Wireless Charging Accessory Might Not Ship Until After New 2017 iPhones Launch

Apple's upcoming 2017 iPhone lineup is expected to include an inductive wireless charging feature enabled through a standalone charging accessory, and new information shared by Apple blogger John Gruber suggests the accessory might not ship alongside the iPhones in September.

In a tweet shared this evening, Gruber says he's heard that the inductive charging accessory will be sold separately rather than included with the iPhones, a rumor we've heard previously, and that it might be shipped later in the year alongside an iOS 11.1 update.

Gruber's wording says the charging accessory "might" be late, so the delay is not confirmed, and it is not yet clear why Apple would hold off on shipping the rumored standalone charger.

Early rumors about the OLED "iPhone 8" and its two companion devices, the "iPhone 7s" and the "iPhone 7s Plus," suggested Apple was considering a long-range charging feature, but that technology is still new and there are likely many hurdles to overcome before it's ready for inclusion in a device like the iPhone.

Instead, Apple is rumored to be introducing Apple Watch-style inductive charging, enabled through a standalone charging accessory.

qi charging

An example of a Qi wireless charging solution

In a research note published earlier this week, trusted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the three iPhones coming in 2017 will adopt glass bodies to facilitate WPC-standard wireless charging functionality. WPC-standard refers to the Wireless Power Consortium (Apple is a member), which supports the Qi wireless charging functionality built into many Android devices.

If Apple's upcoming iPhones do indeed support a universal inductive charging technology like Qi, the devices could potentially work with a range of already-available charging solutions once the wireless charging feature is enabled. Apple's exact plans for its inductive wireless charging solution remain unclear, however, and it could be limited to Apple-designed accessories.

Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

bbydon Avatar
105 months ago
This is not wireless charging, it is inductive charging and it still has wires. Stop calling it wireless.
Score: 77 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spiritbox Avatar
105 months ago
I like the idea of wireless charging on the iPhone, but don't see a huge difference in placing on a charging dock vs plugging in a charger. Either way you're still relying on a cable and have to keep your iPhone in one place. I wouldn't pay much extra for this feature.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SteveJobs2.0 Avatar
105 months ago
What exactly is there to delay the release? This technology has been around for years.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mlrollin91 Avatar
105 months ago
What exactly is there to delay the release? This technology has been around for years.
Delay the product, so the cost of the charger and cost of iPhone don't stack and seems less painful. Therefore, more people buy? lol

I bet it will be $99, look at the cost of the Apple Watch dock.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Juicy Box Avatar
105 months ago
Apple's exact plans for its inductive wireless charging solution remain unclear, however, and it could be limited to Apple-designed accessories.
With inductive charging, it still requires the devices to be placed on a charging pad, correct?

I'd rather just have it plugged in, at least you could still pick up the phone while it is charging.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ds6778 Avatar
105 months ago
Tim can't launch anything properly.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)