In order to prevent that awkward moment when you’re too lazy to reach for the cable, Apple is reportedly working with U.S. and Asian partners to develop wireless charging technology — which could be implemented in its devices as early as 2017.
According to sources for Bloomberg Business, Apple is currently researching brand-new technologies that will allow iDevices to be powered from a much greater distance than that of readily available wireless charging mats.
Don’t go thinking you can charge your stuff while on the other side of the globe, however. The report notes that the speed of the power transfer will decrease “as the distance between transmitter and receiver grows.”
This basically means that the battery will take quite a while to recharge. The actual process of wireless charging involves electricity being converted into an electromagnetic field, transferred to the device and then converted back. This process alone will hamper charge time, and long distances will all but kill it.
Thankfully, Apple will be trying to rectify this, with the company looking to overcome problems like loss of power over distance.
Perhaps Apple could take a leaf out of Tesla’s book — if you think your iPhone charges slowly, wait until you see how long it takes to charge an electric car.
In other cable-free Apple news, a recent New York bill could mean the manufacturer will have to compromise the security of your device — best delete that drunken Christmas video of yourself ASAP.