14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 7 in September with a series of improvements, including dual camera support, but the company is also thinking long term and planning upgrades that might become available on next year’s model.
A report by Bloomberg and citing people familiar with the company’s plans reveals that Apple is looking into ways to introduce wireless charging on the iPhone, and several partners in the United States and Asia are currently discussing the development of such technologies.
According to these sources, Apple could bring wireless charging on the iPhone as soon as 2017, which means that the iPhone 7S could be the very first model to get it.
Of course, at first glance, launching wireless charging support on a 2017 device sounds pretty awkward, especially for a company the size of Apple. At this point, there are already plenty of devices that feature such functionality, so it might seem like Apple is very late to this party with a 2017 model.
“Innovative” wireless charging support
But the chief executives of the Cupertino-based firm are very aware of this and are actually planning to launch an improved version of wireless charging that would exclusively be available on the iPhone.
For the moment, the only thing we know is that Apple wants this technology to recharge your iPhone even if the device is not placed on a traditional plate. This means that, no matter the distance between the iPhone and the charging mat, the device would charge anyway, but the efficiency of the process would increase as you get the phone closer to the source of power.
In other words, you might soon be able to charge the iPhone by simply placing it on your desk, compared to existing systems that require devices to sit on a special mat.
Obviously, Apple hasn’t said anything about such plans, so take this with a pinch of salt for now.