Now that Apple has helped its customers unplug—from their earphones, not the internet; that would be crazy—the technology giant is looking to help them cut the cord as well. Not from their TVs, though, because that’s already happened. According to Cult Of Mac, the next three iPhones could feature wireless charging. The site cites KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims that iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) as well as the tweaked versions of the iPhone 7 we’re bound to get will be free of chargers. “All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset,” Cult Of Mac’s source claims.
There are no specifics on the new powering mechanism, but it already sounds like Apple’s phones are about to get expensive as fuck (well, even more so). The wireless charging technology would heat up the phones more, necessitating a “new graphite layer to protect the 3D Touch sensor from being damaged.” That feature will probably also be required because the glass casing the new iPhone’s expected to have is not very good at dissipating heat. But that glass casing is needed for the wireless charging to work, bringing us right back to where we began.
Those 3D Touch sensors and cord-free charging will reportedly come at a price to the consumer, of course. Kuo says the new production requirements could prompt a 30-50 percent increase in cost, with the top-of-the-line iPhone model going for as much as $1,000—or, roughly the cost of a new Macbook Air.