While everyone's ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the iPad, another major Apple product category could be undergoing some serious renovations: The MacBook Pro.
According to a recently unearthed patent filing, Apple could be working on amping up the audio on future MacBooks by adding surround-sound speakers to the notebook.
If carried out, Apple's implementation would position a speaker on each side of the display to deliver treble, a speaker at the top of the keyboard for mid-range frequencies, and one at the bottom end of the device for bass. The audio transducer used for delivering sound would also be better designed for full-range frequency response.
"It doesn't surprise me that surround sound in a notebook is something that they’re working on," NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told Wired. "It’s an intrinsic challenge to generate good, deep audio from such a slender device.”
Apple hasn't touched its premium MacBook line over the past few years, so the time could be right to start expecting some dramatic changes to the notebook's functions or form factor -- especially as the slimmer MacBook Air starts to match the Pro's performance capabilities.
So what would a surround-sound laptop offer users besides, well, improved sound?
First, it could be paired with an upgraded Retina display (which may come soon, as the recent OS update to Mountain Lion hints) to transform the MacBook Pro into a formidable hub for watching movies.
Yes, there have been reports that Apple is working on its own television set. In the meantime, however, a souped-up MacBook could be a better home media solution for those who aren't interested in the Apple TV set-top box. And Gartner analyst Van Baker remains skeptical that Apple would dive into the television industry. “It's a very ugly business with very little profit,” Baker wrote in an email.
Because Apple is incredibly focused on products for the mobile lifestyle, it makes sense that it would want to make the notebook a more suitable movie hub, especially as growing numbers decide to ditch costly and cumbersome big-screens altogether.
"Young people, under 25, are watching [Netflix] streaming on their PCs in huge numbers," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told The Wall Street Journal in a 2008 interview. Of course, Apple would likely prefer you get your movies through iTunes.
But this surround-sound patent could be indicative of more than just better music and movie audio performance. Forrester's Frank Gillett thinks this patent could be useful for a next-gen gesture or voice-based interface.
"A few years down the road, you could have a couple of sensors in the lid of the MacBook that could interpret gestures you make with your hands, like flicking or waving to turn the page," Gillett said. "In an environment like that, you want some rich sound to give feedback -- spacial cues that are a corollary to what's going on on-screen."
When you have an onscreen notification in the upper right corner of the screen, rather than just seeing it pop up, Gillett said, you could also hear a chirp from that direction. Surround sound speakers would enable audio cues all around you: up, down, to the right, or to the left, possibly with some depth to those sounds, as well.
It's entirely possible we may not see the fruits of these developments for years. And the patent could even be a ruse on Apple's part. "I sometimes think that Apple files patents to misdirect competitors, but I can't confirm that," Baker said.
But in general, this patent filing seems like a pretty reasonable development for Apple to undertake.
"There's certainly potential to improve the sound quality delivered by notebooks," Baker said. And with improvements in processor process technologies and embedded graphics capabilities from Intel, Apple could have extra real estate within the MacBook to fit those extra speakers.
