This week, the Shenzhen 8K Ultra High Definition Video Industry Collaboration Alliance made up of more than 50 Chinese companies has announced an 8K-ready General Purpose Media Interface, or GPMI for short.
The cable solves the longstanding issue of separate power cables and image cables for 8K displays, providing up to 192 Gbps of image data in tandem with up to 480 W of power delivery over a single cable using a proprietary Type-B connector.
Of course, this sounds great and is, no doubt, a major advancement that will lead to redesigned computers that will now need only one port instead of two.
But can’t we imagine, just for a pretty moment, sometime in the future when we will have devices that require no cables at all? Wireless technology is already here, and numerous devices can be charged just by proximity without the need for a cable. So why hasn’t it taken off and why is it not adopted across all electronic devices?
Sadly, wireless charging technology, while existent and convenient, has limitations that will keep power cables relevant for a while.
Wireless charging is often less efficient than wired charging since it relies on electromagnetic fields to transfer energy, and some of that energy is lost as heat during the process. Wired charging delivers power directly, so it’s faster and more efficient.
The precise alignment required between the device and the charging pad is annoying and only works over very short distances. Cables, on the other hand, give you flexibility and you can use your device while charging without needing to keep it perfectly positioned.
And then of course there’s the cost. Wireless charging capability increases manufacturing costs. You need coils, shielding, and extra circuitry, which isn’t always worth it for budget devices or manufacturers looking to keep prices down. Cables are cheap, simple, and universal.
Lots of devices require more power than current wireless tech can reliably deliver. High-wattage wireless systems exist in labs, but they’re not practical or safe for widespread consumer use yet. Cables, as we know, handle high power safely, with ease and efficiency.
Then there’s the issue of compatibility. Not all devices support the same wireless charging standards, and even compatible ones might not work with every charger. USB-C or other wired standards are more universally adopted, making cables a safer bet for broad compatibility.
Unfortunately, wireless charging still generates too much heat. For starters, this degrades batteries over time and causes problems with performance. Wired charging, while obviously not immune to heat issues, used direct power delivery which minimizes heat and is still safer of course as there is less of a fire hazard.
For the foreseeable future, we will be using cables because they’re reliable, fast, and cost-effective. It’s not that wireless technology doesn’t exist, but that cables are still simply still more practical.
That said, wireless charging is advancing and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We will eventually see wireless charging with longer ranges and higher power in the future. We just need to hang on a bit longer.
