The sun may be in your iPhone battery's future. Yesterday, Apple
received Patent No. 7,868,582 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office for powering electronics partially with solar power. The
patent, which was originally filed in 2009, describes a system
of using a solar panel for charging different portable devices,
including a notebook computer, tablet, phone, or other handheld
gadget. It specifically deals with converting the power from a
solar panel to meet the power requirements of electronics. The
system includes a voltage converter that ensures the available
solar power can be converted and used to recharge batteries. The
solar panel could either be embedded in the device or be
removable, according to the patent. Although Apple has not yet
released any solar-powered gadgets, it's clear that the company
is interested in letting people use sunlight to charge when they
can't get to an AC outlet. It's the fourth patent that Apple has
received related to solar power, according to Patently Apple.
There are