Apple has just patented an exclusive process to treat the surface of objects of titanium, thus obtaining a special finish. So you don't have to be very savvy to know what Cupertino is up to.
I would not be surprised if the futures MacBook Pro will include a titanium casing. If the next MacBook Air mount the M1 processor, it will be necessary to provide the MacBook Pro with an even better processor, or else, "Premium" details such as a titanium casing, in order to justify the price difference….
This week Apple was granted a new license where a new industrial process of objects made of titanium is explained that gives said pieces a special finish.
This patent is titled "Titanium Parts Having a Polished Surface Texture" and has been granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office. It explains how various devices could adopt titanium housings with a texture exclusive
A "touch-friendly" texture for titanium
With the treatment described in the patent, the surface of the titanium part is less rough.
In the document, Apple explains that aluminum anodized, used in current MacBooks and iPads, is not as hard or durable as titanium. However, the hardness of titanium makes it "very difficult to polish", which means that it can be "aesthetically unattractive." The patent seeks to present a solution to this problem by describing a brushing, etching and chemical process to give a piece of titanium a more attractive appearance.
The patent also indicates that these textured titanium parts would be the housings for MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple has used titanium cases for a small number of products, such as the PowerBook G4 that was available from 2001 to 2003. Apple's first foray into titanium cases was hampered by issues such as brittleness that resulted in breakage, as well as paint that flakes easily.
Today, the only Apple product that uses a titanium case is the Apple Watch Edition, which appears to be much closer to the exclusive finish described by the patent than the titanium PowerBook G4. If they end up putting it into practice, a titanium MacBook would certainly be lighter and harder than the current aluminum ones.
The bad thing is that it would also be more expensive. If we look at the price difference between the normal aluminum Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch Series 6 Edition, with the little titanium that is needed to make the case of an Apple Watch, I don't even want to think what a MacBook would cost 16-inch all-titanium pro….