews of Android Wear 2.0 Don’t Set the World on Fire Withings Brand to Vanish as Nokia Takes Over →

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe now to the Wearable Tech Insider's weekly news blast. You'll get links to the top half-dozen stories in the world of wearable tech, optimized for quick reading. It's the best way to read the Wearable Tech Insider; it's free and you can change your mind any time. And, of course, we'll never sell your name or e-mail address...

Search This Site

Recent Posts

New Use Case for Apple Watch: Red Sox Stealing Signs

Fossil Debuts Two Android Wear Smartwatches

Garmin Shows Three New Fitness Bands at IFA

Fitbit Ionic: Minimal Acceptable Product?

Intel (Finally) Ditches Wearables for AR

Don’t Believe Everything You Read: Wearables Are Far From Dead

Eyes F.lashing Before Your Life

Smarty Pants: Nadi X Yoga Leggings

Rings: How Smart Can They Be?

Upskill Closes Series B Financing, But Won’t Say How Much

Stories from Health Tech Insider

  • Sticker Detects Cystic Fibrosis from a Baby’s Sweat [video]
  • Free Power from a Flexible Patch
  • Non-Contact Vital Signs Monitoring System Now Has FDA Clearance
  • Digital Health Packages Help Chronic Patients Make Lifestyle Changes
  • This Exoskeleton Knee-Brace Made Us Break The Rules [video]
  • For Facebook’s Neural Interface, It’s All in the Wrist [video]

Topics

2013 android android wear apple apple watch apx labs basis battery CES ces2016 CES2017 epson finance fitbit fitness fossil fuelband garmin gear glass google healthkit intel iWatch jawbone LG market research microsoft misfit MWC15 nfc nike omate omsignal pebble recon samsung smartwatch sony sports tizen vuzix withings wristware wristwear

Sign up for Wearable Tech Insider

First name
Last name
* = required field

powered by MailChimp!

Subscribe now to the Wearable Tech Insider's weekly news blast. You'll get links to the top half-dozen stories in the world of wearable tech, optimized for quick reading. It's the best way to read the Wearable Tech Insider; it's free and you can change your mind any time. And, of course, we'll never sell your name or e-mail address...

Made in New York
Wearable Tech Insider is proud to be Made in NY.

All text © 2015 Center Ring Media

Privacy Policy

Center Ring Media Sites

Wearable Tech Insider
Seniortech Insider
Health Tech Insider

Copyright 2016 Center Ring Media | Site by JRMC

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.