The iPhone 8 Will Finally Fix This Big Annoyance
It's not a certainty that you'll be able to charge the iPhone 8 without having to hunt down a Lightning cable, but it's looking increasingly likely now that a parts supplier has reportedly signed on to supply Apple with the components needed to support the feature in its 10th anniversary iPhone.
Credit: ConceptsiPhone (YouTube)
That's the word from Digitimes, citing a Chinese-language report in Commercial Times that Lite-On Semiconductor is now part of the iPhone 8's supply chain. The Taiwanese firm makes discrete and analog IC parts for top smartphones and will provide the GPP bridge rectifiers to support fast wireless charging in the iPhone 8, according to Digitimes.
MORE: If the iPhone 8 Looks Like This, the Galaxy S8 Is in Trouble
Supply chain news probably doesn't set the average smartphone owner's pulse racing, but wireless charging on the iPhone should. It's a feature supported by several iPhone rivals, including the Galaxy S7, so adding the capability to the iPhone 8 would be a big step forward for Apple.
Digitimes' report is just another piece of evidence to suggest that one of the biggest iPhone 8 rumors is true. Last fall, Foxconn, which handles a lot of the iPhone manufacturing on behalf of Apple, was rumored to be working on wireless charging modules for the next Apple phone. And the iPhone 8 will reportedly feature an all-glass design, a move that Apple could be making because it would make it easier to support wireless charging, analysts suggest.
It's still unclear what form of wireless charging the iPhone would support. Other devices from LG and Samsung will charge when you place them directly on a charging pad, and that could be what Apple ultimately does with its phone.
However, we're holding out hope that Apple will follow through on one rumored approach that would let you power up your iPhone over the air and without it coming into physical contact with any power source. Apple is reportedly working on that kind of wireless charging with a company called Energous, though neither side has confirmed that.
See also : The Best iPhone 8 Concept Videos So Far
