Thursday, 28 April 2011


Wireless Charging For the iPhone 5 May Lead To Poor Battery Performance


New rumors suggest that wireless charging could be coming to the iPhone5. But is wireless “inductive charging” a reliable enough technology for the next iPhone?
Scan the recent iPhone 5 rumor mill news and you’ll see some new reports indicating thatApple has a few compelling patents on file that lead tech pundits to believe that the iPhone 5 could possibly feature next-generation wireless battery charging. Among the more developed articles on this purported new development is FoneHome’s article, which explains that Apple’s wireless charging patent features a series of docking models:
“Built into these docks would be an inductive coil. Once placed in close proximity to a device that also possesses one, an alternating current is passed from the base to the portable unit, which is then converted to DC power. Hey presto – you have a charged iPhone battery without ever having to directly plug it into anything. Interestingly, inductive coils can also be used to transfer data.” You can read their entire article here
To be sure, battery technology — particularly for mobile devices — always remains a hot topic, since iPhone usersunderstand intuitively that better batteries means longer, more extended mobile computing of advanced apps and features. All you have to do is take a look at the results of the poll at the bottom of our iPhone 5 Features page, which indicates that  an “improved battery” comes in third of twenty possible new features for the iPhone 5, ahead of much sexier features such as “e-ink/retina displays,” “smart bezels,” and “NFC technology,” to name a few. Even though the battery on an iPhone isn’t a very interactive feature, iPhone users understand its critical importance.
Of course, so too does the average tech blog, which is why taking an obscure Apple patent and crafting it into the next big iPhone 5 rumor is an easy way to garner a lot of attention and web traffic.
If docking your iPhone or plugging it in for a charge seems incredibly laborious to you, then the idea of being able to just lay your iPhone 5 down on a charging plate at the end of the day probably seems like a groundbreaking idea. And if this is the case, then Apple will be equally excited to sell an expensive wireless charging peripheral to go with the iPhone 5, thus exponentially increasing their profit margins.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s important to note that wireless charging has been around for quite some time now, and it is not known to be the most reliable technology when it comes to charging. It could, in fact, turn out to be a disappointing feature for the iPhone 5 if Apple doesn’t make some considerable changes to the current technology.
Wireless charging, also known as induction charging, is known to fail at fully charging batteries. Electronics Warehouse has an interesting article that compares induction charging to the use of NiMH rechargeable batteries that were charged using AC power. The article quotes IGN on the issue of using Nintendo’s induction charger for the Wiimote, saying,
“Transmitting energy wirelessly, as you can imagine, is not nearly as fast or effective as transferring it through a physical connection, as such, it takes a significantly longer time to fully recharge the battery pack. To fully charge an empty battery, a Wiimote has to be placed on the charger for somewhere between six and eight hours; a pretty lengthy bit of time, no doubt.”
It really should be no revelation to gadget users that AC power remains king when it comes to charging batteries: DC power, such as the power used when charging with a cigarette lighter in your car — is historically underpowered compared to plugging your smartphone directly into an AC wall socket. The same is true with induction charging: although the base unit plugs into the wall alla an AC plug, the current that flows from the charger to the device is purely DC.
All of this being said, Apple has demonstrated over the years that they are technology leaders when it comes to rechargeable batteries. In fact, they have spent copious amounts of money, time, and resources on making bigger, bolder, better batteries. If the iPhone 5 ends up with wireless charging features, chances are that it will be the cream of the crop in terms of inductive charging. But no matter what, wireless charging will always be DC-powered.
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