Apple is working on Matte Black MacBook

 

Apple is considering the possibility of making MacBook in matte black, according to a new patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The company has filed for a patent on the highly absorbent matte black color for a range of products, including iPhones, iPads and Macbooks.

The patent application, entitled (The Oxidized Part with Matte Black Appearance), specifies the properties of the color solution and the possible manufacturing processes to achieve this.

The patent indicates that the color solution can be used across a range of metals and metal alloys, including aluminum, titanium and steel.

The color solution consists of an oxidation layer that includes visible light absorption features, and the layer contains pores, where the color particles are infused into the pores to produce an intense matte black surface.

The original black is difficult to come, as most commercial black products are a dark gray color.

The patent indicates that the precipitation of dye particles within the pores of the oxidation layer is not sufficient to impart a true black color.

One of the issues involved is that the more blcak color is darker, the greater the luster, which in turn reflects a greater amount of visible light.

Apple's solution appears to be equivalent to current true black solutions, such as Vantablack, which is one of the darkest materials known, absorbing up to 99.965 percent of the light.

Apple said: It is difficult to get true black instead of dark gray in order to enhance the product's cosmetic appeal to consumers, and attempts by consumer electronics manufacturers have failed to achieve true black.

The best attempts only achieved dark gray, and one of the challenges in achieving true black is that the oxidized metal can have a color finish capable of reflecting large amounts of visible light.

As with Apple's patents, there is no indication that the idea will hit the market or not, and there appears to be little doubt that the matte black MacBook will prove popular.

The requests cannot be considered evidence of what Apple intends to bring to the market, however, it does provide insight into what Apple is looking for and developing behind the scenes.