The latest of Apple's patent applications, a new type of wireless
charger, has exciting implications for the future of technology. Apple's charger could charge devices within a radius of one yard, a step forward from inductive wireless chargers
which require charger and device to be very close or touching.
Inductive chargers have been around since 2009 and do not free consumers
from wires, as inductive chargers need both a connection to a power
source and contact with devices to be charged. The new charging
technology uses a near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power source to
charge devices with inner NFMR resonator circuits. The NFMR power source could be housed within a user's iMac while their various Apple devices in use nearby could
remain constantly charged. A happy consequence of NFMR technology is
that it could free devices such as mouses and keyboards from batteries,
making them more eco-friendly.
Apple has further
realized their goal of providing a set of products which work seamlessly
in suite with one another. From the time that the patent application
was filed, it will be perhaps a year or more before iMacs are released
with built-in NFMR power sources. On a personal note, as a Windows user I
am increasingly impressed by the efficiency and intercompatibility of
Apple devices. I laugh as I write this, but I become more convinced that
my next laptop should be made by Apple. Apple's reputation, carefully
cultivated by its consumer base and ad campaigns as a manufacturer of
modern, forward-reaching devices compatible with hipsters everywhere,
used to cause me affront. Now, however, I write with three years of
experience with a Windows 7 laptop that has served me well but given me a
fair amount of grief. I am no longer convinced of the practicality of
Microsoft systems, which do not seem to function as intuitively as iOS
devices, and with every advance Apple makes I become more desirous of
change.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/11/apple-wireless-charging-patent/
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