Your Phone Will Love Ikea's New Furniture
In case you need a reason to love Ikea even more (we didn’t think it was possible!), the Swedish home superstore has found a way to incorporate “smart” design into a new line of furniture.
The people behind such home staples as the BILLY bookcase and the RIBBA frame have designed a line of desks, tables and lamps with mobile device charging stations built in.
Any gadget that is Qi (WPC’s wireless technology) compatible will be able to top up its battery just by placing it on the charging pad. No cables or plugs required.
Google’s Nexus phones, some HTC models, and most Nokias have Qi technology. Samsung Galaxy owners and iPhone devotees, you’re out of luck unless you buy a special Qi-enabled case. (You can check for Qi compatibility here.)
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A table in the new line of furniture by Ikea featuring wireless charging technology. Photo: Ikea
Ikea has partnered with Wireless Power Consortium to develop this particular line of furniture that will eliminate the all-too-common scramble to find a charger when you’re on your last 2% of battery power.
Lamps with wireless charging pads mean no more searching for your charger. Photo: Ikea
Wireless charging stations will be discretely built in, with the clean, modern look Ikea is known for.
Charge all manner of mobile devices in one place with this new line of furniture and lamps from Ikea. Photo: Ikea
You may find yourself wondering if these new products are pricier than the usual budget-minded staples that keep you heading back to the blue and yellow maze. The answer is yes, but not massively. The furniture pieces with charging pads will cost approximately $22 more than their charge-less counterparts, which seems fairly reasonable to us.
The charging pads will also be available separately. Photo: Ikea
Not in the market for new furniture? Not a problem. Ikea will be selling these charging pads separately as well (approximately $34 each), so you can incorporate them into your existing set up, which means there’s no need to redecorate while you upgrade.
The line will debut on April 15, 2015 in stores across Europe and North America.
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