Despite claims from wireless charging startup Energous’ CEO that seemed to hint at a partnership with Apple, a research note from Cowen and Company claims Energous is unlikely to provide the wireless charging technology rumored to be coming to the “iPhone 8,” Apple Insider reports. Back in January Energous CEO Steve Rizzone claimed his company had partnered with “one of the largest consumer electronic companies in the world,” leading to speculation that he was talking about Apple since his company had signed a big deal with Apple chip supplier Dialog Semiconductor in December 2016.
But Energous has thus far only received FCC approval to deliver power from a few inches away, with a longer-range version likely violating existing FCC regulations on unlicensed transmitters and power delivery. The most likely contenders to provide the wireless charging option for the “iPhone 8” are now the Qi charging coil currently used in the Apple Watch and Airfuel’s coil/magnetic resonance technology that doesn’t require “the same proximity, or accuracy, as a device with a Qi coil.” Last week Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium assembled around the Qi standard, fueling speculation that the company would be adding that technology to at least one of its upcoming 2017 iPhones.
