Apple’s product line remains popular as ever, especially with the anticipated release of the iPhone 5. Their products have been heavily protected as the company has remained quite litigious, prosecuting and defending its smartphone technology patents to the point where they are involved in IP litigation all over the world.
The news as of late has switched from Apple’s patent litigation to Apple’s patent applications. According to the International Business Times,
Apple has filed two patent applications related to Fuel Cell batteries, hoping to develop and launch technology that allows its devices including the iPhone, iPad tablet, and laptop computers like the MacBook go weeks without a battery charge.
Apple’s devices are reported to drain a lot of battery life because of the simultaneous running of multiple applications and programs. The Fuel Cell battery would allow for a much more extended battery life for the devices using them. The International Business Times reports,
Because fuel cells can store massive amounts of energy compared to traditional electronic batteries and are capable of using less space with proper design Apple hopes to develop technology that is both space and cost efficient to power its devices in a radical new way.
Critics of the patent applications (one for the Fuel Cell battery system and the other for using the Fuel Cell battery to recharge another battery) claim that the patents are obvious, not novel, and essentially block out any competitors from attempting to develop their own Fuel Cell battery technology.
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