Wireless charging devices, either via a magnetic induction pad or by using resonance charging, are going to become just as familiar as cases in the upcoming years. Some devices, like the Nokia Lumia 920, a Windows 8 smartphone, features built-in wireless charging which gets rid of all the wires. As a matter of fact, by now products from 120 companies have been certified as being compatible with wireless charging technology and the only questions remains is Apple going to release an iPhone 5 with built-in wireless charging?
It’s become obvious that Apple is either focusing on releasing a whole new and exciting mobile technology or it is just not able any longer to keep up with competition. It has missed a few first-time technologies, whereas competitors have become all the more visible in a market where just two years ago Apple was the standard. The wireless charging capacity is just the latest to make the list of missed opportunities.
Ken Dulaney, analyst with Gartner, told Computerworld.com that Apple is betting too much solely on brand popularity, and they risk doing the same with wireless charging as they did with micro USB connectivity. “Apple is not always first to technology. I am not therefore surprised. Google and Nokia/Microsoft have been shown to be far more aggressive” in terms of innovative technology releases. While differentiating a brand is a good way of drawing attention it’s also the kind of strategy that pushes consumers even further away.
As for wireless charging or the Qi technology, although there are today 8.5 million such devices sold worldwide, Apple doesn’t seem to be supportive of that. “This means that as Apple falls behind in a number of technical areas there will still be value propositions for the other platforms to offer. This is a good thing. It gives us choice and competition” the Gartner analyst concludes.
But just a few days ago, a report via the DigiTimes reads that Apple is actually considering the release of an iPhone 6 with built-in wireless conductive charging. Apparently, unnamed sources told the website “Apple is likely to adopt the wireless charging technology developed internally, but it remains unknown if the next-generation iPhone will come with built-in wireless charging capability or with other attached accessories”.
In the meanwhile, while you’re waiting for yet another of the numerous Apple rumors to be confirmed, you can put your iPhone 5 in a battery case that comes with a wireless charging mat. The product is called Duracell Powermat PowerSnap Kit and it costs $99. We’ve reviewed it too and we recommend you get the whole kit and not buy items individually to get the most of your buck’s worth.
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