The first in what will most likely be a long line of rumors related to the iPhone 6 claims that Apple will make good on several patents related to solar recharging for the iPhone 6.
The notion of a solar charging feature on an iPhone is nothing new; in fact, there are plenty of third-party options out there (like the one pictured above) that give users the ability to charge their iPhone battery with the sun’s rays. None of these products, however, are considered to be viable enough to foster mainstream appeal, and for the most part, solar charging arrays for the iPhone tend to be used more as emergency, last-ditch-effort features for giving just a bit of juice to a dead iPhone.
A new rumor, however, suggests that Apple will change the face of solar charging for smartphones next year by implementing well-establish patents for an iPhone 6 battery that will feature a solar charging panel that actually works.
Apple had in Feb 2013 received patents for its innovation in using solar panels in portable devices, like the iPhone 6. The technology was an integrated touch sensor with a solar panel. This technology allows Apple to “stack-up” touch sensors on top of solar cell layers.The report comes by way of the Australian version of IBT. Author Sachin Trivedi writes:
The electrodes on the integrated panel can be used for both collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array. The integration, according to the patent, will save surface area on the device. Can we expect this on the iPhone 6?
There are a couple of obstacles regarding this report, namely, that the patent is quite new, having been approved less than a year ago. Typically, we’ve observed that Apple patents often take years to “cure,” and even more often, never emerge on an actual iPhone or iPad. In the case of the aforementioned solar panel/touch sensor array, it’s hard to conflate that functionality with what Apple has going on right now with the iPhone 5s. Having just debuted its first Touch I.D., where and how this newfangled solar panel-turned-touch-sensor remains to be seen.
Another problem is the charge factor.
The ever-increasing battery drain of high-performance hardware on the iPhone suggests that the iPhone 6 will need even more juice than the current iPhone 5s. This will especially be the case if the iPhone 6 has an even bigger screen and the implementation of iWallet, which will prompt the device to communicate more frequently via NFC. NFC takes up battery juice.
Solar power continues to be a novel energy source for small mobile devices. Apple for its part will have to dramatically improve upon existing solar technologies in order to make such a small surface like the back of the iPhone 6 soak up enough energy to make the technology viable.
Of course, Apple might jump at the opportunity to brand the iPhone 6 as “green” as a sales pivot for the device. In spite of the fact that the iPhone has a relatively low energy footprint, Apple might include a solar charging feature just as a means of selling more iPhones. But whether or not solar charging is an actual “good” idea for the iPhone 6 still remains to be seen.
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