Apple working on wireless charging for iPhone and iPad

Induction - or "wireless" - charging has had a rather slow burn in Australia, mostly thanks to awkward third-party offerings that require case mods and the like to work. But that doesn't mean users aren't hoping for a more elegant solution.

It might be on its way for IOS with a patent for an inductive charging system just being granted to Cupertino by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent figure shows a dock that you could rest an iPhone or iPod Touch in to charge without an unsightly dock connector.

Will we see an iPhone 5 with wireless charging? Probably not, as the latest iPhone 5 'snaps' and renders show a new smaller dock connector that will be causing iAccessory manufacturers some trouble for now. But with iCloud, AirPlay and wire-free syncing Apple now just needs a wireless charging system to complete the futuristic iDevice set-up.

Inductive charging can work over a few metres with about a 50% efficiency rate right now and the US Army wants to aim for 50 foot ranges to wirelessly charge radios and GPS receivers. So before long, users may be in a scenario where phones and other devices are charging themselves the minute we set foot through the door.

[via Patently Apple]

This article originally appeared at Stuff.tv