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Apple Said to Be Working with Intelligent Energy on Fuel Cell Technology for Portable Devices

Monday July 14, 2014 10:08 am PDT by Kelly Hodgkins
ie-fuel-cellFuel cell firm Intelligent Energy may be partnering with Apple to introduce fuel cell technology into future MacBooks and other mobile devices claims a report in The Daily Mail. While the tabloid does not have a strong rumor track record, fuel cells have long been discussed as a possible energy source for portable electronics and there are a few interesting pieces of information linked to the report.

Intelligent Energy recently revealed it purchased patents for mobile fuel cell technology from Eveready in association with a major international electronics company. Though the partner company is not revealed in any public filings, the Daily Mail's sources claim the mystery company is Apple.
Intelligent Energy revealed upon floating that it bought a bundle of patents in tandem with a major ‘international electronics company’.

It has kept the identity of its partner a closely-guarded secret. But a source, who has knowledge of the partnership, confirmed that Apple is the big name working with the Loughborough-based firm.
Intelligent Energy already has ties to Apple, hiring former Apple executive Joe O’Sullivan to serve as its Chief Operating Officer in late 2011. O'Sullivan spent 15 years in operations at Apple, and managed the introduction of the original iMac.

Apple is no stranger to fuel cell technology, filing a pair of patents in 2010 and 2011 that describe the use of the technology in portable computing devices. The Cupertino company also uses fuel cells on a large scale to help power its corporate headquarters and its Maiden, North Carolina data center.

[ 95 comments ]


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the8thark
59 months ago

But how thin are they?


This thin.

Rating: 26 Votes
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dnlklr
59 months ago
If Apple solves the battery life problem with a crazy leap forward like this then people will finally shut up about the post-jobs innovation problem
Rating: 9 Votes
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pollaxe
59 months ago
The Daily Mail is known more colloquially as The Daily Fail on this side of the pond so I'm not sure how much faith I'd put in any of their reports, alas.

Very interesting if there is any truth to this, of course.
Rating: 9 Votes
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Graemezee
59 months ago
The Daily Mail is renowned for making up anything that supports its agenda, anything that toxic publication produces should be viewed a healthy dose of scepticism
Rating: 8 Votes
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agsystems
59 months ago

But how thin are they?


thin enough that the benefit will get wasted when Apple shrinks their products even more.....
Rating: 7 Votes
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sulpfiction
59 months ago
Its gonna be while before we see this.
Rating: 5 Votes
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sulpfiction
59 months ago

"Fuel cell firm Intelligent Energy may be partnering with Apple."

The key here is that a company called Intelligent Energy already has fuel cell technology and intends to use them with portable devices, Apple wants to apply this technology to their own products. Apple isn't innovating anything here.

All that is happening "post-jobs" is still promoting a myth that Apple actually innovates and not just adapts other people's technology into their products.


So what you're saying is that Apple has to totally invent the technology in order to be innovative? :rolleyes:
Rating: 4 Votes
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Edsel
59 months ago

But then what will the trolls complain about?


...not having a miniaturized wind turbine to power the iPad.
Rating: 4 Votes
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sulpfiction
59 months ago

If Apple solves the battery life problem with a crazy leap forward like this then people will finally shut up about the post-jobs innovation problem


Apple (assuming this is true) will not be leaping into this technology by any means. It'll be a long, slow, "baby steps" progression. It's not gonna be some keynote shocker that shows up in a macbook in the next year or 2.
Rating: 3 Votes
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Frizers
59 months ago
Sorry to be that guy but 99% of the contents of the Daily Mail is unsubstantiated rumour...
Rating: 3 Votes

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