Apple has promised more than 190 new features for iOS 6 (and unveiled a few of the good ones last night) but there's one feature we won't be getting: longer battery life.
Telstra CTO Hugh Bradlow, speaking in Hong Kong last week, said the growing demand on device power source is the Achilles Heel of the mobile business.
As the chart below, recently compiled by Bradlow's team, reveals, handset processing power has grown 14-fold in the last decade. Battery life has increased just 2.75 times.
Bradlow says he is constantly being pitched new apps or services that are non-starters because they require always-on cellular or Wi-Fi. “Anyone who can solve this problem will make billions."
He notes the various solutions, like low-power chips or scavenging technologies that take advantage of ambient RF or human movement.
Battery technologies have a long gestation period, however, so consumerrs will be keeping a close eye on their battery indicators for awhile yet.
