BARCELONA -- You'll soon be able to charge your mobile device directly on various pieces of IKEA furniture, from nightstands and desks to even the base of a lamp.
The Swedish furniture giant announced at Mobile World Congress on Sunday that it is incorporating Qi technology into some of its product offerings. That means you'll soon be able to place mobile devices on the surface of some of its furniture to replenish your mobile device's batteries, eliminating charging stations and cable clutter.
Qi is a popular wireless power standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) that is available in many hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, airports and other public locations. Many smartphones support Qi charging -- 81, in fact; including the newly-announced Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone -- as well as 15 car models and too-many-to-count mobile accessories.
But IKEA wants to bring the convenience of this into the home, so you'll be able to place a smartphone on certain charging pads that are built into the furniture. It'll be the first time built-in wireless chargers will be available to consumers from a mass-market furniture retailer.
While this will get rid of device wires and any need to remember where you put your charger, the furniture itself will require a power source to facilitate the energy transfer to your smartphone or tablet.
The move is a big one, not only for IKEA but also for Qi, which is just one of two other major charging standards, including the Power Matters Alliance and Rezence. With IKEA as a force behind Qi, it could help it to inch out the others. In order for true wireless charging to go mainstream, ideally, there would be just one standard, allowing it to be rapidly incorporated into all mobile devices and work universally.
IKEA is also planning to sell wireless charging kits that can fit into existing furniture, too, for about $34, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report also notes that furniture with built-in wireless charging will cost about $22 more than normal furniture pieces.