iOS 9.1 code shows Li-Fi wireless capability for iPhones
iOS 9.3 is on the way, but the update number implies that iOS 9.1 and iOS 9.2 will come before. When looking into iOS 9.1, though, Apple appears to be on the verge of some groundbreaking technology for future iPhones. One such new cutting-edge technology that Apple seems to be flirting with at the moment is Li-Fi, or “light fidelity,” as opposed to the commonly-known wireless fidelity or “WiFi.”
New code within iOS 9.1 shows something Apple calls “LiFi Capability” planted within it — referring to a new technology that takes light and transmits it into wireless signals that provide internet connections for mobile devices. Li-Fi can take light emitted from light bulbs and use it to provide an internet connection for your tablet, smartphone, laptop, or desktop computer. Li-Fi is fairly new right now, but it has the potential to outlast Wi-Fi in the long term. Li-Fi can provide high Internet speeds up to 224 Gigabits per second, outrunning current Gigabit Wi-Fi speeds.
Li-Fi proposes an interesting way to experience the Internet of the future, but Li-Fi also brings up connections to technology currently in existence. For example, a number of manufacturers are toying around with wireless, solar-powered devices that draw their battery charge from room lights and indoor lighting, rather than from battery plug-ins. Li-Fi, in this regard, would not only provide Internet service but also work as a natural charging agent — recharging your mobile device(s) while providing Internet, all at the same time. Additionally, Apple may be experimenting with a way to add Li-Fi capability to the iPhone without having to add anything to its current form factor and design. A camera image sensor could be used to not only capture images but also light, from which Li-Fi could work.