29 Apr 2017

High voltage: plug-in planes

From This Way Up, 12:50 pm on 29 April 2017

"Electric planes aren't a new idea, of course; evangelists have promised their imminent arrival for decades now. But recent advances, particularly in batteries and electric propulsion, make the possibility far more realistic" - Adam Minter.

Adam Minter

Adam Minter Photo: Supplied

NASA and Boeing are among those making big investments in electric aircraft.

Adam Minter of Bloomberg has been reporting on plug-in planes.

Plus, an unusual approach to new product innovation by Apple.

We've grown used to those big media events where the latest iteration of a gadget is launched amid much fanfare with slightly improved specifications and a bigger price tag.

As tech commentators speculate about the launch of the next iPhone, Apple is now showing a willingness to relaunch older, cheaper phones into growing markets. 

The company recently reintroduced the discontinued iPhone 6 in several Asian countries and in Eastern Europe.