Apple devices won’t be able to charge each other in the ‘near future’ (but eventually they will) : Apple World Today

Don’t look for Apple devices to be able to wirelessly charge each other “in the near future,” according to a Bloomberg report from Mark Gurman.

The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) thinks he’s right — about the “near future” part. However, I think it’s only a matter of time before we have an iMac and Mac laptop that will be able to wirelessly charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods/AirPods Pro.

Apple has filed for, or had been granted, several patents involving Macs with the ability to charge other devices. For example, patent number 20180212455 for  “inductive charging between electronic devices” that would allow one Apple device to charge another.

More specifically, it would allow the trackpad on a Mac laptop, a super-sized Magic Trackpad, or an iMac with a special base/stand to double as a wireless charger. However, since Apple obviously ran into technical problems with its AirPower project, I don’t know when we might see such products.

Another patent — and one of the most interesting to me — is patent number 20190089185 for an iMac that could charge its own mouse, trackpad, and keyboard. However, that involves built-in, wireless power transmission, which is another story entirely — and see my article about it here.