Your next MacBook Air or MacBook Pro could use a fancy new magnetic latch to keep it closed when it isn't being used, according to a new patent.
While current portable Macs already uses magnets to stop their displays from accidentally opening in a bag, the patent appears to suggest that Apple has worked on a new system that would lock the display in place and require a specific action to unlock.
The patent was published by the US Patent & Trademark Office but it isn't immediately clear if or when Apple will apply it to shipping products.
A force of attraction
The new patent was spotted by Patently Apple and describes magnetic latches that could be coupled using a rotational magnetic field. When the magnetic field is applied it would rotate the magnetic latch to either lock or unlock it.
The patent shows magnets placed around the outside of a laptop's chassis, with accompanying magnets likely placed within the edges of the device's display.
The magnets used in modern Mac laptops are easily separated, but this patent allows for magnets that would not be unlatched unless someone specifically chose for that to happen.
Security is the obvious reason to take this new approach, with MacBooks and their displays unable to even be seen without first unlocking the magnetic latches. It's possible that Apple could apply a new level of biometric authentication to make that happen — by perhaps placing a Touch ID sensor on the outer casing and having the magnets disengage when a biometric challenge is satisfied.
It's important to remember that this is only a patent at this point, however. Apple and its engineers patent lots of things each and every year and not all of them turn into shipping products or features. Whether this particular patent will ever see the light of day is anyone's guess at this point, but it's good to see Apple not resting on its laurels when it comes to MacBook innovation.
