 Sales of wireless chargers will rise to $8.5 billion in 2018, up from $216 million in 2013, according to analysts IHS Technology.
Demand for wireless charging technology will increase by 264 percent to $785 million revenue in 2014 alone.
The mobile charging trend kicked off last year with Nokia introducing Lumia smartphones with wireless charging via a plate, and Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and S4 smartphones can be charged via a (separate) battery cover.
There are loads of clever wireless chargers now available like QI wireless charging pads and Nomad charging key and charge card, many of which cost under $50.
“Makers of smartphones and tablets increasingly are integrating wireless power functionality directly into their products,” said Ryan Sanderson, principal analyst for wireless power at IHS Technology. “Meanwhile, conflicts over standards are being resolved, removing a major barrier to widespread adoption. For consumers, this means easier charging of their mobile devices and the elimination of pesky power cables.”
Market prospects got
another jolt this month when two of the main industry groups-the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and the Power Matters Alliance (PMA)-agreed to partner. While this still leaves incompatibility with the Qi specification of the remaining alliance, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), IHS believes that with continued developments in 2014, the industry will align in terms of technology and will be in a position to move forwards driving volume adoption in 2015.
“It’s becoming clear that regardless of which alliance’s specification is used, the next generation of wireless power solutions will be built on loosely coupled technology,” Sanderson said.
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