MacBook charges wirelessly and iPhone in Apple patents



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A pair of recently granted Apple patents show that a MacBook wirelessly charges an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. They describe two-way charging coils that can be used to charge the MacBook itself, but also used to allow the MacBook to charge other devices.

The patents also show an iPad charging an iPhone and a watch (right), and follow a separate patent application for a MagSafe battery case, which can charge both an iPhone and a set of AirPods.

The pair of patents, both granted today, were spotted by Obviously Apple.

Apple begins by noting that although it works on standard cables – with only the iPhone left to switch to USB-C – each device may require its own power supply, which may be less than convenient, especially in trip.

Some electronic devices include one or more rechargeable batteries that may require external power to recharge. Often, these devices can be charged using a common or standardized connector or electrical cable. For example, some devices can be charged using a universal serial bus (“USB”) connector or cable. However, despite standardized connectors and cables, each device may require a separate or dedicated power supply to charge. In some cases, having separate power supplies for each device can be tedious to use, store and / or transport.

Patents have the usual convoluted patent language, intended to ensure that the claims are as broad as possible.

A portable electronic device comprising: an enclosure forming a rear surface of the portable electronic device; a display coupled to the enclosure and forming a front surface of the portable electronic device which is opposite the rear surface of the portable electronic device; a battery inside the enclosure and providing power to the display and an inductive transmit coil positioned inside the enclosure and between the screen and the rear surface of the enclosure, the transmitting inductive coil being configured to wirelessly transmit energy through the rear surface of the enclosure to an external device that is positioned proximate the rear surface of the enclosure […]

Electronic devices can include inductive coils that can be configured to be in electrical communication with inductive coils of external electronic devices. In some embodiments, the electrically communicating inductive coils can act as transmit coils and / or receive coils capable of transmitting energy between electronic devices. This energy transmission can increase a charge of a battery of the electronic device receiving the energy, while simultaneously decreasing the charge of a battery transmitting the energy. The inductive coils of electronic devices capable of transmitting energy to external electronic devices can allow the battery of an electronic device to be charged using only another electronic device. As such, a single power cord or no power cord may be required to charge one or more of a group of devices that include electrically communicating inductive coils.

But the bottom line is that you use a single power cord or a basic wireless charger to charge the MacBook – with the MacBook wirelessly charging other Apple devices, placing them on the front or back of the computer. MacBook.

Of course, using a MacBook like wired charger for multiple Apple devices is already possible: this is the approach I started using when traveling once I got the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which delivers 15 watts of power rather than the 4 , 5 or 5.5 watts of previous models.

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