You may or may not remember that Energous waxed lyrical earlier this year about the fact that the company has been working with “one of the top five consumer electronics companies.”
It was generally considered that the company in question was Apple, but with no evidence to substantiate that speculation it was largely dismissed. Now, new evidence has been unearthed that points to Apple working closely with Energous, potentially to produce a new type of wireless charging technology that can charge from a distance for its future smartphones, tablets and wearables. What makes this discovery even more interesting, is Energous’ denial of any such partnership.
It is being suggested that the information about the partnership, which is rumored to date back to as earlier as 2014, has been hiding in plain sight right in front of our eyes. You really have to have the investigative brain tenacity to find the information, but it seems that the Nasdaq-listed company issues a prospectus to investors whenever it goes through the process of publicly offering shares within the business.
That document may be very technical and professional in nature, but it also contains a section titled Industry Certifications, which in the latest instance contained a reference to “Apple compliance testing”. It reads:
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.
Following the burst of activity and discussion on this matter, Energous has since then responded to this news about a potential deal with Apple in the following words:
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.
Whether that’s just Energous trying to cover up its intentions or not remains to be seen. If we are to believe what we see, one of the great aspects of this partnership with Apple and Energous, is the potential exciting use and implementation of the company’s WattUp technology. Unlike other charging tech, which requires a compatible device to be placed onto a charging mat / pad, Energous’ solution allows power to be transmitted from up to 15-20ft away from source using a dedicated transmitter and receiver, and can charge 12 devices simultaneously.
Energous clearly doesn’t need Apple’s input or guidance to develop the tech, as it’s already capable in its own right. With that said, the exciting thing to take into consideration here is a future iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch that can take on power and be charged without having to be tethered to a power source or rested on a charging pad.
An iPhone complete with wireless charging has been rumored for a number of years now, but so far has yet to materialize. If this partnership is indeed ongoing, then it’s likely that we will see the company’s WattUp tech introduced into an Apple device in the near future, possibly in the much hyped tenth anniversary iPhone in 2017.
(Source: VentureBeat)
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