Wireless charging company Powermat pledges compatibility with upcoming iPhones
The question of whether the three new iPhones will be compatible with wireless charging seems to be mostly settled now, but there’s still uncertainty surrounding compatibility with current wireless charging devices. Two major players, Powermat and Qi, currently dominate most of the wireless charging market, but Apple has yet to announce which standard they’ve chosen for their upcoming flagships. Powermat recently announced that it had every intention of supporting the new iPhones.
“Regardless of which standard Apple will ultimately adopt or whether they’ll develop their own propriety technology, we believe the category is big enough for everyone to play,” Powermat CEO Elad Dubzinski said.
One concern is that if Apple uses a proprietary version of Qi like they did with the Apple Watch, patents could prevent third-party companies from creating compatible chargers. Doing so would seem unwise, considering the how Powermat wireless charging mats are fairly widespread.
The Powermat approach has long been to diversify its wireless charging options to cover a wide variety of standards and protocols. As of now, wireless devices with Powermat compatibility are being rollwed out in Starbucks stores around the US and internationally, and similar devices are also used in public spaces in about 12,000 charging spots.
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