FollowThe iPhone is popular all over the world and is in fact the single largest selling mobile phone in the United States. The number of Apps and other features loaded in this smartphone make it an ideal choice. However, users of smartphones will agree that the common problem faced by most of them is the low to average battery life of these phones. Apple has come up with a possible solution to this problem.
Recently a patent application from Apple was published by the US Patent and Trademark office for solar paneled technology which is designed for devices having small screens, like iPods or iPhones. This “integrated touch sensor and solar assembly” will involve the integration of social cells into a touch screen with the use of electrodes which can do double duty both as a touch sensor and a solar cell.
According to the vision of the company, and as stated in the patent application, this technology is especially meant for handheld devives like media player or phone. Along with the images of iPods of different sizes, the patent application also carries an image of a screen that is the right size for an iPad.
If this technology is applied successfully, iPhone and iPod users will be able to use solar energy to charge their devices. The Cupertino, California, company has applied for four more solar power patents in the past few years. Although this kind of technology looks like a good alternative to finding an electrical socket for your smartphone, it cannot be expected to become a reality soon.
Just because they have applied for a patent does not mean that Apple will actually make a go of it yet. At the same time, solar technology has not been very promising in general because of the high production costs it entails.
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