Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Acquires Wireless Charging Company PowerbyProxi
Apple recently purchased PowerbyProxi, a company that designs wireless power solutions, reports New Zealand website Stuff. Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering Dan Riccio told Stuff that the PowerbyProxi team will be a "great addition as Apple works to create a wireless future."
"We want to bring truly effortless charging to more places and more customers around the world," Riccio added.
PowerbyProxi was founded in 2007 to develop wireless charging technology that lets people charge smartphones and other devices without requiring a cord. PowerbyProxi has developed the Proxi-Module, a modular wireless power system that can adapt and integrate into a wide variety of products and situations, delivering up to 100 watts of power to devices like drones and robots.
The Proxi-Module, which features a modular, waterproof design that lets it adapt to a range of use cases, is said to offer the highest power density of any solution on the market with an end to end efficiency of 91 percent, offering "unprecedented performance" with reduced power and heat losses.
PowerbyProxi has also been working on the development of the Wireless Power Consortium's future Qi wireless charging standard and has received accolades and funding for its work. Apple is also a member of the Wireless Power Consortium as of February 2017.
In a statement, PowerbyProxi founder Fady Mishriki said his team is "thrilled" to be joining Apple.
Apple is already developing its own wireless charging mat that can charge the iPhone, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods at the same time, and with the addition of PowerbyProxi, Apple could expand into a range of other charging accessories for both home and retail use.
It's not clear how much Apple paid to purchase PowerbyProxi, nor did Dan Riccio elaborate on how the PowerbyProxi technology will be used by Apple in the future.
"We want to bring truly effortless charging to more places and more customers around the world," Riccio added.
PowerbyProxi was founded in 2007 to develop wireless charging technology that lets people charge smartphones and other devices without requiring a cord. PowerbyProxi has developed the Proxi-Module, a modular wireless power system that can adapt and integrate into a wide variety of products and situations, delivering up to 100 watts of power to devices like drones and robots.
The Proxi-Module, which features a modular, waterproof design that lets it adapt to a range of use cases, is said to offer the highest power density of any solution on the market with an end to end efficiency of 91 percent, offering "unprecedented performance" with reduced power and heat losses.
PowerbyProxi has also been working on the development of the Wireless Power Consortium's future Qi wireless charging standard and has received accolades and funding for its work. Apple is also a member of the Wireless Power Consortium as of February 2017.
In a statement, PowerbyProxi founder Fady Mishriki said his team is "thrilled" to be joining Apple.
"The team and I are thrilled to join Apple. There is tremendous alignment with our values, and we are excited to continue our growth in Auckland and contribute to the great innovation in wireless charging coming out of New Zealand."Apple in September unveiled the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, and all three new devices are equipped with Qi-based wireless charging capabilities that allow them to charge from Qi-certified wireless chargers.
Apple is already developing its own wireless charging mat that can charge the iPhone, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods at the same time, and with the addition of PowerbyProxi, Apple could expand into a range of other charging accessories for both home and retail use.
It's not clear how much Apple paid to purchase PowerbyProxi, nor did Dan Riccio elaborate on how the PowerbyProxi technology will be used by Apple in the future.
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24 months ago
No I don't surpose the fact they were 1st is important to your argument.
Why in the flying **** do I care if some random tablet had the technology first? I don't/didn't use it so I couldn't care less m8. My iPhone uses it, so I can use it, so I care.
24 months ago
That sound you hear is the scrape of the chair leg as Energous kicks it out from underneath itself. Or it could be the sizzle of the plugged in toaster as they drop it in the tub filled with water... an them. Either way, they're going to need to name that mysterious big customer or stop blowing smoke up investor's butts.
24 months ago
I really dont get why folk are going ape **** over wireless charging
My Nexus tablet https://m.androidcentral.com/new-nexus-7-wireless-charging-feature had the feature 4 years ago in 2013.
24 months ago
If anyone is wondering why Apple acquired this company, wonder no more. Say hello to the creator of the AirPower mat.
PowerbyProxi's from CES 2013. See anything that looks familiar?:)
[MEDIA=youtube]9uQUgq5k6N8[/MEDIA]
PowerbyProxi's from CES 2013. See anything that looks familiar?:)
[MEDIA=youtube]9uQUgq5k6N8[/MEDIA]
24 months ago
Strange how this didn't come under the category of "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans..." that we normally hear from Apple reps...
24 months ago
I really dont get why folk are going ape **** over wireless charging
My Nexus tablet https://m.androidcentral.com/new-nexus-7-wireless-charging-feature had the feature 4 years ago in 2013.
The main reason its interesting is the Apple effect. The industry tends to pivot on what Apple does. Many of the android journalists are excited for wireless charging for exactly this reason.
Wireless charging has been around for a while but its not particularly useful in its current form at home. Its slower than a fast charge and not much more convenient than plugging in. However, now apple are rolling it out they will be pushing to get it into restaurants, bars, airports, cars etc. Widespread adoption like that could indeed be useful.
Also this particular article shows 100w wireless charging from a company showing great safety features which could overcome the fast charge restriction.
24 months ago
I have zero interest in wireless charging mats (and I own an iPhone 8+). Let me know when we have true short range wireless charging. If I have to plug in a mat, I may as well just plug in the phone instead.
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