I don't see this as "piffle" at all, In fact, it's great to have the option. I just ordered the new Google Pixel phone and one of my major purchase decisions came down to the fact it has wireless charging built-in (my current phone doesn't).
I'm a reasonably heavy user of my phone so it's not unusual to have to charge it at least once throughout the day. Whether or not you use USB-C or Apple Lightning ports, they will eventually wear out, become loose, fill with dust, whatever. Sure, if I need a quick charge, I'll be plugging it in, but for the most part, I'll be using the wireless charging pad beside my bed when I go to sleep at night. It's sitting there for 6-8 hours, so I really don't care how slowly it charges.
Not having a charging cable dropped on the floor after I wake up is another advantage for me, which means the robotic vacuum will no longer get stuck after it wraps the damn thing up in the cleaning brushes.
Then there is the dreaded "moisture warning" which halts charging if moisture is detected in the port. Whether you're the type of person who uses their phone in wet weather, around swimming pools or just takes it in to the bathroom while showering/bathing, this is another excellent use-case for wireless charging.
Wireless charging is just another option for consumers. I'd rather have it than not. It's far from a gimmick and has actual legitimate uses.
As was the case with NFC, about 7 years ago, and how (mainly) the Android ✌️“Community”✌️obsessed over it just for the sake of doing so (and using it as a reason to deride Apple for not implementing it 🙄), it seems like another fad wave which the net is riding, and apart from the ✌️“”inconvenience”✌️(? 🤣🤨) of plugging in a wire, what is the benefit?
To address your comments about NFC, it's an industry standard and has only grown to be more popular. Sure the whole "sharing files by touching phones" thing was a bit gimmicky, but the applications for NFC are far beyond that.
I used to keep my bank cards on my phone as a "backup" to my physical plastic cards in my wallet. But I'm now shifting entirely to using NFC on my phone. Whether it's payment for $1 or $10,000, the use of cash in Australia is significantly less than card payments (I haven't touched cash in over 10 years). Then there are other applications such as NFC-based hotel room keys and building access. To enter the building at work, I use my phone. Same as getting to work: Public transport, whether it be bus, train, ferry, tram are all based on the same NFC-based system. Here, we also have digital drivers licences, so for me, I really have no need to carry a physical wallet or plastic cards anymore.
Wallets can be lost and I don't fancy anyone who would pick mine up to know where I live or be able to spend money from my bank account. Having everything on my phone means it's secure and only I can access it, even if I lose my phone.
Then there are NFC-based hardware security keys. I use my YubiKey a lot for multi-factor authentication.