I recently wrote an article discussing the current debate on wireless charging and whether it was a waste of time or an important feature. Although I acknowledged that wireless charging wasn’t by any means necessary, I do think that wireless charging is a handy feature given how often charging through a port, in one way or another, can cause issues. With wireless charging, phone users would have at least one alternative method of charging their device should something go awry.
Presently, when it comes to methods of wireless charging, a “charging pad” is the object plugged into the outlet and transferring the energy. You then set your phone onto the charging pad and your phone absorbs that energy through an electromagnetic field. For many, it’s considered easier to simply place the phone on the charging mat rather than fidgeting with a wireless cord all the time.
But for others – specifically those who move around a lot – the idea of dragging a charging pad around alongside their phone isn’t exactly ideal. Given that wireless chargers are also (generally speaking) more expensive than traditional charging, wireless charging wouldn’t necessarily be optimal. Even if the charger isn’t more expensive than conventional means, for most smartphones you still have to buy a special case that allows the wireless charging method to work.
Wireless charging is still not a standard feature in phones in 2015.
How often do you get comfortable at a computer, a couch, a restaurant at a table, at the library, or any other place that one would sit down and get cozy, and simply drop our phone off on the nearest table for it to sit idly until we’re ready to pick it up? Personally, I can think of plenty of places where this happens. The new IKEA furniture line-up, which support Qi wireless charging, makes it possible to do something even when we’re doing nothing – and that something is recharging the precious battery life we have on our phones.
The line-up is set to hit stores later this spring (as early as the end of this month, even), and I think this may be the beginning of a new era for wireless charging. Not only does the idea make wireless charging an added convenience, but it’s also an affordable solution coming from IKEA first.
A table lamp, a desk lamp, a floor lamp, and a pair of nightstands – that’s the current line-up for IKEA’s wireless charging furniture. The prices for these pieces of furniture ranges anywhere from $60 to $120, which is considerably inexpensive when you consider that you’re getting a wireless charger and a useful piece of home décor.
I don’t think people will be storming the place for this furniture when it’s released; for many people, there is still the added hassle of having to purchase a case that supports Qi charging. However, I do think that it’s the start of something big. I think, generally speaking, people will want this convenience, they’ll want to see it implemented in places outside of the home, and most of all they will want this to be a technology that is already included in their phone so that they won’t have a limited amount of choices for cases.
The amount of convenience that users would be able to get from these IKEA pieces of furniture (well, aside from actually having to assemble the furniture – which is part of the reason that IKEA furniture is notoriously affordable in the first place) makes the idea of standardized wireless charging more justifiable in the end. Now all we need is for manufacturers to start making wireless charging a set standard with phones.
