Samsung and Microsoft join board of Qi wireless charging consortium

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It looks like we are seeing the beginning of the end of the wireless charging wars. At the moment the Qi wireless charging specification is the de facto standard because it is about the only one which actually has any devices that support the technology. However there are in fact three different wireless standards which were all competing against each other. However it appears that the Qi specification will likely become the sole standard as Microsoft and Samsung Electro-Mechanics have joined the board of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the group responsible for the standard.

Microsoft and Samsung will take leading roles in the supporting the further adoption Qi.

Samsung is actually a founding member the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) along with Qualcomm and Powermat Technologies. However Powermat Technologies is also a founding member of the Power Matters Alliance (PMA). Other members of the PMA include Toshiba, Pantech and ZTE. During the latter part of last year Qualcomm joined the WPC and Samsung invested in a company called PowerbyProxi. Its investment in PowerbyProxi was seen as a move by Samsung to buy an interest in the next extensions to the Qi standard since Tony Francesca, a VP at PowerbyProxi, had been appointed chairman of the WPC task force that is designing a wireless power resonant extension to the Qi specification.

According to a statement released by the WPC, Microsoft and Samsung will take leading roles in supporting the further adoption Qi.

Microsoft and Samsung Electro-Mechanics are important players in furthering Qi's adoption in more devices, cars, products, and places.
John Perzow, Vice President of Market Development at WPC

The WPC’s membership has significantly grown over the past few months with the ZTE Corporation and others joining the Consortium. Toshiba and Pantech are also WPC members. The group also has lots of support from the various mobile carriers around the world including Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile, China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo, O2, and Telefonica. At present consumers can choose from over 60 mobile phones and tablets that in one way or another support Qi. The list includes the Samsung Galaxy S5, S4, and S3; the LG Google Nexus 4; the Google Nexus 7; the Nokia Lumia 1520 and 1020; the LG Optimus G Pro; and the HTC Droid DNA.

If the A4WP and the PMA are now passing into history then it seems that we could see the emergence of a definitive standard that will allow wireless charging to become a norm in a variety of public places from coffee shops to airport lounges.

What do you think, is Qi now going to become the unchallenged wireless charging specification?

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