The United States Patent & Trademark Office recently published a patent application filed by Apple for a table embedded with a wireless charging system. Rumor has it that the tech giant's new system could be made available next year.
The released patent filing documents detail the plan for the company's in-store table where multiple mobile devices can be put on display. The built-in wireless charging system will allow company devices to pick up the charge via magnetic resonance, Patently Apple reported.
The documents acquired by the publication shows several images of the planned table. One shows that each table will have its own transmitter and receiver set. Another image shows the cross section of a receiver that features bow-shaped coils, while a third image displays how the system will be incorporated into the table.
The concept is not really new and was initially reported way back in 2013. However, due to competing standards in wireless charging technology, many companies, including Apple, have apparently decided to wait for a while to see what will happen within the next few years.
Fortunately, it was announced last year during the Computex event that Alliance for Wireless Power and Power Matters Alliance have both agreed to work together to deliver a single standard for the next generation of wireless charging, Engadget reported.
Incidentally, there are several rumors going around that MacBooks will soon have a wireless charging feature. The iPhone 7, before it was made official, was also rumored to facilitate a similar charging option but that did not materialize. Now, the yet unannounced iPhone 8 is also speculated to carry one.
Android flagship phones are already equipped with such a feature, although they use inductive charging and not magnetic resonance. This technology requires devices to be directly on top of their designated charging pads in order to connect.
The discovered documents are only patent applications and not an indication that it will be made available soon. It even remains unknown if it will materialize or not. It may or may not arrive in 2017.
Here is a short video about iPhone 8: