Batteries are working hard these days, and they are often overlooked during the design process as they add mass, thickness, and heat to the final product. This oversight is especially apparent with Apple’s iPhones as one of the main selling points and appointed features is the slim, sleek design. Because of this, iPhones have always had a reputation of having iffy battery life at best, but Apple seems to be working on rejuvenating their take on batteries. This move might impact the entire industry, as Apple has a history of setting new trends for its competitors. However, since the battery technology we know of today is slowly reaching its peak in terms of theoretical efficiency, Apple might need to look elsewhere to improve upon it. Improving Battery Capacity by Giving It More Room? Since there is so much to improve relative battery capacity, it is possible to improve it in an absolute manner by simply allocating more space within the phone to the battery unit itself. However, this change would be another controversial topic since smartphones already get packed as tightly as humanly possible if it weren’t for the so-called IPD chips. These chips have been around for a while but were exclusive to specialty hardware such as medical equipment, hearing aids, wearable heart rate monitors, and similar, where saving space is the key priority. The acronym stands for Integrated Passive Device, and it is an upcoming concept that will enable peripheral chips to be significantly smaller overall, allowing room for the expansion of batteries. With this approach, Apple might develop a solution for iPhone’s and iPad’s battery drain, which is notoriously strong, especially during gaming sessions. Timing for this move might be perfect as gaming on mobile devices becomes increasingly popular, especially with HTML5 allowing for even more choices with embedded online gaming and betting. A typical casino gaming website nowadays features a lot of content that can get accessed for free and at any point in time, so having that extra bit of battery oomph will undoubtedly come in handy. IPD’s Impact on the Industry Apple’s IPD implementation into the manufacturing of iPhones and iPads will provide another level to design optimization which aligns with the current market’s demands. By pinpointing the issue itself, lackluster battery life, Apple will make the iPhone nearly perfect if the concept reaches their expectations. Since the IPD technology has been around for some time, other manufacturers might take the hint and take the same route. However, repairability scores might take hits as IPDs are tailor-made to fit that specific device. There is a strong case that a peripheral component that would otherwise be compatible between two machines might no longer be compatible. A possible outcome would be higher prices for peripheral parts that are linked with a single device exclusively. Still, when considering the final product in its respect, the benefits certainly outweigh the cons.
