A supercomputer in your pocket without a cloud in sight

New memory chips to power the smart net of everything

We’re accustomed to smartphone models being announced every year or two, promising faster chips and better battery life, but not much else. This time it’s different.

Apple’s 2028 iPhone is the first phone that can really lay claim to being a portable supercomputer. Using memory and data technology previously only found in server farms and cloud computing platforms, the new iPhone Pro Z can process video and do image recognition in a flash, and run smart queries without breaking a sweat.

“We’ve put ‘intelligence’ back into AI,” said Apple chief engineer Eric Daus, “and you can do it all on the device, without relying on a superfast connection to the cloud.” The breakthrough tech is called low-energy phasechange memory, and uses excitons rather than electrons to move data around, with no wasted heat.

“We’ve ditched traditional semiconductors for nanoelectronic lattices,” said Daus, “but don’t let the tech confuse you. What it means is ultrafast performance, it doesn’t get hot, and the battery lasts for ages.”

Since Stanford researchers discovered this method of creating memory cells in 2021, a new era of ultrafast computing was born, but this is the first time it has been successfully implemented in a mobile device. We can expect this type of memory to find its way onto all sorts of smart devices and wearables, adding performance to the “internet of everything” and powering smart cities.

So, when you’re on the go and need things to happen in a hurry, or have an urgent request for your AI assistant, it’s nice to know you’ve got a supercomputer in your pocket.

Note: This is a scenario from the future, and not a review of Apple’s latest iPhone. Date published: September 15 2021

New iPhone has ‘endless’ battery power September 12 2024

The latest version of the iPhone Pro Max comes with a special feature: you never have to plug it into a mains outlet, ever. It has a PowerPod that is also stand-alone and never needs a wall socket.

In typical Apple fashion, the self-charging iPhone was kept under wraps until the annual launch of the new models, where it was unveiled with great fanfare by the new CEO; and it got the crowd buzzing. Simply placing the handset on the matching oversized charging pad for 40 minutes a day will charge the phone for another 24 hours of normal use.

The revolutionary technology uses supercapacitors and nanodiamond voltaics to provide a power source that lasts for decades. There’s just one catch — the PowerPod weighs as much as half a brick, and it’s radioactive. But only internally.

Each PowerPod contains thousands of tiny synthetic diamonds made from carbon-14, a radioactive isotope harvested from nuclear waste, themselves encrusted in a traditional diamond layer to prevent any radiation escaping. The nuclear diamonds emit electrons, which power the supercapacitors and, in turn, charge the phone’s internal battery.

When nuclear diamond batteries first hit the newswires in 2020, there was a great deal of scepticism that they would ever become commercially viable for anything beyond tiny sensors. Now Apple has shown us that, packaged correctly, they can be used to power consumer devices.

Apple has yet to confirm pricing for the new Pro Max, which will undoubtedly fall in the upper end of the superpremium bracket. But for the convenience of never having to find an electrical outlet or invest in a solar power pack, many Apple fans will jump at it, whatever the price.

One question remains unanswered: will the PowerPod be certified as safe for carry-on luggage on commercial aircraft? Date published: September 10 2020.