Apple researching ‘realistic’ wireless charging methods

Apple has filed for a patent to solve one of mankind’s most troubling questions: how do I recharge my iPad with this annoyingly-short power cord? In the application, the company suggests a ‘realistic’ way to wirelessly recharge your iDevice via near-field resonance. While near-field technology is more often used to grab data off your credit card at the grocery store, Apple sees the technology as a way to cut the cord between your laptop, iPad or iPhone and a wall charger, the way your mouse was set free years prior…

“In this way, a realistic and practical approach to wireless transferring usable amounts of power over distances suitable for limited applications can be realized,” Apple writes in the application entitled “Wireless Power Utilization in a Local Computing Environment” and first reported by AppleInsider.

Apple calls the current method of plugging a charger into a wall socket “unwieldy”.

A side-benefit of using a near-field system is that any other devices within the area could also take advantage of the power transmission, creating what Apple calls a “virtual charging area”.

The recharger, according to the publication, would be similar to how third-party wireless devices transmit connections to a mouse or keyboard. The main difference is what Apple’s technology would wirelessly transmit both both the device’s data connection as well as its power.

It’s unclear whether you could actually wirelessly recharge your iPhone or iPad, or be limited to smaller accessories. In the patent application, Apple lists a mouse or keyboard as potential users of the recharger.

Would you like to have an Apple-provided wireless charging solution for the iPhone?