Apple may introduce long-range wireless charging in next year’s iPhone and iPad

The company is said to be working on the technology with its partners in the USA and Asia. The new technology would allow iPhones and iPads to be powered from further away than the charging mats used now for cordless charging of smartphones, the report said. Bloomberg says the iPhone-maker is now finding a way to prevent power loss caused by the distance between a mobile device and its charging apparatus.

Japanese newspaper Nikkei has revealed (via AI) that Apple has recently started mass production of the smaller iPhone, ahead of the official launch expected to take place in March. However, whether or not the technology will be implemented is yet to be ascertained, Bloomberg reported. However, their technology is limited within the proximity of a charging plate or mat. Apple also now uses induction wireless charging in one of its devices, the Apple Watch.

The phone, supposedly to be called the “iPhone 5SE”, will reportedly look somewhat like a cross between the iPhone 5S and 6, according to 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, citing sources.

In 2010 Apple submitted a patent application for a piece of charging tech that would employ near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) to operate over a distance of one metre.

With more than three-quarters of Apple’s revenue coming from iPhones and iPads, according to Bloomberg, improved wireless charging could boost sales in the slowing smartphone and tablet market.

Apple is supposed to still be in assessment phase and a decision to go forward with the technology has not been made.

Another Apple patent from the end of 2015 describes a charging method that allows metal transparent radio signals to pass through the iPhone’s metallic casing.