Shelly Palmer Radio Report – February 5, 2014

Could your next iPhone come loaded with solar charging capabilities? If a recent report is to be believed, your future iPhone might get a little extra juice from the sun. Apple recently began trial production of iPhones featuring sapphire glass displays, which help increase the durability of the screen. But these screens may also include tiny solar panels that would help charge your iPhone’s battery through solar power. Apple has received a wide variety of patents on solar charging capabilities for computer and mobile devices in the past year that describe ways to charge laptops, smartphones and tablets battery through solar cells. Some of Apple’s other recent moves – including looking to hire employees with solar experience and buying cutting-edge lasers – also seem to point to a future featuring solar-charging iDevices. Nothing’s been confirmed yet – and the next iPhone probably won’t launch until this fall – but adding in a new feature like this would represent the biggest change from one iPhone to the next in years.