A report by The Daily Mail claims Apple may be partnering with fuel cell firm Intelligent Energy to develop fuel cell technology to power future models of MacBooks and other mobile devices.
While the tabloid does not have a strong rumor track record, fuel cells have long been discussed as a possible energy source for portable electronics and there are a few interesting pieces of information linked to the report.
Intelligent Energy has revealed that it purchased patents for mobile fuel cell technology from Eveready in association with a “Major international electronics company.”
While IE has kept secret the identity of its partner, a Daily Mail source, “who has knowledge of the partnership,” claims Apple is the big name firm working with IE.
Apple certainly has experience with fuel cell technology, owning patents that describe the use of fuel cell technology in powering portable devices, as well as using the technology on a larger scale to help power its corporate headquarters and its data center, located in Maiden, NC.
Intelligent Energy already has ties to Apple, as former Apple executive Joe O’Sullivan was hired as it Chief Operating Officer back in 2011. O’Sullivan spent 15 years in operations at Apple, and was responsible for managing the introduction of the original iMac.
