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I love my MacBook Pro but if there was one thing I could change about it, it would be its color. Sure, Space Grey is nice and all, but if Apple gave me a matte black option, I’d be all for it. Well, according to 9to5Mac, it seems the company has plans to introduce a new color option to the mix according to a recent patent filing.
In the patent filing, Apple describes always wanting to produce matte black Macbooks but explains the reasons why they haven’t done it yet. In a nutshell, it’s really hard creating a dark black color. Here’s how Apple explains it in the patent filing:
“In particular, attempts by consumer electronic device manufacturers to achieve a true black color have fallen short. Indeed, the best attempts have attained only a dark grey color. One challenge to achieving a true black color is that anodized metal can have a relatively high floss finish, which is capable of specularly reflecting large amounts of visible light […]”
Thankfully, Apple thinks it has figured it out and they have two ways to pull it off. One is a light-absorbing feature. The other is pretty hard to explain so I’ll just refer to this description also found in 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.”
Honestly, I still don’t know what any of this means, but the main takeaway here is that Apple thinks they have a solution and now they’re claiming the rights to it in this patent filing.
Now, this is just a patent filing. There’s no official word if Apple plans to bring this to light. It would be nice if they did, but there’s no telling if they’re fully committed to it. It’s one of those things where “time will tell.”
In the meantime, if you’re looking to change the color of your Macbook, your next best solution is slapping a skin on it. If you’re looking for some examples, we found some really good ones here, here, and here.
Would you prefer a matte black MacBook? Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- You might want to hold off on upgrading macOS to Big Sur if you have an older MacBook Pro
- The M1 chip found in new MacBooks is extremely impressive according to new benchmark tests
- Your next MacBook still has a shitty 720p webcam
- The new MacBook Pro features 20 hours of battery life, an active cooling system, and more
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