Your MacBook could wirelessly charge your Apple Watch or iPhone in the future – if a new Apple patent comes to fruition.
The patent, spotted as always by the inimitable Patently Apple, shows wireless Qi charging build directly into the MacBook’s case.
The drawings show the MacBook itself turned into a kind of giant wireless charging pad, including the wrist areas either side of the touchpad, and the top lid and even the trackpad.
Finding ways to keep devices charged is becoming a key challenge, especially for the Apple Watch.
The addition of sleep tracking in watchOS 7 has added extra pressure on the Apple Watch’s single-day battery life, and in our testing we struggled to assimilate charging time into our day.
Having our MacBook act as a wireless charger would be a convenient and easy way to get some extra juice both on the go.
And it solves the problem of finding yourself with a dead or dying device, but no power available. Those carrying around what’s essentially a 13-inch or 15-inch super battery could have salvation.
However, MacBooks are made of aluminium, which isn’t compatible for wireless chargers. So the material of the MacBook, or perhaps parts of it, would have to be changed. That does seem like a big ask.
Reverse charging has been a feature of some smartphones – such as the Samsung Galaxy S20, which can power up other devices wirelessly.
Obviously there are huge technical challenges to overcome, but this could be a small piece in the Apple Watch battery life puzzle.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.