Monday Apple Rumors: iPhone to Get Wireless Charging in 2013

by Christopher Freeburn | March 11, 2013 10:33 am

daily apple rumors AAPL[1]Here are your Apple rumors[2] and AAPL news items for today:

No More Cables: Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL[3]) is developing its own wireless charging technology for mobile devices[4], DigiTimes notes. Sources say that Apple will add the technology to its top-end iPhone this year. The company is expected to introduce its latest iPhone, the iPhone 5S in August. However, it remains unclear whether Apple will build the technology into the iPhone, or provide it through attachable accessories. Rival Samsung is also expected to add wireless charging to its upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone. Owners of the Galaxy S IV will have to purchase back covers enabled with Qi wireless charging technology in order to charge their devices from a charging pad. Other smartphone makers are also expected to add wireless charging to their higher-end models this year. Nokia (NYSE:NOK[5]) already offers Qi-enabled wireless charging on its Lumia 920 smartphones.

Market Share: Apple is the third largest smartphone maker in China[6], Business Insider reports. The company trails Samsung and Lenovo with just 11% of the Chinese smartphone market. By contrast, Samsung has 17.7% of the smartphone market in China, selling more than 30 million phones in the country last year. That marked an almost three-fold increase over the 10.9 million smartphones it sold there in 2011. While Samsung has been a player in the Chinese smartphone market since 2009, last year was the first time it was the top smartphone maker in China.

Naming Rights: Apple may be close to negotiating a settlement with a small company over the use of the iPhone name in Brazil[7], CNET notes. Last month, Brazilian regulators ruled that IGB Eletronica had the trademark to the name in Brazil. IGB had registered the iPhone name with Brazil’s Institute of Industry Property as early as 2000, but wasn’t granted the rights to the name for eight years. IGB’s line of iPhones, which were unveiled late last year, run on Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG[8]) Android OS. Attorneys for the two companies have asked a Brazilian court to suspend litigation for 30 days while they determine the details of a settlement. Analysts say Apple will likely license the iPhone name in Brazil from IGB for a fee.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[9] stories.

Endnotes:

  1. [Image]: https://investorplace.com/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/
  2. Apple rumors: https://investorplace.com/search/?q=Apple+Rumors&searchsubmit=Search
  3. AAPL: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=AAPL
  4. developing its own wireless charging technology for mobile devices: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20130308PD210.html
  5. NOK: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=NOK
  6. third largest smartphone maker in China: http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-utterly-dominates-apple-in-chinas-smartphone-market-2013-3
  7. negotiating a settlement with a small company over the use of the iPhone name in Brazil: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57573538-37/apple-may-be-close-to-resolving-brazilian-iphone-trademark-fight/
  8. GOOG: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=GOOG
  9. Apple Rumors: https://investorplace.com/2012/04/hot-topics/apple-rumors-stock-news/

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