Looking into the future of our wireless world

With free Wifi becoming the norm, is wireless charging for phones, tablets and wearables the next consumer must-have? Andrew Hennigan reports

Walk into one of ten selected Starbucks coffee shops in London and with your order you can also buy or borrow a plastic ring that plugs into the charging socket of your smartphone. On the table you also find an unusual mat. Place your phone with the plastic ring on the mat and it starts to charge up, with no cables, no adapters, no plugs.

Welcome to the world of wireless charging.

Starbucks is testing wireless charging in selected locations in San Francisco and London ahead of what is expected to be a broader rollout in the future. Other businesses are watching with interest because if wireless charging becomes standard in every Starbucks, their rivals will be under pressure to provide it too.

Already people are asking if wireless charging isn’t going to be the next Wifi which was originally a novelty for early adopters but quickly became a service consumers expected everywhere - Free Wifi: Better than a free lunch but is it worth it?  Eyefor Travel, February 14 2013.

At a time when so many consumers are stressed by battery anxiety - Charging ahead: simple power solutions to help millennials feel less battered, EyeforTravel, May 22, 2015 - wireless charging is likely to be popular with consumers because a phone can be charging while it is lying on a table.

Socially this brings the unintended but useful consequence of making people more motivated to leave their devices on the table while it charges, so they will be able to pay more attention to friends and food.

Crystal ball

Eventually smartphones, tablets and other gadgets are likely to have wireless charging built-in by design. That’s been slow to materialise due to a lack of universal standards coupled with Apple’s tendency to forge its own path. In the mean time consumers can purchase adapters that plug into any phone – perhaps not as elegant as a built-in charging feature but still more convenient than carrying cables and looking for plugs.

Starbucks test programme uses wireless charging technology from the Duracell Powermat company but solutions are also offered by Powerby Proxi, Mojo Mobility, Humavox and many others.

While some offer free standing charging pads, others provide pads that can be integrated into café and hotel furnishings. It’s not just buildings that will be equipped. Charging stations will need to be available during travelling, especially for longer trips; so such devices could be used in the seatback pocket on an airplane or the armrest of a train.

Some already have a wireless charging receiver inside, but for others there are rings, like at Starbucks, and also specially equipped phone cases that include the charging receiver. The vision is that a single wireless charging station will charge all the different types of electronic devices.

Waiting and watching

Wireless charging has the obvious benefit of convenience for consumers. It also allows hospitality businesses to differentiate themselves – at least for now – and by eliminating cables it can reduce safety concerns.

But what about the downsides?

  • Reviews: In just a few years wireless charging is likely to become a must-have option and anyone not investing could risk negative reviews on websites like Yelp and Tripadvisor.
     
  • Standards: Less obvious is the risk of investing in a charging technology that is superseded by a standard not yet defined. Until this is clarified some companies are waiting and watching. It seems unlikely that a single, universal standard will emerge. Rather standards for various devices will have to be integrated into a hybrid charging station that will be able to provide multiple wireless charging methods and allow simultaneous charging of several devices.
     
  • Interference: For some consumers there is some concern about even more electromagnetic interference in public spaces, but judging by the near-universal adoption of Wifi this is not likely to slow adoption in mainstream locations. One opportunity from this could be to create a niche for health-conscious brands to offer wireless-free spaces. Everywhere else, though, expect wireless networks, wireless connectivity and wireless charging to be the norm.

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