Apple may be leaping ahead with miniature solar cells for iPods and MacBooks
Apple’s patents always generate a lot of buzz, and for good reason. Whether the folks at Apple are busy patenting the shape of the iPod, right down to the click wheel, to prevent anyone else from making a similar device or some small facet of a larger design, the company’s patent list is a good indicator of the direction new devices are taking.
This means that the patent filed for solar power augmentation has generated a lot of buzz among the eco friendly set. Apple is often in the hot seat with green tech believers for being late to jump on the green bandwagon, but in this case, the company may be first.
By filing a patent to put a solar cell inside its portable devices they are tackling the issue of battery life from the back end, and keeping the planet in mind. Rather than depend on slow to develop fuel cell technology, Apple is choosing to look into to ways to harness the sun to give users that extra music or computing time on the go.
The nice thing about a solar cell as a solution to the ongoing problem of power in mobile devices is that it takes up little space. It is something a user can benefit from without having to lug around an extra battery or switch to a bulky new technology still in its infancy. Solar power has been harnessed for years now, this is just the cusp of applying it to small scale applications.
Apple may have tapped into something important with this patent. We desperately need power solutions that use alternative fuels and ecologically sound sources of power, and a miniature solar cell would definitely accomplish that. Couple it with one of the solar powered laptop bags and you may reduce your plugged in time dramatically in future. I’ll be keeping an eye on this patent to see if they carry it through.
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