Dive Brief:

• Dell's Latitude 7285 laptop went on sale Tuesday, which the company says is the world's first laptop that can charge wirelessly, according to the announcement. 
• To make the wireless charging work, users need a wireless charging keyboard and wireless charging mat, both sold separately.
• THe Latitude 7285 is part of Dell's line up of 2-in-1s, which are geared toward businesses that want a "PC first, tablet second," according to the company. 

Dive Insight:

There’s a lot of interest in technology that can enable wireless charging for phones, PCs and other devices. But Dell’s new laptop needs to be charged wherever the wireless charging mat is located and the wireless charging mat still must be connected via cable to a power outlet. 

In other words, it’s just like the technology already available to charge smartphones wirelessly today, which still ties users to electrical outlets.

While the new laptop from Dell doesn’t quite yet allow workers to ditch all the cords and achieve true freedom, it does move computing in that direction. Eventually, wireless charging devices have the potential to reshape how enterprises connect by freeing workers from cords.

But the tech still has a long way to go before it works as businesses envision. Apple is apparently planning to integrate wireless charging capabilities into the next iPhone, but has reportedly been struggling to make the technology work.  Meanwhile, startup UBeam is working on charging multiple devices over the air using ultrasound waves with some success, though the company says its still at least a year away from commercialization.