Apple iWatch wearers might be able
to charge the device wirelessly, at least if the latest rumors from Chinese
media prove true.
Insiders at Chinese electronics
maker Luxshare
have revealed that the company has sent wireless charging coils to Apple to be
certified and approved for inclusion in the iWatch, according to G for Games.
Luxsure is reportedly one of two coil suppliers currently being considered by
Apple, the report claims.
Asked about its potential
partnership with Apple, Luxshare declined to spill anything to G for Games
because "the product [iWatch] is not yet available." Assuming the
charging coils and all the other parts are lined up, Apple is eyeing a release
date for the watch sometime in the second half of the year, according to the
insider.
Reports of an Apple iWatch have been
ramping up lately as vendors such as Samsung and Sony have unveiled their
own high-tech watches. Motorola and LG
are also prepping entries into the growing smartwatch market.
But Apple likes to wait before
diving into a new product category, giving it the time needed to try to outdo
its rivals. An Apple iWatch would reportedly act as both a smartwatch and an
activity sensor. Apple's iOS 8, slated to be unveiled at next Monday's
Worldwide Developers Conference, will
reportedly introduce an app called Healthbook that could directly tap into the
watch's health and fitness features.
As with all iWatch reports, this
latest scuttlebut from a "Luxshare insider" should be filed in the
rumor category. But in February, the New York Times reported that Apple has
been testing solar and wireless charging for its purported smartwatch.
Described in an Apple patent in late 2003, the wireless charging method would
use magnetic induction, the Times said. Such a method would jibe with the need
for charging coils in the device.
Most of today's smartwatches require
you to charge the device via a conventional cable. But a more advanced and
feature-packed smartwatch would likely run out of power before the day is over.
Motorola is
reportedly eyeing magnetic induction wireless charging for its
upcoming Moto 360 watch, G for Games said in March.
Assuming an iWatch is on tap, Apple
would certainly want to offer a similarly flexible and simple way of keeping it
charged throughout the day.
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