Terry from Omaha is quite the deep thinker. No windows in your home Terry?

Bill , KI, USA

And soon we expect Microsoft to respond by bringing forward a new idea.
This is expected to be a further bit of bloatware, adding a new whizzy bit to "Word"
Oooo I can't wait.

This idea of Apple might or might not work, but at least it is an attempt to move the product forward.

Tom Taylor-Duxbury, Ludlow, UK

Fiona in Cartagena, those milk carton shaped watches can be tricky can't they?

C Heathcote, Tonbridge,

I would be surprised if it could power itself even if you didn't use it as a phone through solar power. Ourdoors at 1pm on a clear summer day you'd probably be lucky to be generating half a watt of power with a panel that size. It just gets worse from there.

Bob Jones, Chicago, IL, USA

I have had an eco-drive watch for six years and it is excellent. I even put it in the fridge for a few days by accident and it wasn´t harmed. Hope Apple can introduce the new terchnology soon.

Fiona Pitt-Kethley, cartagena, spain

Solar cells can be effectively charged by exposure to passive ambient light (i.e. indoors), so need to irrationally fear solar energy.

Sometimes "different" really is better.

Stephen , Vancouver, Canada

Didn't Citizen do this with their Eco-Drive watches years ago?

Paul , London,

I just wonder why people have an impression that solar panels are converting heat energy to electrical energy. They are converting the light energy! No need to expose the gadget to the sun. Even the permeating light in a room is suffice.

Abbiji, Kottayam, India

It's about time to take advantage of the energy from the sun. What has taken these engineers so long for them to see the light?

Wilyum, Romulus, usa

It's about time to take advantage of the use of energy from the sun. What has taken these engineers so long to see the light?

Wilyum, Romulus,

So, exactly how does this work? You would leave your I-product laying out in the sun to charge up? No problem there with stealing. If you have to be out in the sun with it so it charges aren't you exposed to the sun's rays. Isn't that unhealthy? All this to save using your charger?

Terry, Omaha, USA

"What if you're well north of the Arctic Circle in the middle of winter? How are you going to charge your phone with the sun then?"

I think if you're well north of the Arctic Circle in the middle of winter and you don't have a satellite phone not an i-phone, you'd better be a polar bear...

Dan, London, UK

MIght I suggest calling it the Apple Onan

Andrew, JHB, South Africa

I am skeptical that this invention will be implemented. Even if you live in the Sahara (or Phoenix) the energy a 2.4 by 4.5 inch solar cell can generate is not enough to run an iPOD. But then again, in an emergency this might save a life, but only if you are say stuck in the desert.

Hayes, smallville,

I think all those who go all misty eyed at the mention of solar panels should be informed of the large amount of energy and toxic chemical that go into manufacturing solar panels which in reality produce puny amounts of power.

Andrew, JHB, South Africa

>>At the risk of stating the obvious, who in the world is going to leave their $400 iPhone out in the sun<<

You don't leave a device in sun. Solar panels will charge during overcast days. All you have to do is use the device while it's daylight out, and you can lengthen the time between charges.

Lemmy Caution, Chicago, USA

I'd leave my Iphone out in the Sun - at my desk, with the sun shining through the window - at home - on my window sill with sunshine coming through,. Awesome idea!

Slick, Denver, USA

People often forget that a for profit company is really for profit or loss company. In fact, more businesses lose money than make money. So if they take the risk they should get the reward. And they have earned the right to protect it so some loafer can't just steal it.

Earnie Buczkiezc, NY, USA

What if you're well north of the Arctic Circle in the middle of winter? How are you going to charge your phone with the sun then?

Chris Knight, Reidsville, NC, USA

Mr Petts, if you came up with this idea in your workshop in rural England and Apple came along and copied it, would you not mind losing out?

Since I was a schoolboy calculators were powered sat on desks - Apple R&D no doubt aim to develop panels which can charge the iPhone - this is not sci-fi.

