KGI: Apple's Own Wireless Charging Accessory Will Not Debut at Today's Event

Apple isn't prepared to debut its own first-party wireless charging accessory for the upcoming iPhones, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus are all expected to support inductive wireless charging when they are announced later today, so in the interim between the smartphones' launch and the launch of a first-party Apple wireless charging pad, users will have to purchase third-party accessories.

Apple isn't ready for the launch of its own wireless charging accessory because it has "higher requirements for wireless charger RF specifications," according to Kuo. This means that there is currently no definite timetable for the mass production of Apple's accessory, and it's unclear when such a device will launch. Apple might even be waiting for certain "technological breakthroughs" before ramping up production.

qi charging

An example of a Qi wireless charging pad

Apple’s own-brand wireless charger is not expected to debut at the media event, which we believe is primarily because Apple has higher requirements for wireless charger RF specifications, so there will be no definite mass production timetable prior to technological breakthroughs. However, the new iPhone models supports the WPC standard, so we think users will be able to purchase and use non-Apple WPC-compliant wireless chargers with the new iPhone models.

In the same report, Kuo said that Foxconn is planning to see a significant ramp-up in production on its 5.5-inch LCD iPhone assembly line, by as much as 70-80 percent. This falls in line with previous reports that said Apple plans to boost production and availability of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, while the OLED iPhone X will be particularly difficult to come by early on.

We're now just a few hours away from the official unveiling of the tenth-generation iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple TV 4K, Apple Watch Series 3, and more, all taking place at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. MacRumors will follow all of the stories and news coming out of the event today with a live blog, articles, video recap, and more. Follow our @MacRumorsLive Twitter account ahead of time to see live tweets as Apple breaks news during the event.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

'New' iPhone SE Product Listing Appears on French Website

Wednesday February 12, 2025 6:49 am PST by
As the wait continues for Apple's long-rumored, fourth-generation iPhone SE, French electronics retailer Boulanger has prematurely published a product listing for a "new" model of the iPhone SE. The placeholder page says the device is "coming soon," but it offers no further information, and the price shown is obviously not real. The listing was spotted by a reader of the French technology...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
M4 Mac mini Apple Video

Apple's Refurbished Mac Mini Pricing Has a Problem

Thursday February 13, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple this week began selling refurbished Mac mini models with the M4 chip for the first time, but this has led to a pricing conundrum. In the United States, Apple is offering a refurbished Mac mini with the base M4 chip, 256GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet for $509, down from $599 new. This is the standard 15% discount that Apple offers on refurbished Macs. The issue is...
M4 mini Glowing Blue

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished M4 Macs

Wednesday February 12, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today added MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M4 series chips to its certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland for the first time since the computers were introduced in October 2024. Some refurbished MacBook Pro models with M4 chips are also available in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and select other European countries. ...
iPhone 16 Apple Store

iPhone 17 in New Sizes This Year: What to Know

Thursday February 13, 2025 2:45 am PST by
Last year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and this year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup. Here's what we know. Standard iPhone 17 Apple could introduce a new display size for the standard iPhone 17 model in 2025. The iPhone 17 could measure in at 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches,...
Apple Ad on X

Apple Resumes Advertising on X

Wednesday February 12, 2025 2:18 pm PST by
Apple this month started advertising on X for the first time in more than a year. The company had stopped advertising on the social media platform in November 2023 following controversial remarks made by its owner Elon Musk. For example, the @Apple account is running an ad promoting Safari's privacy features. The ad was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The @AppleTV account has a...

Top Rated Comments

xalea Avatar
97 months ago
If this is true it will overshadow a lot of the news/discussion about the phone itself. How do you not have a design change for three years, with the resources of Apple, and not be able to ready your own charging station? It would be really nice if this affected some kind of leadership change at Apple as this is just a symptom of a larger problem, but I doubt if that will happen.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nik Avatar
97 months ago
It continues: Last year the AirPods weren't ready. This year it is the charger. Wasn't the CEO himself a supply chain guy? ;)
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nabeel24 Avatar
97 months ago
Feels like this launch is quite disorganized.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobob Avatar
97 months ago
Feels like this launch is quite disorganized.
That's odd - - you'd think a pixellated view cobbled together from various disconnected third-party sources would be as accurate you can get.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kabeyun Avatar
97 months ago
Feels like this launch is quite disorganized.
What's disorganized are the rumors around it. We haven't seen the launch yet.
[doublepost=1505217772][/doublepost]
That's odd - - you'd think a pixellated view from various disconnected third-party sources would be as accurate you can get.
Beat me to it. Special lol.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
97 months ago
Behind the scenes, launches are always chaos. I do think Apple is reaching technically lately to try and keep up with competition.
Or… they aren't willing to compromise, and respect safety more than Sam::BOOM::sung.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)