Apple Round-Up: Battery Back-Up Chargers

Apple's power bricks have always been more elegant than many competitors' black, ugly, bulky efforts (a strange thing to say about such a utilitarian object, but then this is Apple with a penchant for end-to-end design we're talking about). A new patent suggests Apple's been taking a leaf out of HyperMac's book--the firm used to sell battery extender packs for Macs that used MagSafe connectors to give you more computing time when on the road, but then Apple's legal team got on the case. Now Apple's realized that a little emergency battery reserve could be useful, and that a more elegant way to effect the same solution is to put a battery in the power brick because it's something you carry with you anyway, and such a system wouldn't need to to lug an extra peripheral in your bag.

And how about trickle top-up charges for that battery from a built-in solar cell? Makes good sense.