Displaying items by tag: batteries

(Los Angeles)

One of the most disruptive technologies in industry might not seem that disruptive—batteries. Yet advances in batteries are about to reshape many areas, not least of which is the power grid. Home energy storage and car battery power are two of the biggest areas of disruption, and investors need to understand the dynamics in play. Better batteries mean less energy costs as power can be stored to smooth out demand-based pricing. It also makes electric vehicles legitimate, and possibly cheaper competitors to gas vehicles. Additionally, improved energy storage makes renewables profitable.

FINSUM: Batteries are going to change the economics of almost everything related to power. Make sure you understand some of the key battles because share prices are going to start reflecting the changes.

(San Francisco)

The fallout from the revelation that Apple’s operating systems drain the batteries of older model phones appears to be hammering the company. The company admitted they deliberately slowed down the performance of older phones to keep them from crashing. The admission has led to widespread criticism and lawsuits are headed the company’s way. Apple has tried to mitigate the issue by cutting prices for replacement batteries and offering free software to check battery health.

FINSUM: We have this fear that this battery and performance scandal might be the beginning of the end of the golden age of Apple.