Like all technology, power bank has also evolved over time. In the past ten or more years, power bank developed from a simple combination of a control circuit and a few AA batteries to more complex ones with multiple functions such as LED flashlight and wifi. This passage takes a quick look at where power bank has been over the years and what the future is for it.
What it replaced
If you’ve only been using cell phones for the last decade or so, it can be easy to take power bank for granted. The initial mobile phone most people use would have been a Nokia, Motorola or other brands with a black and white screen. The less than 1000 mAh battery can surprisingly support more than one week of working time. Cellphones at that time are equipped with isolated batteries which can be taken off to be recharged. People tend to bring a separate battery as replacement when their cellphones run out of power.
What failed to replace it
In 2007, when Apple introduced iPhone, its fashionable design and strong software enabled it soon subverted the smart phone market and became the first smartphone brand in the world. However, due to the large power consumption and inability to replace the built-in lithium battery, iPhone can only be used up to 4 hours. Battery cases soon was invented and claimed that it “will double your iphone’s battery capacity”. Yes it did, at the sacrifice of the original slim and light design of iPhone. What’s more, the capacity of most iphone battery cases was no more than 3000mAh, which can only provide power to one device at a time. Compared to a power bank that has different capacity for people to choose and will not alter the appearance of the cellphone, battery cases obviously failed in both capacity and design.
