A new inside report has revealed that Apple is developing its own next-generation battery technology that could bring a massive upgrade to all of its products from 2025.
The news
A supply chain report this week states that Apple “is developing a next-generation battery with the goal of commercialization in 2025.”
ET News reports that Apple is working on a new battery project and “directly participating in the development” of battery materials such as the anode and cathode materials. The report says its aim is “to develop a completely new battery with significantly improved performance compared to the existing one.”
Why it matters
Every mobile Apple product on the market, from its iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBooks, and the all-new Vision Pro headset relies on battery power, and battery life remains the single biggest limitation of every portable electronic device.
Inside the supply chain
According to the report, Apple is pursuing a new composition of anode and cathode materials “that is completely different from the existing one” in order to improve battery performance, specifically energy density, output, and stability. The report also adds that Apple is considering using carbon nanotubes as a conductive material to improve performance. As the report notes, these CNTs are an emerging battery-conductive material that “can produce excellent performance even in smaller amounts than existing conductive materials. In another upgrade, Apple has reportedly overcome the problem of silicon in batteries expanding during charging.
In context
One possible driver behind this development is the Apple Car, and it’s noted in the report that Apple could well be trying to develop new batteries for an electric vehicle. We know of one major Apple battery innovation already coming in 2025. Earlier this year Apple announced its plans to use 100 percent recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries, a significant strand of its bid to go carbon neutral by 2030. If Apple is making wholesale changes to battery sustainability, it makes sense that it’s also working on performance.
iMore’s take
Every mobile device Apple makes revolves around the battery. It dictates not only how long you can use a device for on a single charge, but also how powerful it can be, and how many features it can offer. There is, of course, no world in which we wouldn’t like to see battery life improvements to all of Apple’s best iPhones, iPads, and more. Perhaps the most interesting proposition is a better battery life for a future Apple Vision Pro headset. The spatial computing device, slated for a launch early next year, only has a battery life of two hours despite sporting an external battery pack. With big restrictions on weight and thermal performance in a headset, and performance Apple can eke out of a battery would be welcome in the VR space, and I don’t doubt that if Apple is cooking up some major battery improvements down the road, Vision Pro could be one of the greatest beneficiaries. Not to mention that an Apple battery developed in-house could bring with it cost savings that could be passed on to the user.
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