Apple Researching a Matte Black Finish for MacBooks

Apple has filed a patent application for an intense light-absorbant matte black finish for a range of products, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook (via Patently Apple).

matte black macbook pro colorwareImage via ColorWare

The patent application, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is titled "Anodized Part Having a Matte Black Appearance," and outlines the characteristics of the finish and possible manufacturing processes to achieve it. The patent notes that the finish can be used on a range of metals and metal alloys, including aluminum, titanium, and steel.

The finish comprises an anodized layer that includes "randomly distributed light-absorbing features that are capable of absorbing visible light." The layer contains pores, "where color particles are infused within the pores." The resulting surface is a deep, intense matte black.

A genuine black color is extremely difficult to achieve, with most commercial "black" products actually being dark gray or blue. The patent explains that "merely depositing dye particles within pores of an anodized layer is insufficient to impart a true black color."

One of the issues involved is that, generally, the truer the black, the higher the gloss of the finish, which in turn reflects a large amount of visible light. In etching the surface of an anodized layer with pores, Apple is able to absorb "generally all visible light" to deliver a truer black finish without increasing glossiness.

Apple's solution appears to be tantamount to existing true-black solutions such as "Vantablack," which is one of the darkest substances known, absorbing up to 99.965 percent of light.

Although there are other options such as skins, Apple has never offered a matte black MacBook. The company has experimented with a number of matte black finishes on other products, however, such as the ‌iPhone‌ 7.

Patent applications cannot be taken as proof of what Apple is intending to bring to market and many patented ideas never reach the shelves. Nonetheless, they provide an interesting insight into what Apple is researching and developing behind the scenes.

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

Top Rated Comments

FocusAndEarnIt Avatar
60 months ago
Long live this wonderful Black MacBook that I had... running Mac OS X Tiger 10.4!



Attachment Image
Score: 78 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
60 months ago
That's gorgeous.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JediStarWars Avatar
60 months ago
Black Laptops Matter
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
60 months ago
I want my Mac as black as TC's autumn collection



Attachment Image
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArPe Avatar
60 months ago
Vanta Black would be a massive distraction. Instead of getting work done you’d be constantly mind ****ed.

And lose your laptop in the dark.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vmac556 Avatar
60 months ago
I consider the original, black MacBook to be matte black
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)