Apple is reportedly working on a wireless charging system for the iPhone, but instead of the currently available inductive systems where you set a device on a special plate, the company is looking at sending power wirelessly when our smartphones are in range of a charging point. Assuming Apple gets all the kinks worked out, we could see its wireless charging system debut on the 2017 iPhone models.
Apple working on iPhone wireless charging
According to insider sources speaking with Bloomberg, Apple is working with partners in the U.S. and Asia on the project. They're working on ways to prevent power loss over distance, which is a big barrier to moving away from inductive charging plates.
Inductive charging systems create an electromagnetic field through a charging plate that sends power wirelessly through an inductive coupler in the device being charged. Mobee's Magic Charger is a perfect example: it replaces the batteries in your Magic Mouse with an inductive coupler battery pack that charges when you set it on a USB-powered base plate.
Apple is looking at near field magnetic resonance technology that, in theory, will charge iPhones when they're near the charging point without any need to set the phone on a base plate.
Apple could build the charger point into Macs so your iPhone charges whenever you sit down at your computer. That same charger point could also power accessories, like bluetooth keyboards and mice.
The technology is still in the development phase, so there's no guarantee we'll see it in iPhones any time soon despite Apple's push for a 2017 introduction.