Apple recently filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a future MacBook design that would be made entirely of glass trackpad. The patent covers a force input/tactile output interface in the touchpad area that is bezel-less and formable Made of various materials such as metallic glass and composite materials. The user interface surface can be a protective cover, such as glass or sapphire, that sits over the active display area of the display.

Apple’s patent statement #17 states that the laptop will have a glass top surface with the trackpad area defined on the glass top surface. Patent Figure 2A illustrates an example distribution of localized flexible regions defined into an interior surface of an electronic device that may be associated With force input/tactile output interface.

The design of this future MacBook also aims to reduce the thickness of the device by spreading the force input/haptic output actuators across the entire width of the MacBook and eliminating the traditional cutout area for a dedicated trackpad. This design is similar to the one LG showed off at CES The 2023 features a laptop with a glass construction and a trackpad that’s only visible when needed, and then lights under the glass that reveal the perimeter of the trackpad when touched.

Notably, Apple is already working on another similar patent that could illuminate icons on a future glass laptop. The patent would use a dynamic virtual trackpad. Overall, the patent application suggests that Apple is exploring new design options for its future MacBook focus on clean and minimalist design, while also incorporating advanced technology such as force input/haptic output interface. For more information, readers can refer to Apple’s patent application number US 20230018184 A1.

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