In the USPTO filing, Apple said that the array of microperforations in the area surrounding the display would be “visually imperceptible” to the eye when it’s not illuminated, but when you need the buttons, they can light up to display symbols. These touch buttons, as Apple described them, would function in a similar way to the controversial Touch Bar, a feature that Apple has since moved away from on the latest iterations of the MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch released late 2021 with the company’s custom M1 Pro and M1 Max processors.

Embedded within the casing, and in particular around the glass screen of the laptop, would be touch buttons that could dynamically change and light up depending on the application. Though the use of ceramic would be new to the laptop category, Apple had previously experimented with this durable material on prior iterations of its Apple Watch wearable. The computing giant is apparently working on bringing elements of the no- defunct Touch Bar up to the screen on its portable laptops, according to a recently uncovered patent filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.Īccording to Apple’s USPTO application describing a “concealable input region for an electronic device,” the company is working on making an enclosure for the laptop - likely a MacBook Pro of some kind - out of premium materials, like ceramic, though glass and plastic can also be used. Mac fans who have been eagerly waiting for Apple to reverse course and release a pro-grade laptop with a touchscreen will have to keep on waiting.

Apple mouses for mac book laptops