Apple is currently developing an extremely interesting technology that could revolutionize the way iPhone terminals are wirelessly charged. The wireless charging technology would arrive in the iPhone 8 after it is already available in the Apple Watch since 2015, but those from Apple want to rethink the way everything is done.
A patent registered to the Apple company describes a technology that one day could allow iPhone terminals to be charged using Wi-Fi routers. According to this patent, Apple considers that iPhone terminals could be charged using frequencies that are normally dedicated to data transfer.
More precisely, 700 MHz - 2700 MHz cellular networks and 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks could facilitate remote charging for iPhone terminals. In the case of Wi-Fi networks, we are talking about the 802.11ad spectrum used by WiGig compatible devices that operate at a frequency of 60 GHz, so Apple has quite serious plans.
Apple believes that its technology can be applied to standard Wi-Fi routers, mobile phone towers, or even signals emitted by satellites. Those from Apple do not specify a possible distance at which charging would work, but theoretically as long as the devices can receive those signals, they should be able to store energy in the battery.
If Apple would ever manage to implement such technology in the iPhone, it would have a huge advantage over any existing competitor on the market. Even charging 1 or 2 meters away from the charging pad would give Apple a major advantage for the iPhone, so it remains to be seen what surprises we will see in the future.
"An electronic device that wirelessly transfers power to an external device, comprising: wireless power transfer circuitry; and a dual-polarization dual-frequency patch antenna that is coupled to the wireless power transfer circuitry and that is configured to wirelessly transfer power from the wireless power transfer circuitry to the external device.”
