Will the next iPhone charge wirelessly?

It’s possible you’ll by no means need to plug in your iPhone once more.

Apple has joined an trade group dedicated to wi-fi charging, strengthening present rumors that the following iPhone will cost with out a wire. The Wi-fi Energy Consortium, which is made up of some 200 organizations that promote a single wi-fi charging commonplace, confirmed to CNNTech that Apple joined the group final week.

IPhone rumors swirl months earlier than every new model is introduced, and hype across the so-called ‘iPhone 8″ is especially excessive: Apple (AAPL) is anticipated to unveil a serious redesign of the this fall to mark the 10-year anniversary of the smartphone.

The corporate has already proven curiosity in taking away cumbersome cords. The Apple Watch fees wirelessly, supplied shoppers spend $79 on a magnetic charging dock. And the newest MacBook now comes with just one USB port.

Associated: Apple inventory nears a document excessive

Apple would additionally create one other iPhone income stream by promoting a wi-fi charging station individually. The function would simplify charging for smartphone house owners. Relatively than plugging in a single’s telephone, a person would solely want to put it on the charging dock.

Apple mentioned in a press release Monday it was becoming a member of the Wi-fi Energy Consortium to contribute its concepts as wi-fi charging requirements are developed.

As for the speculated potential options of the following iPhone, different rumors embrace an edge-to-edge show, a glass physique and the removing of the house button.

CNNMoney (Washington) First printed February 13, 2017: 2:42 PM ET