Wireless charging might not be ready in time for the iPhone 8

Rumors that this year's iPhones would include wireless charging capabilities have been swirling for months now, but the most recent speculation suggests the tech isn't quite going to be ready for the launch of the iPhone 8, the iPhone 7S and the iPhone 7S Plus (if those are indeed the phones we see).

This word on the Apple street comes from a reliable source as well - it's from seasoned developer, blogger and Apple watcher John Gruber, and well-placed Apple tipsters don't really come much better. Gruber tweeted that a wireless charging accessory will be sold separately, and might not be ready in time for September.

Note that "might" though: Gruber also says that Apple's engineering teams might overcome the problems in the next few weeks and have wireless (or inductive) charging ready to go at the big event we're expecting in a couple of months.

Why the hold up?

Gruber adds that he isn't sure if the hold up is due to the hardware or software upgrades needed for wireless charging, and likens the delay to the one we saw with the portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus, which was added a month after the phone launched.

It's just another bit of Apple gossip to add to the pile of rumors and speculation surrounding Apple's 2017 handsets. The company seems to be planning two minor upgrades to its existing phones, plus a more expensive, premium model, but we're still not sure how many iPhones we can expect to see in September.

The iPhone 8 seems to be the pick of the bunch, if you can afford it - Apple is apparently working hard to get a Touch ID sensor embedded under a bezel-free display, and the phone is also said to be coming with a vertically aligned dual-lens camera to enable some pretty nifty augmented reality features.