Apple Looking At Solar iPods May 27, 2008

Read more Apple , Digital Audio , Gadgets , MP3 , Mobile Devices , Music , Peripherals , Technology , iPod

New patent applications lodged by Apple reveal that the company is looking into using solar power for its future iPods and other portable devices.

There’s no shortage of dedicated solar-powered chargers out there to keep your iPod juiced for that bit longer but, integrating solar panels into the devices would be very useful indeed – provided it worked.

Apple is taking a novel approach, according to the patent application seen by MacRumors, by sticking the solar panels behind the LCD display – instead of trying to mount them outside on the body of the device.

Motorola filed a similar patent for panels located behind displays back in 2001.

Some of the reasons solar-powered devices are not more common - apart from crappy weather - is that the panels take up a lot of room on the outside of a device and can be easily damaged. If it works, iPods, iPhones and other devices could house solar panels without impacting on Apple’s precious designs. -Martin Lynch

[MacRumors]

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