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All Three New 2017 iPhones To Feature Wireless Charging, Says Analyst (macrumors.com) 143

Posted by BeauHD from the no-wires-attached dept.
In late October, Nikkei Asian Review released a report claiming Foxconn was testing wireless charging modules for the iPhone 8. Another report has surfaced recently that further reinforces those claims. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo now claims that all three new iPhones expected to launch later this year will feature wireless charging. MacRumors reports: Kuo said wireless charging increases the internal temperature of smartphones, so he expects the rumored iPhone 8 with an OLED display and glass casing to have a new 3D Touch module with "additional graphite sheet lamination" in order to prevent the device from malfunctioning due to overheating. An excerpt from Kuo's research note obtained by MacRumors: "While we don't expect general users to notice any difference, lamination of an additional graphite sheet is needed for better thermal control and, thus, steady operation; this is because FPCB is replaced with film, which is more sensitive to temperature change of the 3D touch sensor in OLED iPhone." The new 3D Touch module could be up to $5 more expensive for Apple to procure per phone. While that is a minimal increase, it lends further credence to a report claiming the high-end iPhone 8 could cost upwards of $1,000 in the United States due to a significant redesign and the use of premium parts.
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All Three New 2017 iPhones To Feature Wireless Charging, Says Analyst More

All Three New 2017 iPhones To Feature Wireless Charging, Says Analyst

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  • The iPhone isn't the in thing it once was. I'm surprised to see them making it dramatically more expensive.

    Let's see if it pays off.

    Wireless charging is the next step toward eliminating the charging port. I've been using wireless charging for about 4 years now and I've only ever plugged in to upload music. I'd guess most people don't even do that.

    • I take it you don't play many games on your phone?

      Some of the games will eat an iPhones battery in 3 hours. So if you sit down of an evening after a full days work then you may only have 30 minutes of play time on the phone. So people plug in. You can't do that with wireless charging.

      Think about how many millions of those battery packs have been sold. That is so people can charge on the move.

      • Those battery packs are sold so people can play Pokemon Go for more than a half hour. Grrr...

      • It doesn't have to be wireless only. My wife's Galaxy S6 supports Qi wireless or micro usb. Plug in or set it down. User's choice.

        There will still be a lightning connector or equivalent on the new iPhone just like there is now. You will still need usb connectivity. On a side note, I added Qi charging to my iPhone 6 with a $15 case that has a lightning port plug on the bottom and a coil and magnet embedded in the back.

        I LOVE being able to plop my phone down on my desk charger, bringing up my podca

        • Agreed completely. I have an LG G4 which you can add wireless charging to for a $5 sticker that goes inside the back of the case. I use a wireless pad on my desk to keep my phone topped up during the day.

          My Comment was referring to this part of the OP's comment "Wireless charging is the next step toward eliminating the charging port. I've been using wireless charging for about 4 years now and I've only ever plugged in to upload music. I'd guess most people don't even do that."

        • It doesn't have to be wireless only.

          Not immediately. But sooner or later some beancounter will spot that waste and remove it.

      • I take it you don't play many games on your phone?

        Some of the games will eat an iPhones battery in 3 hours. So if you sit down of an evening after a full days work then you may only have 30 minutes of play time on the phone. So people plug in. You can't do that with wireless charging.

        Think about how many millions of those battery packs have been sold. That is so people can charge on the move.

        Games on your phone. Best post all day. I can't use my phone as fishing bait either.

  • I don't think that word means what you think it means... No plug in the phone maybe, but wireless?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mark-t ( 151149 )
      The term is apt. It refers to charging via induction, and no conductive wires are necessary to run from the charger to the device.

      • When I was a kid in the early 1970s we had an electric toothbrush that charged via induction.

        • Ain't that how electric toothbrushes even today charge - the ones that don't come w/ a battery, but instead w/ a charging stand? I have one from Braun

          • Definitely. The same technology. Basically an iron core transformer where the secondary winding is in the toothpaste handle.

