According to The Atlantic, Apple recently submitted patent applications for a new system that could attach miniature solar panels onto their iPod and iPhone products to charge them without the need to plug anything into a power source.
The article went on to estimate that a solar paneled iPod could receive about 1.2 watts per hour, less than the 5 watts per hour it receives from a standard charger.
Lending more credence to the idea that Apple products were going solar was the recent announcement by China-based New Energy Systems Group that it had signed a $3 million distribution agreement with distributor A-Solar to sell solar mobile chargers for a series of iPhone and iPod models in the U.S. and Europe.
"While we still have significant growth opportunities within China, we are also aggressively pursuing business outside of China, which is something we have not historically done," said Fushun Li, CEO of New Energy. "We believe A- Solar's decision to partner with us further validates the strength and breadth of our product line. This is the first agreement we have signed with A-Solar and we look forward to expanding our relationship with them in the future."
New Energy added that it expects to see $3 million in sales as part of the agreement.
