2016 Wireless Charging Receiver Shipments Fall Short of Forecasts, Says IHS

The number of devices capable of wireless charging will pass the 200 million unit mark for the first time this year, but the market will fall short of previous forecasts, said a Tuesday IHS Markit report. IHS had called for shipments of 250 million receivers this year. Contributing to the shortfall were the lack of wireless charging in flagship smartphones such as the iPhone 7 and delivery delays for the first resonant receiver systems and wireless charging-enabled laptops, said IHS. In the automotive market, in-cabin wireless charging continues to grow, but the first OEM wireless electric vehicles won’t be launched until late 2017, said IHS. Mercedes-Benz is the first manufacturer to announce intent to launch wireless charging with the 2017 S-Class 500e, it said. Mobile phones and wearables have driven growth of 40 percent over 2015 levels with many customers experiencing wireless charging for the first time, said IHS. A quarter of consumers have used wireless charging and more than 98 percent would choose the feature again on their next phone, it said. Adoption of wireless charging will ramp up, said IHS, which still predicts the market will exceed a billion annual receiver shipments per year by 2020, led by mobile phones and wearables.