Apple Inc. has purchased a New Zealand-based company PowerbyProxi which specializes in designing wireless power products for consumers and industry. Apple’s recently announced iPhone X and iPhone 8 feature wireless charging technology.
Wireless charging allows users to recharge their electronic device by placing them on a pad or other surface rather than inserting them in a cradle or plugging a power cable into them. Samsung Electronics was first to offer wireless charging in some of their devices, leaving Apple lagging behind.
In February, Apple joined the Wireless Power Consortium, a group dedicated to developing the Qi wireless charging standard. Both Apple’s new iPhone products support the standard.
The Californian company’s interest in PowerbyProxi could be driven by some of Apple’s other products, some of which can support power transfer of up to 150 watts through any non-metallic material, for wirelessly charging industrial equipment, Reuters reported.
The New Zealand firm was founded in 2007 as a project out of the University of Auckland. The company received an investment from Samsung Ventures in 2013 for $4 million. The company said it will continue its “growth in Auckland and continue to the great innovation in wireless charging coming out of New Zealand,” said CEO and founder, Fady Mishriki.
