The market for wireless chargers could be worth $4.3 billion in total revenue by 2014, if projections released today by In-Stat are proved correct.
In-Stat has based its numbers on a consumer survey that showed that 40% of consumers would be willing to pay an extra $50 for a wireless charging solution. It added that 44% of consumers find current solutions “an annoyance”.
Qualcomm is one company to address the wireless charging opportunity with its eZone product. Sony and Samsung have also developed the idea. But In-Stat warned that the lack of compatibility could hold the market back. “Widespread adoption of wireless charging technology will be difficult without standardization since users do not want to carry multiple chargers, wired or wireless, to plug in their phones while traveling,” a note from the company said.
“Few device vendors have the power to drive their own standards and build their own ecosystem,” says Jim McGregor, Chief Technology Strategist. “Sony, Apple, Qualcomm, and Samsung are perhaps the only players with the strength, breadth of product line, and customer loyalty to create an environment capable of supporting a proprietary wireless charging technology.”
The research by In-Stat found the following:
• 28.3% of survey respondents indicated lack of standards as the most annoying issue in charging mobile devices.
• Early adopters of wireless charging will be users of niche devices.
• As with other technologies, prices are expected to degrade rapidly to about half of current pricing by 2014.
• Tightly coupled inductive charging systems are expected to be the early market leader.
• Of the integrated charging solutions, over two thirds are expected to be in cars.