Apple appears to be working on longer life batteries

Hallelujah! Who hasn't warily watched an iPhone, laptop or iPad battery indicator slowly fading into oblivion? It looks like Apple is doing research into techniques that would keep lithium batteries running longer without making them larger.

AppleInsider found an Apple patent filing called "Increasing Energy Density in Rechargeable Lithium Battery Cells," that uses a method called "multi-step constant-current constant-voltage (CC-CV) charging technique." Sounds good to me if it works. Apple believes such a space saving battery could allow for more features in portable devices or better capacity.

The patents also describe new charging methods that would minimize the degrading of battery output over time. Maybe Apple will produce some kind of flux capacitor. I'd really like one of those. Anyway, kudos to Apple if it pulls this off. No one will complain about more battery power and increased battery longevity.

[via AppleInsider]