Apple solar patent wants a sunny display light to your Sunny (De)light

Let’s begin with the same old disclaimer: Apple patent applications don’t mean the outlandish technology could be arriving within the next iPhone, just that somebody in a Cupertino basement cooked it up during a marathon “imagining” session (possibly while enjoying a fab glass of purple stuff). The company’s latest drawings-and-charts masterpiece concerns the development and site of photovoltaic cells and, more importantly, using the sun’s energy to light up a display. With the aid of a mirror pointed on the sky, you can reflect some rays toward your screen to supplement an LED backlight, or by turning the head lid of your Macbook right into a solar panel. Although we are able to see one minor drawback in using solar powered backlighting — when you’ve got to indicate your display toward the sun, you’re gonna need some powerful shades .