![\"solar](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mikeservis.com\/images\/apple.JPG?w=640\")
\nEver since the two Steves — Jobs and Wozniack — created Apple Computers, they\u2019ve been in the \u2018disruptive technology\u2019 game, introducing personal computers that turned the world on its ear. Then came the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, all revolutionary mobile devices built around Apple\u2019s legendary user-friendly interface. But the one thing that they also shared in common was their need to plug into the grid to recharge their batteries.
\nThat may be about to change, it\u2019s being rumored. Apple has won several patents recently on charging their i-devices using solar energy, something Samsung has already done with at least four of their products. The speculation is that the company will soon introduce solar-powered products that, at a minimum, extend the operating life of the battery, or better yet, will never need to be plugged in; just put your iPhone in a sunny place and let free photons do the recharging. It\u2019s being suggested by Katie Fehrenbacher that this could \u201crevolutionize solar\u201d because Apple builds, through its Asian contractor, tens of millions of mobile devices every year and that kind of clout will drive down the price of PV. Maybe. But our inclination is that projects like Roadrunner (page 8) will do that too. The real Apple solar \u2018revolution\u2019 will be the introduction of solar electricity to those millions of Apple customers, putting PV technology in their hands, perhaps for the very first time. That could be solar power\u2019s \u2018tipping point.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"