If you want to hype your company’s new Chairman of the Board, announcing the next iPhone will have wireless charging support probably isn’t the best strategy. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Powermat CEO Elad Dubzinski did.
The big takeaway from Powermat’s press release is Dubzinski stating,
With the recent announcement by Apple that wireless charging will become a standard feature in the next iPhone, we are finally at the threshold of mainstream adoption.
That’s a pretty amazing statement considering Apple hasn’t made any such announcement. Rumors and insider speculation claim the iPhone 8, Apple’s expected premium iPhone model coming this fall, will include wireless charging support. That’s a far cry, however, from Apple announcing the feature and confirming the iPhone 8 is real.
According to analysts and insider sources, Apple will unveil the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus this fall, along with a higher end model tentatively dubbed iPhone 8. Or maybe iPhone X. Or possibly iPhone Edition.
It’ll sport a 5.8-inch OLED display that runs pretty much edge to egde on a phone that’s the same size as the iPhone 7. The iPhone 8 will supposedly also have a glass back, A11 processor, 3D-sensing front-facing cameras and dual vertical stacked rear-facing cameras, a virtual Home button instead of a physical one, Touch ID embedded in the display glass, OLED display, and support for wireless charging.
Since wireless charging is Powermat’s jam, it’s possible Dubzinski has insider knowledge if his company has partnered with Apple for conductive charging plates. Alternately, he may have mistakenly assumed the iPhone 8 rumors are an official Apple announcement. Regardless, the internet is flipping out today thinking the still unannounced iPhone 8’s wireless charging rumor has been confirmed.
Either Dubzinski screwed his company out of any future Apple deals by spilling the beans on an unannounced iPhone feature, or he looks pretty foolish for thinking rumors are actually an Apple statement.
Here’s the deal: Apple hasn’t announced any new iPhone models, and most likely won’t until September. Odds are good we’ll see three models announced: the iPhone 7s, the iPhone 7s Plus, and the iPhone 8. The 7s and 7s Plus will ship within a few days, and the 8 will ship several weeks later in very limited quantities. That’s based on Apple’s track record, leaks, and analyst speculation—not official Apple announcements.
And on a side note, CompuCom CEO Dan Stone is Powermat’s new Chairman of the Board.