Two new patents show Apple getting into the energy tracking game, killing power brick

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http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/01/mac-ac-adapter-20100118-200.jpg (http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220100010857%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20100010857&RS=DN/20100010857)Apple may already be the favored child of Greenpeace (http://www.engadget.com/tag/greenpeace,apple) and platform of choice for eco-minded gadgetistas worldwide, but it isn't resting on its laurels. The company looks like it's pondering an entrance into the home automation/energy tracking markets, filing for a pair of patents that would enable devices to register their power usage and communicate with each other using HomePluge Alliance (http://www.engadget.com/tag/homeplug) standards. Users would be able to monitor the charging status of connected devices and delay their charges to occur during off-peak hours. There's even a new type of plug that could internally perform AC/DC conversions and automatically provide the appropriate amount of juice to any supporting device. The end of the ubiquitous power brick? Sounds nice, but something tells us it'll be a few decades before we can reclaim that precious space in our carry-ons.Two new patents show Apple getting into the energy tracking game, killing power bricks (http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/18/two-new-patents-show-apple-getting-into-the-energy-tracking-game/) originally appeared on Engadget (http://www.engadget.com) on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).


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