Apple Is Said to Buy New Zealand-Based Wireless Power Company

Apple didn’t respond to questions Wednesday on its reported buy of New Zealand-based wireless charging company PowerbyProxi. The acquisition was reported by stuff.co.nz Wednesday. The New Zealand company employs 55 staff and holds more than 300 wireless charging patents, said the report. PowerbyProxi showed its wireless power system in the U.S. for the first time in March at APEC 2017 in Tampa and Automate 2017 in Chicago in April, it said in a news release. The company called the Proxi-Module modular and flexible, with the highest power density of any solution on the market and maximum end-to-end efficiency to 91 percent. The system offered foreign object detection for safety, dynamic and automatic pairing and an optional add-on for wireless data options. Applications included batteries for robots and drones; sensors, actuators and motors on moving or rotating platforms; and hermetically sealed, waterproof appliances, it said. The company also showed at Automate its Proxy-Com paired with a module to offer customers a turnkey wireless power and data platform they can quickly integrate into their products or application. Apple announced last month it will introduce the AirPower wireless charging pad next year.