It seems like Apple is on a roll, filing patents for its upcoming technologies. We recently saw the Cupertino giant file patents for 3D touch on the MacBook Pro touch bar, a foldable iMac, and an infrared in-display fingerprint sensor. Now, a recent patent suggests that the company is working on a special matte-black color for its MacBooks.
The patent, “Anodized Part Having a Matte Black Appearance”, was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office back in 2019. This hints at a matte-black MacBook that Apple might release in the future. However, instead of making it a traditional matte-black finish, the company will add its own twist to it to make it a bit more black than matte-black.
So, according to the patent, Apple plans to use a special, completely-black material that will be able to absorb “generally all visible light”. It will be more like the Vantablack color which is the darkest black in the world as it can absorb 99.965% of light particles.
Now, to achieve this color-scheme on materials like aluminum, Apple will be using a special etching process. This process essentially increases the surface area of a metal surface by creating pores on it. You can check out a magnified image of the said pores right below.
This allows the anodized layer to absorb more light as the light-particles get stuck inside these pores. As a result, you get a true matte-black finish that is super-dark.
Now, the reason for developing such a color-scheme is to reduce the visibility of scratches and damages on surfaces of laptops. Moreover, it will be a welcome change for MacBook owners who are tired of getting slightly different shades of aluminum-colored MacBook devices every year.