            It was pretty cool in the 70's, but the only innovate thing, even back then, was the rechargeable battery.

  • Android phones: this is our new feature... This is our new phone. Ios: this is our new feature, we remove these features, we force you those patches. 6 months of analysts' articles, journalists' articles, thousands of comments and a lot of wasted time apple releases a 2 or 3 year old feature in one of the most ezpensive phones out there.

    • iOS: this is our new iOS update. It will nerf your older iPhone. Don't get nervous, it will still be able to make phone calls and receive email.

      Look at the great stuff you'll be able to do with your new iPhone!!!

  • Finally an iPhone that is better a Google phone. (Score:3)

    by ukoda ( 537183 ) on Thursday February 09, 2017 @08:38PM (#53836417) Homepage
    The Nexus 4 had QI wireless charging a few years ago but the Nexus 6 was the last Google phone to have it. I have refused to buy a Nexus 6P or Pixel due to the lack of wireless charging. If Apple introduces wireless charging they will, for the first time, be making a phone that I consider technically better than Google's offering. It would not be enough to get me to change to closed Apple eco system but may sway others.

    I note the linked articles make no indication of what wireless standard they will use. Given that QI is used by almost everyone I would hope that is the standard they will follow, but Apple, being Apple, will probably see the need to introduce a new incompatible standard. I hope I am wrong about that,
    • Of course, you will just need a dongle and white gold Android-to-iPhone-converter-inductor-plate for $69.99 -- except for the the black Qi chargers, they wont work at all.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by kqs ( 1038910 )

      I note the linked articles make no indication of what wireless standard they will use. Given that QI is used by almost everyone I would hope that is the standard they will follow, but Apple, being Apple, will probably see the need to introduce a new incompatible standard. I hope I am wrong about that,

      I've owned a number of Qi devices, and while I love wireless charging, Qi is too limited. Too slow, placement is too precise, distance is too small (even a thin case slowed charging). I'm using a USB-c Nexus now; less convenient but fast charging and a plug which doesn't just piss you off.

      I really hope that Apple goes with a far better charging system, something that gives you at least a few inches distance (better would be a few feet, maybe with beamforming?) and speed to match USB-c charging. If so, th

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ukoda ( 537183 )
        You are right about the placement. I have couple of nicer chargers that have multi coil designs and are angled so the phone naturally falls to good position. This works well, even thru a thick leather cover. Charging is slow but as I have charging pads scattered everywhere I never have a flat battery.

        That said the Type-C USB is a huge improvement. I have it on my laptop and think it is great step up from all other USB connectors.

        • You are right about the placement. I have couple of nicer chargers that have multi coil designs and are angled so the phone naturally falls to good position. This works well, even thru a thick leather cover. Charging is slow but as I have charging pads scattered everywhere I never have a flat battery. That said the Type-C USB is a huge improvement. I have it on my laptop and think it is great step up from all other USB connectors.

          What kind of crap devices do you have that you have to have "charging pads scattered everywhere"?

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by ukoda ( 537183 )
            My wife and I currently have the Nexus 6. Before that it was the Nexus 5 and before that the Nexus 4, my first QI device. What is wrong with having charging pads everywhere? They are cheap and almost every place I work/relax has one. Why not?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Better chargers fix all this stuff. Charging up to 1A is no problem, and the spec now allows much higher charge rates. As for placement issues, if you get a charger with a movable coil it will self-align, and other types can have aids to help alignment like magnets or multiple coils.

        For me Qi works really well, but then again I didn't buy the cheapest chargers off eBay either. I have Panasonic and LG chargers and they both work really well.

        For once I'm happy about something Apple might be doing, if it encou

      • I note the linked articles make no indication of what wireless standard they will use. Given that QI is used by almost everyone I would hope that is the standard they will follow, but Apple, being Apple, will probably see the need to introduce a new incompatible standard. I hope I am wrong about that,

        I've owned a number of Qi devices, and while I love wireless charging, Qi is too limited. Too slow, placement is too precise, distance is too small (even a thin case slowed charging). I'm using a USB-c Nexus now; less convenient but fast charging and a plug which doesn't just piss you off.

