Slashdot Mirror
Foxconn Testing Wireless Charging For iPhone 8 (trustedreviews.com)
One of the first big secrets regarding Apple's upcoming smartphone has been spilled. According to a report from Nikkei Asian Review, Foxconn, the firm responsible for assembling iPhones, is testing wireless charging modules for the iPhone 8. TrustedReviews reports: Citing 'an industry source familiar with the matter,' the report states the wireless charging feature could appear on the next Apple handset, but it depends whether the company can produce enough satisfactory units. The source told Nikkei: "Whether the feature can eventually make it into Apple's updated devices will depend on whether Foxconn can boost the yield rate to a satisfactory level later on." The yield rate refers to the 'number of satisfactory units in the production of a batch of components,' and if it's found to be too low, the wireless charging feature could be left out of the iPhone 8 according to the report. It's also claimed the wireless tech could make it into some versions of the iPhone 8 and not others. Nikkei is also reporting that Apple's next gen smartphones are expected to arrive in three different sizes -- 4.7-inch, 5-inch and 5.5-inch -- all of which will come with glass-backed bodies. The Next Web reports: "Nikkei further suggests out of the three new iPhones will be a premium model with a curved edge-to-edge OLED display; the other two models will likely have standard LCD displays. Here's what Nikkei's source said: "Apple has tentatively decided that all the 5.5-inch, 5-inch and 4.7-inch models will have glass backs, departing from metal casings adopted by current iPhones, and Biel and Lens are likely to be providing all the glass backs for the new iPhones next year.
I would have thought the best tech company in the world (tm) would have no problem copying the many successful designs already on the market. Or maybe the yield that they are talking about is interoperability. Can't have a device accidentally get charged by any old generic charging station.
The power connector makes it too thick. It has to go!
Seriously, iphone 7 barely just came out and they are already talking about the next one.... This is why I don't like Apple. What a waste of money to buy in their products when it's outdated within a year for no real reason other than cashing in on idiots.
The next big thing: a phone without any plugs lololo
It's a 3000BC technology. I like having a plastic back I can replace for less than 10$
love is just extroverted narcissism
For when you want an 8 inch fall to break the front AND back of your phone.
I don't know who the fuck is behind wireless charging and water proofing. It sure as fuck isn't customers.
Wireless charging is fucking stupid because you still need a wire to plug the charging pad in, and the charging pad takes up more space than a simple cable would. And you still need a charging cable and port because the world isn't filled with wireless charging pads. Then you have all the incompatible versions and brands. Then you have the fact that's it's inefficient, slow, and potentially dangerous. And remember - if the next iThing has wireless charging Amazon will be filled with shitty Chinese knock off charging pads with zero safety testing and the absolute minimal design to get it functional.
Water proofing is stupid as well. It typically means more glue and a less-serviceable phone with the way they're doing it. My phones are already water resistant for everything but full immersion, and even with the IP-whatever rated phones you're limited to x time at y depth for a promise of it not shitting the bed. Plenty of those rated phones still fail (see the Slashdot article about Consumer Reports taking a certain manufacturer to task), and even those that don't fail are only rated to not "permanently fail". That is, turn it off and dry it out and it should be fine. Only a handful of phones are actually intended for (brief) use under water. A plastic bag would serve the same purpose and act as a flotation device if you're really using your phone in the ocean, lake, or pool.
My guess is wireless charging and IP-rating against water is being pushed by carriers and manufacturers as an effort to keep people upgrading even though hardware progress isn't as significant as it was a few years ago. Seal the battery in even tighter, remove the SD card slot, hell, even solder on the SIM card, and get rid of the charging port and the headphone port. You now have a seamless, unserviceable brick with a 18-24 month lifespan.
I started out using Powermat -- had it on everything. Desk chargers, car chargers, garage, bookshelf, other office, etc.. Everywhere. I got tired of [still] waiting for a case / receiver for the iPhone 6s specific. iPhone 7 is out and still no 6s case.
Just got done switching all devices over to the Qi standard. Depending on what Apple does I could see opting out of their charging [if not Qi] option and ... wait for a Qi case to show up on the market. Or make it myself. :)
I'm so glad Apple finally decided to invent wireless charging! That's one less port we need on the next iPhone!
Are the rumors true that the iphone 9 will do away with speakers?
Wireless charging is great. Just set the phone down on the pad and it charges. No fiddling with a plug and socket.
Of course, Apple probably will want to invent their own charging pad so they can charge big bucks for it and stop others from making competing chargers (lots of charge in that sentence). Everyone else has settled on Qi standard. I have these in the car and several spots at home and they work great.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
They'll all have a glass back? So now they can charge you $300 per side to replace the glass when you drop it? Sounds pretty awesome to me!
Charging time depends on the intensity of the electric field the phone is put in. Therefore, to charge your phone really fast, put it in a microwave!! ;D
The one with the curved edge to edge display could be called the iPhone 8 Edge
They could increase the screen to phone size ratio by making the home button shorter
I've even got a mock-up for them: here
Just look back what came out five years ago on Android phones and that is what's coming next for iPhones.
not even a charging port. You can buy a giant charging pad and keep it in your pocket when you're on the go. It'll even double as an ass warmer if you're by an outlet but you're phone's already topped off.
My Samsung wireless charger works just fine, and more importantly, I STILL don't own a Apple product.
from charging without wires battery university
For household and business use, the California Energy Commission (CEC), Level V, mandates that AC adapters must meet a minimum efficiency of 85 percent; Energy Star Level V requires 87 percent (European CE uses CEC as a base). Adding the losses of the AC adapter to wireless charging brings the overall efficiency down further as the inductive transfer efficiency of inductive charging is only 75–80 percent. Such a loss adds up when considering that an estimated one billion mobile phone chargers are plugged into AC outlets worldwide. To improve efficiency and comply with the Energy Star requirements, WPC combines the power needs into a single power conversion.
Lost energy turns into heat, and a wireless charger can get quite warm during charging. This causes stress on the device’s battery as it sits on the mat. It should be noted that the heat buildup only occurs during charging; the charging pad cools down once the battery is fully charged.
So, it takes more energy, and produces more heat to charge in a wireless environment. Shame on all of you for destroying the environment.
iPhones don't have wireless charging? Whoa. Did iPhones ever get widgets? How about hosts files? Non-proprietary cables? Heck, can you sync your music over bluetooth yet?
How many decades will it take Apple to get these features?
Well, hey, at least iPhones don't have headphone jacks anymore, I know everyone wanted to get rid of those.
I was a Mac user since 1989 but I got off the bus in 2008 when I saw the writing on the wall. Things have gone downhill since then and it's been a lot of fun to join the Apple haters club. I still use a Mac for work, though, and it's nice for what it is. But I wouldn't buy one for myself and I don't have any Apple gear in the house newer than 2008.