Apple's new M1 MacBooks are ridiculously powerful. They've blown away users and critics alike with their unprecedented speed and battery life, and are being touted by some as the future of laptops. All pretty impressive, right? Our only disappointment is that they look exactly the same as their predecessors (and their predecessors) – but could that all be about to change?
A new patent filing reveals that the company is working on a new matte black finish that isn't just dark – it literally absorbs light. The current M1 MacBook Pro comes in the same space grey, silver or gold the company has been using for the last seven hundred years, but, if these rumours are true, it seems our best laptop for graphic design could soon look very different. And, in our minds, it's already the most beautiful looking MacBook to date.
According to Patently Apple, the company explains in the patent filing why a true black MacBook hasn't yet been achieved. "One challenge to achieving a true black colour is that anodised metal can have a relatively high floss finish, which is capable of specularly reflecting large amounts of visible light," Apple says. "Indeed, the best attempts have attained only a dark grey colour," it adds (seemingly throwing shade at its own space grey).
But Apple thinks it has found a solution to the grey/black conundrum. The etched anodised surface of its proposed matte black finish will have "light-trapping features capable of absorbing generally almost all visible light". And any light that isn't trapped will be "diffusely reflected" by the matte surface. In short, it's hardly reflective at all. And Apple fans are clearly excited about the design:
Apart from looking extremely cool, a true black MacBook could be beneficial to creatives looking for something more inconspicuous. Musicians and DJs in particular spring to mind (although we can't help but wonder how well a true-black MacBook would stand out in the company's glossy Behind the mac ads).
Like all Apple patents, we'll have to file this one under 'wait and see'. We have our fingers crossed, though. The Mac line-up might be more powerful than ever, but it's starting to look a little stale on the outside – the 2020 iMac, for example, features an eight year-old design. Still, it's what's on the inside that counts – and with surprising discounts already available on the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, the new devices are hard not to recommend.
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