Update: Energous PR sent the following statement to VentureBeat denying the Apple partnership:
Following reports earlier this year that Apple is working on wireless charging technology, VentureBeat has dug up more evidence that suggests the company is doing so with help from developer of RF-based charging tech Energous.
Energous is the developer of WattUp – a wire-free charging technology that will be licensed to companies to embed within consumer products. The SEC filing statement from 2014 blankets any future anticipated testing and is not indicative of specific partners.
As noted in the report, it has previously been speculated that Energous has a relationship with Apple behind the scenes after the company confirmed it was working with “one of the top five consumer electronics companies” earlier this year. Today’s report, however, adds more evidence to that connection noting an SEC filing from Energous specifically references “Apple compliance testing”.
Unlike current inductive wireless charging solutions on the market that require devices to rest on a charging mat, Energous’ WattUp tech can charge devices from up to 15ft away using a transmitter and receiver. Here’s a description of the WattUp wireless charging tech from its website:
We expect that our products and/or the reference designs will undergo UL/CE as well as FCC Part 15, FCC Part 18, SAR, California Energy Star and Apple compliance testing.
While Apple’s new iPhone 7 line didn’t debut with wireless charging functionality, it was something that was rumored several times earlier on in the lead up to the device’s launch. Back in January, Bloomberg said Apple had partners in both the United States and Asia working on the project that would see iPhones and iPads powered from further away than current charging mat and inductive solutions allow, not unlike the WattUp tech from Energous.
WattUp RF-based charging can be integrated to provide wire-free charging to a wide variety of electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets, wearables, cameras, wireless keyboards and mice, headsets, sensors, LED lights, remote controls and toys… A Radio Frequency (RF) system, similar to a Wi-Fi system, delivers safe wire-free charging energy at a distances of up to approximately 15ft from a transmitter to a receiver device, such as a mobile phone, and maintains charging while the receiver is in motion. Up to 12 receiver devices can be managed by the system simultaneously, depending on system specifications.
