Apple has joined the Wireless Power Consortium, hinting that the upcoming “iPhone 8” will indeed support wireless charging, at least on some models. The WPC is a group that includes makers of mobile phones, consumer electronics, batteries, semiconductors, components, wireless power technology and infrastructure such as wireless operators, furniture and automotive parts.
The WPC and its 200-plus members work to make Qi an industry standard. It’s already in 200-plus million products. Qi charges or powers an array of devices, from smartphones to cordless kitchen appliances and combines induction and resonance technologies
“The world market for wireless charging is expected to exceed 350 million enabled receiver units shipped in 2017,” says Vicky Yussuff, analyst at IHS Technology. “To date, this volume has largely been driven through the backing of wireless charging by Samsung. However, many in the industry have been cautious to move forwards until they knew the direction for any wireless charging on iPhone devices. Although shipments of wireless charging devices grew by 40% in 2016, the continued absence of the iPhone and the continued wait for the launch of magnetically resonant devices meant shipments were lower than expected for 2016 overall.”
