Powermat has become one of many groups to join the Wireless Power Consortium under the flag of the Qi charging standard, a move some pundits are seeing as a sign that, at this year’s CES, Qi won the day as the wireless charging standard.
The Wireless Power Consortium develops and improves the Qi standard. Membership has grown by 70 percent since Apple announced they would adopt the standard in September. With Samsung, Nokia, and now erstwhile rival Powermat, WPC representatives at the show seemed confident. More companies were joining rapidly, WPC doing plenty of business at CES.
“Qi has become the dominant wireless charging standard on the market and the recently launched Apple iPhone lineup is evidence of this success”, said Elad Dubzinski, Powermat CEO, in a press release. “Powermat will share technology innovation to further unlock wireless charging potential, and will expedite the growth of the wireless charging infrastructure, bringing wireless charging to wherever users need it.”
Powermat is also a member of the PMA/Airfuel alliance, the creators of the Qi counterpart PMA standard. However, it looks for now like PMA may go the way of the dinosaurs, outclassed by Qi’s awareness among tech giants and consumers alike.
“Powermat was one of the pioneers that recognized the value of wireless charging. By joining WPC, it further unifies the wireless charging ecosystem behind the Qi global standard, which will accelerate wireless charging adoption and make it more convenient for consumers to use wireless charging wherever they go,” said Menno Treffers, WPC chairman, in a press release.
The WPC is currently developing wireless charging standards for large and mid-sized devices, including kitchen appliances, laptops, and tablets.