        I really hope that Apple goes with a far better charging system, something that gives you at least a few inches distance (better would be a few feet, maybe with beamforming?) and speed to match USB-c charging. If so, then other phones will get that too within a year and I'll be much happier.

        You people who have the Nikolai Tesla-inspired dreams of "wireless power" simply do not understand the Inverse-Square law. Look it up sometime, and you'll understand why "a few feet" for transmission of real POWER is very impractical.

    • Why such a feature is so important to you? It's not even true wireless charging, more like inductance charging (there IS a wire after all, just not in your phone)

      Also, there must be a loss of energy in the conversion, making "wireless" charging inefficient and more expensive than regular charging, but i can't prove this.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ukoda ( 537183 )
        Because it is a wireless device. Wireless voice communications. Wireless data communications. Plugging in a cable to charge is a PIA. Before USB Type-C there was a 50% change the cable was the wrong way up and in low light you can't see which was is correct. You have to make conscious effort to charge it. With wireless charging you never have to actually think about the need to charge, you put the phone down and when you pick it up it is ready to go. Since my first QI device, a Nexus 4, I have never

    • The Nexus 4 had QI wireless charging a few years ago but the Nexus 6 was the last Google phone to have it. I have refused to buy a Nexus 6P or Pixel due to the lack of wireless charging. If Apple introduces wireless charging they will, for the first time, be making a phone that I consider technically better than Google's offering. It would not be enough to get me to change to closed Apple eco system but may sway others. I note the linked articles make no indication of what wireless standard they will use. Given that QI is used by almost everyone I would hope that is the standard they will follow, but Apple, being Apple, will probably see the need to introduce a new incompatible standard. I hope I am wrong about that,

      I hope you're wrong. Fortunately, you probably are.

      Qi is horseshit of the first order. I really hope Apple doesn't adopt it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ukoda ( 537183 )
        QI is usable but certainly could be improved a lot as with the cheaper chargers and a thick phone case you do need to put the phone down in the right spot +/- ~5mm. They really need an improved standard that is backwards compatible with the existing standard but is less critical to alignment and spacing. If Apple do go their own way it would be nice if they support such backwards compatibility with existing QI devices ,

  • 2 questions (Score:3)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Thursday February 09, 2017 @08:49PM (#53836493)

    First, who wants that? Wireless charging is actually incredibly inconvenient under most circumstances. First, you can't use the phone sensibly while it's charging. Yes, you can pick up the phone and interrupt the charging to use it, but that does just that: It interrupts the charging process and drains the battery, increasing the time considerably that the phone spends on the charger, which is already longer than it would remain plugged in in the first place. Then, taking that charger with you to use it, e.g. at work or at a friend's place, is inconvenient to say the least. With the standardization of power adapters in phones today (ok, not with Apple, I know, but with pretty much any other phone), I don't even have to take my charger with me at all, it's near impossible that there isn't one where I am going to go. I would not count on that with this charging system.

    And second question, does that mean Apple now plans to get rid of the power (plus whatever else) socket, too? Because then the aforementioned problem would sure be more than just a nuisance which could be avoided by simply using a normal data/power cord to charge them.

    • First, who wants that? Wireless charging is actually incredibly inconvenient under most circumstances. First, you can't use the phone sensibly while it's charging.

      Yeah, but you get to buy all new charging doohickeys and maybe a new dongle or two. It's a win-win, my friend! Courage!

    • This point exactly. I get a pretty good life out of my iPhone 7, and usually just charge it overnight. During the day, if I'm not using it, I leave it charged. If I need to use it, I just unplug it normally and plug it back when done. In the car, if for any reason I needed to use it, I'd keep it plugged in charged. While I could use it as an iPad, I don't. Nor do I use it to navigate - I have my car GPS. I use this phone mainly for FaceTime/WhatsApp

      Your second point is an interesting one. As i

    • And second question, does that mean Apple now plans to get rid of the power (plus whatever else) socket, too?

