Apple forecasts a weak iPhone demand for FY2016. But the Cupertino company could bring a revolutionary new technology with the iPhone 7 that would significantly boost sales. A startup called Energous has partnered with Apple to bring its long-distance wireless charging technology WattUp to the future iPhones. Though neither company has officially confirmed the partnership, Disruptive Tech Research analyst Louis Basenese says Energous is most likely to have joined hands with Apple.
Apple secures exclusive right to WattUp
Existing wireless charging technologies such as Qi require the device to be placed on a charging pad to charge the battery. It is nowhere as exciting as a technology that will let you charge your device from up to a distance of 15 feet. According to the New York Post, Apple has exclusive rights to the technology. Energous uses a two-part system to charge any device wirelessly from a long distance.
The first part is a WattUp receiver chip that can be added inside a device. The chip is so small that it would not affect the size of the iPhone 7. The second part is a transmitter that can be placed anywhere in the room. If you place the transmitter in your bedroom, it will charge your iPhone all night or in the morning while you get dressed for the office. You can buy multiple transmitters: one for the office, one for the living room, so on. Apple could sell multiple transmitters to WattUp chip-enabled iPhone users.
iPhone 7 won’t be the only product to use WattUp technology
Energous had previously said that it would commercially launch its product in 2016 or 2017. If Apple has secured an exclusive deal with Energous, the iPhone 7 won’t be the only product to get the WattUp wireless charging technology. Earlier this week, ET News reported that Apple would use electro-magnetic interference (EMI) shielding technology on individual chips to boost performance and reduce the thickness of the device.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are widely expected to arrive in September 2016. The devices will get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack, the antenna band, and the protruding rear camera. The new iPhones are said to feature a dual-camera system to improve image quality.
