by Jason Snell
Apple staffing up on wireless charging experts?
Ben Popper at The Verge:
In the last four months two former uBeam engineers with expertise in wireless charging and ultrasonic technology had been hired by Apple. In fact, public LinkedIn data on Apple’s recent hires shows these former uBeam staffers were part of a much broader trend. In the last two years Apple has hired more than a dozen staffers with expertise in wireless charging.
uBeam’s approach—which is controversial in the sense that some people say it won’t work—is to transmit power over distance, rather than using inductive charging on a charging mat. Popper also cites an earlier Bloomberg report that Apple is hoping to add wireless charging of some kind to the fall 2017 iPhone.
Given what a huge portion of Apple’s business is iPhone, and given the company’s disdain for ports and wires, these rumblings aren’t at all surprising.