Starbucks to offer wireless phone charging in the US

Starbucks plans to install Powermat's wireless charging stations at its coffee stores across the US. After a small pilot run with these "Powermat Spots" — small circles that are seamlessly implanted in tables and counters — the larger rollout will kick off within Starbucks and Teavana locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eventually the charging stations will make their way to the company's coffee and tea shops nationwide. "2014 will be focused mainly on the west coast, but 2015 will see expansions to major metropolises across the United States," said Powermat President Daniel Schreiber. On average, each store should receive 10 or more Powermat Spots.

"Devices will come out with compatible technology, and we'll see an industry that's been hamstrung a bit with standards issues and conflicting implementations coalesce a common ground," Schreiber said. If you don't own a supported device, you'll be able to purchase a tiny, inexpensive receiver "ring" that plugs into your phone and lets you toss it onto the pad for recharging. (Schreiber wouldn't reveal whether Starbucks plans to sell these directly.)

 

During the early trials in Boston and San Jose, Schreiber said people typically used the Powermat Spots for an average of 15 minutes — not quite topping off the battery, but giving them enough of a boost to get them to their next destination. Battery technology isn't evolving at the same rate as the processor in your smartphone. And one reason for the gains we've seen is obvious; the huge displays on many phones result in more space for a battery.

"The way we interact with power today is unchanged since the time of Thomas Edison," Schreiber said, returning to the overall goals of wireless charging. What Powermat and Starbucks have managed to do, according to him, is help customers move beyond "sticking two pieces of metal into a hole in the wall." They've created "something invisible and part of the furniture in the most literal sense of the word." 

Source: The Verge

The increasing adoption of wireless power technology across a wide range of applications is one of the major trends witnessed in the Global Wireless Chargers market, which is set for a massive 55% annual growth to 2018. Wireless chargers enable mobile devices to charge without making physical contact with the charging surface, providing a much more convenient experience for consumers.

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