      It makes no sense to do so; there are a ton of accessories that rely on a socket. So if wireless charging is addd, a socket will still be there... which makes your first question moot since anyone who doesn't want wireless charging will continue to use cords (that attach to the phone).

      I personally feel the same way as you about the dubious benefit that wireless charging brings. But I just wont use

      • Sorry, but that argument "So many accessories need it" doesn't mean jack shit with Apple. Phone jack, anyone?

        • Sorry, but that argument "So many accessories need it" doesn't mean jack shit with Apple. Phone jack, anyone?

          Sorry (not really), but that is a stupid argument. The entire functionality of the headphone jack is redundant with the power jack. Furthermore, while the lighting jack can do a large number of things (external battery pack, speaker connector, USB connector, etc) the headphone jack could do one thing - audio in/out (with Stripe being a hack on top of that one thing).

          If you got rid of the lightning

          • I'd suggest we simply sit and wait how it plays out.

          • Removing the headphone jack makes it a less convenient solution for listening to music in the car on long journeys via the aux, unless you think I should upgrade my car stereo just because Apple have made a bad decision. I'll stick with my 6s until they either reverse the decision or stop supporting it.

            • Removing the headphone jack makes it a less convenient solution for listening to music in the car on long journeys via the aux

              Almost all cars sold for quite some time now have a USB port, why not play music through that? It's what I have done in my cars long before the iPhone 7.

              But if not, why not USE THE AUIDIO CABLE ADAPTOR shipping with every iPhone?

              If you say your car is 30 years old and you need an audio port and charging port at the same time use any one of a billion + four solutions now on the marke

    • A fuck load of us want that and use it already. I have a wireless charger on both my work desks and one next to my bedside. anytime I am not actively playing with the phone I can drop it onto a charger with fiddling around with cables.

    • Me. I want it. Wireless charging is no where near as inconvenient as plugging and unplugging cables constantly, or better still in the dark. I'm not sure why you would want to use the phone "sensibly while charging" but right now if I pick it up it's going to get unplugged so I can hold it to my ear.

      Also if you're taking your chargers with you, you're doing it wrong. Not to mention you'll get some strange looks if you drag you IKEA bed-side table to your friend's house instead of just a cable. ... You do re

  • Seriously?? (Score:4)

    by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Thursday February 09, 2017 @09:10PM (#53836629) Journal

    "...the high-end iPhone 8 could cost upwards of $1,000"

    A thousand bucks for a phone? Ha ha ha ha ha ha...no. I'm not gonna spend that much on a phone even if it comes with a blowjob attachment.

    Also, won't this graphite sheet add ~0.00001mm of thickness to the phone? How will Apple users ever manage to put up with this outrageous increase in thickness? Won't someone please think of the Apple users?

  • Anal(c)yst says something... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    And tries to effect stock prices... Now we can all celebrate at this rare event.
  • Remove the charging port, then.

  • The biggest issue I have with wireless charging is that with a wired cable you're limited to plugging your phone into a cable which is plugged into a wall socket about 1-2m away. With wireless charging you're limited to putting your phone into a dock which has a cable which is plugged into a wall socket about 1-2m away.

    As an added bonus, it charges much slower and costs about 12x more than a simple cable (even Lightning ones, provided you don't buy from Apple).

    Unless someone can come up with a way to make

  • jacking up the retail price for that model by what, $300-$400, right? Retail launch price of a new iPhone is six or seven hundred bucks, and the one that costs $5 more to make is going to retail for $1000+. Totally reasonable, I know, but I also know there's at least one guy out there who thinks Apple should use the new component across the model line and just eat the $5 instead of pretending that this is the only time that there's "a significant redesign and the use of premium parts."

    Unless I totally m

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by b0bby ( 201198 )

      I did see another article which was outlining some of the other expected improvements, mostly a bezel-less OLED screen. The speculation was that they wanted to make the 10th anniversary release pretty impressive.

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