Wireless Charging Poised for Big Year Amid Apple Watch, Says IHS
Major product launches with a “clear commitment to wireless charging” will make 2015 “a breakthrough year" for the wireless power industry, said David Green, research manager, IHS technology. Wireless power receiver and transmitter shipments will more than double to 120…
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million units this year, from 55 million in 2014, said IHS research released Tuesday. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge will help drive revenue to more than $1.7 billion this year, said IHS. It said the Apple Watch will help spur growth of wireless power receivers for wearable technology to more than 20 million units this year. To avoid initial negative customer experiences, said Green, the wireless charging industry will need a stronger focus on interoperability among the standards from the Alliance for Wireless Power (Rezence), Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and Wireless Power Consortium (Qi), even accounting for the combination of A4WP and the PMA announced earlier this year (see 1501060013). Consumers “do not care which technology or standard their device uses; they just want it to work well,” Green said. Multimode wireless charging receivers supporting more than one technology will comprise 30 percent of the market by 2018, said Green. MediaTek announced in early March it was the first semiconductor company to mass-produce multimode wireless charging chipsets supporting PMA, Qi and Rezence standards. IHS forecasts industry revenue will grow by nearly $15 billion a year through 2024. But 63 percent of consumers weren’t aware of wireless charging in IHS consumer surveys conducted last year. New products in 2015 should help raise awareness and drive demand, said Green.