If you thought that hydrogen power was a technology reserved for cars,the time comes to refresh your thought. The technology has long been touted as a potential power source for cleaner cars. Electronics manufacturers also have shown growing interest in replacing batteries that rely on toxic chemicals with hydrogen fuels cells that would last longer and produce only water as a by-product. Two recent patent applications by Apple indicate the company is looking at developing a hydrogen fuel cell system to complement the rechargeable batteries in a "portable computing device" - which could refer to Apple's range of mobile iDevices, its MacBook range of notebooks - or both. The applications say the technology could potentially power portable electronic devices for "days or even weeks,".One of Apple's patent applications says its fuel cell design would be capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery, which "eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system, which can significantly reduce the size, weight and cost of the fuel cell system.
Since batteries are widely considered an impediment to smartphone development due to their bulky size and relatively short power supply, it's not surprising that Apple is eying an alternative. But because hydrogen is widely regarded as an alternative fuel for cars, the technology might make some people wonder about how it will be used to power small devices. For instance, a necessary byproduct of hydrogen fuel technology is water discharge.
Another major advantage of hydrogen power over batteries is that it's more environmentally friendly. Green-minded electronics manufacturers have long considered batteries an unfortunate necessity because the batteries involve toxic chemicals. Batteries can also be troublesome to recycle
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