Lenovo and Dell Want Wireless Charging For Laptops

By Daniel Starkey
published

Wireless charging has been something of a boon for smartphones and portable electronics, and if Lenovo and Dell have anything to say about it, it should be available for laptops and tablets soon. The Alliance for Wireless Power has updated its standard to include devices that require up to 50 watts – which would catch quite a few laptops and basically every tablet on the market.

Intel expressed its own desire to eliminate all wires within the next few years, including a system that can transfer power through a thick wooden desk.

There are quite a few challenges, however, including the lack of a singular standard for all devices. Still, the idea of universal wireless chargers in airports and coffee shops is an alluring one.

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Daniel Starkey
13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • sc14s
    Well, i was hoping companies would be quicker to pick this up, but i guess its good that the interest is growing, eventually i would guess it would expand to everything being powered wirelessly in a household.
    Reply
  • 2Be_or_Not2Be
    Imagine a world inundated with multiple magnetic inductive charging fields blanketing every nook & cranny. It's not just the earth's natural magnetic field we're walking through. Either we're looking at the beginning of the Matrix, or gene mutations won't just be for the X-Men anymore!
    Reply
  • gm0n3y
    I'd like to see companies start adopting desks where the entire surface is an inductive charger. Even better would be conference tables; no more running out of juice during a meeting or presentation.
    Reply
  • izmanq
    wireless charger is useless and just stupid, i don't see why we need that, cable charger is more practical, for example with cable charger we can still pick up the phone while charging
    Reply
  • SocialCarpet
    This would be superb. I love the wireless charging on my Lumia Icon. Mag Safe like a Mac or wireless are the only way to go. Regular power ports are terrible. Fragile, prone to breaking, bending, loosening etc. I can't wait to see this happen. It's too bad Apple patented the Mag safe design, I would love to see than on every laptop.
    Reply
  • vern72
    I just wouldnt place my credit card on top of a table like that.
    Reply
  • FFH
    The problem with wireless charging is that you can't put it anywhere in the room and have it charge. You have to place it over the mat and as the article said it's not standardized; it only works with that specific device. Intel's wireless charging desk would be nice, but I'll wait for it to be standardized before I invest into any devices with wireless charging.
    Reply
  • WyomingKnott
    From my point of view, this is useless and counterproductive. Nikola Tesla would have disagreed with me.

    Reduce efficiency using a charger that you can't throw into your backpack or pocket, so you need one at work, one at home, one in your car, and one god knows where?
    Reply
  • oj88
    For personal safety, I will never expose myself to those magnetic fields.
    Reply
  • velocityg4
    Personally I hope no companies adopt this. It is a grossly inefficient means to transfer electricity. That translates to more energy being used to charge your devices, more fossil fuels burned, more dams built, more nuclear power plants, &c. Just to avoid the grueling task of plugging something in rather than placing on a mat.

    I'd rather manufacturers just put better batteries in devices. Why keep making smartphones thinner? Make them as thick as they were four years ago and use all that space for a big battery. As for laptops with all the strides Intel an AMD have made and the switch from CFL to LED in LCD's battery life should be a minimum of 8 hours. Apple manages to do it on thin and light laptops.

    For personal safety, I will never expose myself to those magnetic fields.
    You're exposed to magnetic fields all the time.
    Reply