Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone which will charge over-the-air without the need for a cable or wireless charging pad.
The feature which Bloomberg claims is currently in development is a far more advanced version of an existing technology that allows small low-powered objects to charge using nothing but WiFi signals.
Speaking to Bloomberg under condition of confidentiality, sources close to the development process claim that Apple's new technology could appear on an iPhone as soon as 2017.
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Apparently Apple is currently looking at a number of potential technical barriers including the optimum distance for charging as well as whether they can potentially send enough power needed to charge the device in the first place.
Samsung and a range of other companies have started experimenting with wireless charging although current technology requires the device to be placed directly onto a pad.
Charging that device over a distance requires considerably more power, and in turn presents a number of obstacles including interference from physical objects.
Of course an iPhone without a power cable would hardly be a surprise to Apple fans anymore after it was rumoured that Apple might consider dropping the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 expected later this year.
While Apple historically never speaks about its future products a number of analysts have suggested that this year Apple would finally ditch the headphone jack in favour of wireless headphones.
While the iPhone 7 could theoretically then still come with an adaptor for older headphones the focus would be on a single pair of premium wireless headphones which Apple would then sell separately.
This is of course just rumour and speculation but there are a number of key reasons which would suggest that such a move is not beyond the realms of logical thought.
It would make waterproofing more convenient, potentially forces headphones to use Apple's own lightning port and finally increases the capabilities of current headphones by giving them a digital connection to the iPhone rather than the current analogue method.