Apple has joined the Wireless Power Consortium, according to IHS Technologies and the WPC’s own web site.
Apple is listed as a backing member of the organization, which is behind the Qi wireless charging standard. This is the first time Apple has appeared to support either of the two competing standards.
Apple is not backing the AirFuel Alliance (formerly the Power Matters Alliance) wireless charging standard, at least not according to the Alliance’s web site, where Apple is not listed as a member.
Apple’s membership in the WPC does not necessarily mean the company plans to bring wireless charging technology to its mobile devices; rather, it means Apple can contribute its own technology to the standard, as well as take advantage of the standard’s existing feature set.
Many of Apple’s competitors already back at least one of the two major wireless charging standards. Samsung, for example, supports both Qi and AirFuel, which makes its devices compatible with most wireless chargers.
Wireless charging is one of a handful of technologies that Apple’s iPhone has yet to adopt.
