Apple wireless charging patent hints at cable-less future

It may be a way off but Apple could be planning a wireless charging future for future products

Apple has held off on introducing wireless charging to its kit – but it could be planning to do away with wires, assuming a patent filed in May of 2010 turns out to be more than just a pipedream.

The patent above deals with the technology of wirelessly charging gadgets within a ‘local computing environment’ – that means your mouse, keyboard and perhaps any other Apple products you have within a metre range. Basically, a power supply with near field magnetic resonance (NFMR) emits electrical current that can be utilised by devices that have a NFMR resonator built in.

As with any patent, this could just be Apple safe-guarding a technological avenue should it decide to take wireless charging seriously at a later date – which it may well do if the alternative system found in theNokia Lumia 920andGoogle Nexus 4takes off. It could also, of course, be a mark of things to come. Maybe the iPhone 6 will do away with wires altogether? We can only dream.

[USPTOviaWired]

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Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. 

Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge.

Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones.

He’s also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home