Apple is looking at solar power to use in its phones and MP3 players. The maker of iPhone is looking at a patented technology to integrate solar cells into portable devices. The named inventors of the patent application are Apple employees, some of whom are iPod engineers.

If Apple succeeds in its green efforts, it will become an innovator in the integration of the solar cells into a portable device.

Today, small solar panels are usd to charge portable devices.

Rather than make a separate charger, Apple engineers try to package solar cells right into the device in an unobtrusive way. Electricity-generating cells could be placed underneath the device's display. Specifically, the patent application details the use of a semitransparent display with a solar cell placed underneath it.

"Sandwiched together, the device's cover would have "at least one glass layer coupled to the solar-cell layer; and a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) layer coupled electrically and mechanically to the solar-cell layer," according to the patent application, reports CNEt.

Solar panels would allow the mobile device, be it a PDA or portable music player, to be charged from daylight without having a separate solar panel that needs to be plugged into it.