The recent announcements of new smartphones from Apple (the iPhone 5) and Nokia (the Lumia 820 and 920) each have different relevance for manufacturers of custom cable solutions – particularly when it comes to powering the handsets. Apple have famously shunned wireless charging, meaning their new figurehead handset must still be tethered to a mains socket to recharge its battery. Nokia, meanwhile, have given customers the choice over whether to use wired or wireless charging, with built-in wireless charging in the Nokia Lumia 920, and an optional backplate to enable it in the Nokia Lumia 820. Some reports say that Apple deliberately avoided wireless charging because the mat on which the phone is placed needs to be plugged in anyway – a short-sighted view, in light of the prospects for public charging points in airport lounges and coffee shops. Either way, there’s a whole new generation of custom cables to be made, particularly for manufacturers of charging accessories for this new generation of smartphones. Whether that means cables to connect to the mains, adaptors to allow the iPhone 5 to work with existing iPhone accessories (in light of the altered design of the dock connector) or just funky cables to connect wireless charging pads, UK cable manufacturers will be ready to create designs as the new handsets hit the market.