<Gbatteries> Our patented technology extends the charge-cycle life of standard lithium-ion batteries by at least 200%, and we can prove it. <Panasonic> Great, we will license that. Here's a check for five billion dollars.
<Gbatteries> Our patented technology extends the charge-cycle life of standard lithium-ion batteries by at least 200%, and we can prove it. <Investor> Great, we will invest, get a product to market and you can IPO in 2 years.
It's why saying "yes" to an acquisition is so hard. There are always other options.
<Gbatteries founder 1> We need to patent our technology before we can talk to to anyone, otherwise they can steal our tech.
<Gbatteries founder 2> Great, let me check our startup bank account. We have... uh... $3000.
<Gbatteries founder 1> What? Filling a patent in the US and EU cost $5000 each including agent fees. Even if I use all my personal savings, how do we eat in the 6 months that it takes to get the patent approved?
<Gbatteries founder 2> ...
Large companies like this make sure the batteries they use aren't interchangable or standardized. They certainly don't want to make batteries that you wouldn't want to replace.
If you look at profit analysis of almost any product (like a panasonic camera), the profit margins are all in the accessories, like batteries.
> Large companies like this make sure the batteries they use aren't interchangable or standardized
Li-Ion cells are made in a variety of standard sizes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_sizes#Round_lithium-ion.... I happen to own a couple of individual 18650 cells, and Panasonic and a number of other companies supply these cells to battery pack manufacturers wholesale.
See also: http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/batteries-oem/oem/lithiu...
Battery packs for consumer electronics are another issue.
