Black Laptops Matter -- Another Apple Post -- December 4, 2020

This is such an incredibly "geeky" story (for lack of a better word) that I would normally not post it except for two things:

• first, Sophia and I are studying "color" as part of her first grade art course; and,
• second, I was never aware that Apple fanboys were so enthusiastic about "black" Apple products.

At the link below, be sure to read the comments to see how "crazy" folks are.

However, the real reason I'm posting this is for the archives. The writer does a great job talking about the "color" black. Black is not considered a color, and some consider white not to be a color either, but that's another story. Some would suggest that "black" and "white" are best described as hues or shades. But I digress. 

I am posting this because the writer does a great job explaining the challenge of producing true black. 

At the link, Apple has filed a patent application for an intense light-absorbant matte black finish for a range of products, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook. 

The patent notes that the finish can be used on a range of metals and metal alloys, including aluminum, titanium, and steel.

The finish comprises an anodized layer that includes "randomly distributed light-absorbing features that are capable of absorbing visible light." The layer contains pores, "where color particles are infused within the pores." The resulting surface is a deep, intense matte black.

A genuine black color is extremely difficult to achieve, with most commercial "black" products actually being dark gray or blue. The patent explains that "merely depositing dye particles within pores of an anodized layer is insufficient to impart a true black color."

One of the issues involved is that, generally, the truer the black, the higher the gloss of the finish, which in turn reflects a large amount of visible light. In etching the surface of an anodized layer with pores, Apple is able to absorb "generally all visible light" to deliver a truer black finish without increasing glossiness.

Apple's solution appears to be tantamount to existing true-black solutions such as "Vantablack," which is one of the darkest substances known, absorbing up to 99.965 percent of light.

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It's hard to believe these songs were all from 1963 -- and this is part 2 --

Best Songs from 1963