MacBooks could get a cool new color option - and I’m hysterically excited

The Apple MacBook Air 2022 laptop on a stand
(Image credit: Future)

Once again, a patent for a matte black MacBook has appeared, and we’re hoping that this time the cool color option will actually see the light of day. 

The patent initially popped up back in 2020, but we didn’t see any further progression on the idea besides that. According to 9to5Mac, Apple may be considering using carbon nanotubes to curb light reflections, which in the 2023 patent filing will be achieved by having those carbon nanotubes infused with, and an anodized layer is added that’ll create a depth of color. 

With the patent reappearing now, it’s incredibly promising for those of us who have been screaming for colorful MacBooks. It feels like a meme at this point, demanding the tech giant gives us something more than boring, corporate colors, and use the approach that so clearly worked with the 24-inch iMacs

Tickle me pink

I remember when the colorful all-in-one computers launched I was foaming at the mouth to get my hands on one, as they brightened up any desk and were incredibly expressive. If you're like me and love everything pink, you could get yourself a pink-toned 24-inch iMac, or find something that suits the layout of your home office. 

Considering that most of the best student laptops, and often the most popular laptops, happen to be MacBooks, there’s no doubt younger Apple fans would also appreciate the change in tone, even if it is limited to a matte black finish. With that design, you get a couple of pros and cons. You'll have a pretty cool-looking laptop with a non-reflective surface, but it'll be more susceptible to streaking and collecting grimy stains. 

Overall, this is a pretty encouraging sign, as we do hope to see the matte black MacBook at some point soon. This, alongside the Vision Pro, suggests that Apple is thinking outside the box and looking for new ideas and taking risks, which is a refreshing change.  

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Muskaan Saxena
Computing Staff Writer

Muskaan is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing writer. She has always been a passionate writer and has had her creative work published in several literary journals and magazines. Her debut into the writing world was a poem published in The Times of Zambia, on the subject of sunflowers and the insignificance of human existence in comparison. Growing up in Zambia, Muskaan was fascinated with technology, especially computers, and she's joined TechRadar to write about the latest GPUs, laptops and recently anything AI related. If you've got questions, moral concerns or just an interest in anything ChatGPT or general AI, you're in the right place. Muskaan also somehow managed to install a game on her work MacBook's Touch Bar, without the IT department finding out (yet).

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