Will the next iPhone have wireless charging?
One of the bigger downfalls in our increasingly Connected Society when it comes to mobile connectivity is battery life as in making sure you have enough to keep the device powered and running. No juice in the battery means you have a brick in your hand that won’t communicate, message, shop, transact or take photos. Concern over battery life is a significant issue –
”According to the survey of more than 2,000 consumers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, 75% say they have smartphone “battery anxiety” at least once a week (36% said they experience it once a day).” We ourselves have numerous charging plugs and cables in and around our homes, cars, bags and wherever we think we may need one so as not to be caught short on battery power.
To us this screams of a pain point and one that wireless charging would help solve. Starbucks teamed with Duracell Powermat to bring test wireless charging via dongles and we have to say we loved it, when we could get a dongle. Often times many of them were pocketed, especially for the iPhone.
Despite the popular notion that it actually develops disruptive technology, Apple is really a very smart assembler of technologies incorporating them at the right tipping point of consumer desire and technological availability. Given the growing interest (see below), perhaps the next iteration of the iPhone will include it as well as an OLED screen, and a few other new whiz bangs. The inner road warrior in us would love to cut down the number of charging cords and plugs.
Apple are you listening?
According to a survey on behalf of the Wireless Power Consortium, nearly 90% of consumers who have not yet tried wireless charging are intrigued by its possibilities. Just over three-quarters said they would use wireless charging if it were built into their smartphones.“It’s surprising how much folks like wireless charging,” John Perzow, vice president of market development for WPC, tells Marketing Daily. “It seems like it would be a nice convenience, but they really like it a lot.
”According to the survey of more than 2,000 consumers in the U.S., Europe and Asia, 75% say they have smartphone “battery anxiety” at least once a week (36% said they experience it once a day). Nearly 70% of those consumers believed having access to a wireless charging accessory — such as placement in cars, stores and public areas — would reduce their anxiety levels.
“If wireless charging is dispersed along your daily journey, on your nightstand, in your car, or at work, to keep your battery topped up, that is how [adoption] works,” Perzow says. “That is what people discover on their own, that they can keep their battery charged all day.”Among respondents who had used wireless charging, 90% said it was appealing. Nearly half of them (49%) purchased more than one wireless charging product after using wireless charging accessories (15% had purchased three or more).
