What you need to know
- Apple has a new patent that could bring a matte black MacBook to market.
Apple could be set to launch a matte black MacBook at some point in the future. That's if you put much faith in the appearance of a new patent relating to exactly that.
Spotted by Patently Apple, the patent goes into the reasons that we don't yet have a black MacBook – essentially, it's difficult to do properly.
Enclosures for portable electronic devices can include an anodized layer that can be dyed in different colors in order to enhance their cosmetic appeal to consumers. However, certain colors are far more difficult to achieve than others.
Black is one of those colors, with dark gray generally as dark as is usually possible. But Apple hopes to have a solution, according to the patent filing.
The etched anodized surface of the enclosures having light-trapping features (also referred to as light-absorbing features) is capable of absorbing generally almost all visible light incident thereupon. Additionally, whatever visible light not absorbed by the light-trapping features is diffusely reflected by the light-trapping features. As a result, the etched anodized part is characterized as having a matte, low gloss finish. The matte, low gloss finish combined with black color particles infused within pores are capable of hiding surface geometries of the external surface.
However, it's always important to remember that Apple patents just about everything its engineers come up with. Few of them turn into products, unfortunately.
All that being said, I'd be all over a matte black MacBook Pro. I'm sure many others would, too!
You can read all about the new patent and how it might be used over on Patently Apple now.
