New charging tech could mean the end of battery woes
Apple is known for its innovations over the years, with its huge R&D team constantly filing patents for new ideas. The best of these tend to be picked up by PatentlyApple, and their most recent find is a pretty interesting one. It describes a way to recharge your Apple devices on the go.
How does it work? Well, remember AirPods, the wireless earphones Apple released just recently? They already ship with a smart case that can recharge the earphones in addition to keeping them safe, and this latest patent suggests a way to extend that functionality to other devices. A next-generation AirPods case could double as a wireless charging point for more or less any Apple compatible device.
How much power could fit into the case, we’re not sure…
Right now, only the Apple Watch uses wireless charging, but there have been pretty serious rumors that the iPhone 8 will incorporate the same kind of tech. The genius is that it’s not something extra to carry like a third-party battery pack. If you tend to carry headphones with you anyway, it would just be an additional function to an existing gadget: pop your iPhone next to the case for half an hour and you’ll get a load of extra juice to keep you going.
You can see more details on the patent here, which also suggests the case could be waterproof. Of course, there’s no guarantee this idea will ever see the light of day, but it looks genuinely useful and we think it would be a canny move from Apple. If this came to fruition it would be another reason to upgrade from Apple’s wired EarPods to the wireless AirPods, which have already sold pretty well. Let’s just hope Apple doesn’t think that releasing a wireless charging dock means users no longer want a bigger on-board battery, though…