Technology giant Apple's products are well known for design and functionality but Apple fans have an age-old wish - a better battery life. And, this wish could be fulfilled soon as Apple is developing a battery that will run on hydrogen-fuel, a battery that can keep all portable Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod and Macbook powered, not for days, but for weeks.

According to Apple's two 'epoch-making' patent applications to US Patent and Trademark Office( USPTO) , titled Fuel Cell System to Power a Portable Computing Device and Fuel Cell System Coupled to a Portable Computing Device, the company is developing cutting-edge batteries, which use hydrogen-fuel. Hydrogen is known as the lightest and most common chemical element in the Universe. Using this element, Apple wants to make Eco-friendly, long-lasting battery, which is also light and small in size. Once developed, the batteries are expected to last for weeks without needing a re-charge. This could be a dream come true for Apple fans, especially iPhone users, as the latest iPhone 4S is dogged by battery drain issues.

Our country's continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling. These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources. Apple stated in its filing.

However, Apple faces a big challenge - it not only has to implant the hydrogen-fuel cell system, which is bulky, into its portable and compact computing devices, but also ensure that it's cost-effective. Hydrogen fuel is currently used to power spacecraft and can also run cars, boats and airplanes.

If Apple's project becomes a success, this hydrogen-fuel cell can be another platform for future gadgets to run on. And to Apple, this could be one more time to show the world that Apple does what Apple thinks. Though Steve Jobs has passed away, under Tim Cook's new leadership, Apple is set to welcome 2012. Can Cook live up to the expectations of Apple fans? Let's wait and watch.