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.

Comments

Yield problems?

[thegarbz]

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.

Re:Yield problems?

[SoCalChris]

Wireless charging is great. You can have a charger/stand on your desk, one on your nightstand, wherever you want. Just leave it there and your battery is always topped off when you go. You can pick it up and reply to messages without a cable getting caught on things. That was my biggest disappointment with the latest Nexus and Pixel phones, was that Google discontinued that feature. Hopefully if Apple puts it in and Samsung keeps it in their flagships, the next Pixel phones will have it as well.

Dumb

[sexconker]

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.

Re:Dumb

[thegarbz]

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.

Holy shit there's so much 2011 in that post I felt like I've gone back in time. But to clue you in on what happened in the past 5 years:

- Consumers have liked the idea of wireless charging to the point that there's a lucrative side market for wireless charging accessories.
- People realise the benefit of wireless is not that there's no cable but rather that there's no reason to constantly connect and disconnect every time you get to your charging point.
- Common household devices now charge your phone like the SELJE nightstand from Ikea with built in Qi charger. Or the desk lamp at the last hotel I stayed at in Chicago with a built in Qi charger. So no they take up zero space. And yes the world is filling up with charging points, kind of like at O'Hare airport last time I stayed in Chicago.
- There's only 2 common standards, Qi and A4WP, with one minor standard PMA, and several brands of chargers and common chipsets support charging any of the above standards.
- Given that wireless chargers are almost universally fed with 5V they can have as low of a safety standard as they want. If they manage to kill you or burn your house down then that is just a sign from the universe.

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.

- Given the number of phones which experience accidental full immersion there's a lot of ways to describe water proofing. Stupid is hardly one of them.
- That certain consumer report you cite was one single model from one single manufacturer.
- The rating for partial submersion is sufficient.
- It takes a special kind of person to think that these ratings are for swimming with your device (hint, they are not, if they were they wouldn't be IP rated), and then have the audacity to call the idea stupid.

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.

- Wireless charging and waterproofing sells. Companies produce products that people want. News at 11.
- My phone is IP rated, has a wireless charger, a removable battery, an SD card slot, a headphone port, and a SIM card. But good work though, I don't get to say hyperbole very often but now I get to say hyperbole twice in one sentence thanks to your inspirational post.