Jonny, Newcastle, England

Patents are a way to guarantee that research and innovation are rewarded. Without them the reward for bringing something like this to market quickly may not be large enough to warrant the effort that it takes to do so.

Clint Morrell, Tallahassee, United States

At the risk of stating the obvious, who in the world is going to leave their $400 iPhone out in the sun? Who in the world who can afford an iPhone even SEES the sun?

Chris, Rockville, USA

I fail to see a link between this product & abolishing patents. Why is it bad that Apple will profit & control its own product? Why should they allow others to profit on what they researched & developed? Read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand! Individual profit & competition is the only way to prosperity.

G. Pedersen, Los Angeles, USA

why is this a good example of why patents ought to be abolished. Sounds like a great idea that ought to be protected by a patent. In fact, even if it's a bad idea, the owner of the idea ought to be able to protect his invention!

Gregory Hobbs, Louisville, KY, USA

Of course you wouldn't leave this phone out in public just as you wouldn't leave your current phone.

You would place it in a area in your office, hotel or home for example where it could be charged via solar. Like on a window sill. I think it's a forward looking idea.

Paul, NYC, USA

Umm... do you really think that Apple would have spent the time and money to develop this technology if they couldn't patent it?

Brian, New York,

Intereseting concept, but it's hard to imagine how a solar cell would generate enough power for Iphone. Plus when is someone going to leave their iphone in the sun long enough..

Charles, San Diego,

No, this is a good reason for patents. This gives Apple a reason to innovate and differenciate their product from others and possible pay for the hard work and ingenuity they put into the device. Without a patent, some other company would use the technology and not have to pay for the research.

Dave, Atlanta, USA

I concur with Mr. Petts. I am a patent attorney in New York and am leaving the field come this Friday. I am pretty disgusted by what is granted and what is entailed in the rights

Lance Hardwood, New York,

Yes, lets abolish patents so companies will have no desire to develop new technologies. I forget how well this worked in the soviet system, oh yes, they were decades behind the west!

Donald, Denver, USA

James E Petts,

Err, yes. An excellent idea - because that would really improve incentives to invest in new technologies wouldn't it?

Richard, Bogota, Colombia

Why is this an example of why patents ought be abolished? With out the incentive to make money, who would risk the time and money to create such a thing?

Rob, indianapolis, USA

Why should patents be abolished? I think that for a patent to be granted it would be contingent on having a workable product, not solely based on an idea. If I have invested my time/money to develop a product, why shouldn't I have some legal protection from having someone come in and steal it?

John, Tampa, FL, USA

Just because a company files a patent application does NOT mean they will make the product. It has to be profitable and safe. Also, don't expect to see this anytime soon.

Pat Atty, Houston, TX, USA

JE Petts, Why? So that companies can't make money out of developing new ideas, so don't bother?? I agree patents need to be restrictively used as they potentially stifle competition and create monopolies (albeit temporary), but abolition? Not so much.

Paul, Cambridge, UK

Excuse me James, but could you explain why patents should be abolished based on this example? Patents are: The guarantee of the right of freedom from compulsion of other individuals as it pertains to ones private intellectual properties. Please explain to me why patents are bad.

Jeremy, Dallas, United States

Abolished for what reason? So that these types of technology aren't developed?

Matt, Chicago, US

This will work well in Phoenix nothing like leaving your phone out in a 135 degree car to absorb a few photons and coming back later to a melted pile of goo. Hopefully indoor flourescent / incandescent lighting will suffice.

B. Smith, Phoenix, USA

What if you live in Cleveland?

Kent Ramsay, Aurora, United States

Instead, they should patent the sun.

Victor Misek, Hudson, NH, US

Completely agree this is something that could many energy issues around the world... why limit this to one companies idea if it benefits are limitless.

Daniel P Hodous, Riverside, USA

Call me crazy, but I would not leave or phone out in the open. Someone could easily steal the device or more likely, I would forget about it all together.

Denis, Palo Alto, USA

This is a good example of why patents ought be abolished.

James E. Petts, Burnham, England