"With such an arrangement, the speaker assembly can operate from within the laptop (e.g., beneath the keyboard) to generate sound without propagating excessive vibrations throughout the laptop." "For example, the spring element can include an arm that extends within an opening of the main body to connect the main body to a fastener secured to the chassis," says Apple. This spring element could be "configured to reduce transmission of vibrations generated by the speaker into other components."ĭetail from the patent application showing a speaker assembly underneath a keyboard The system would be a speaker assembly that included the speaker itself, and also be "coupled to the chassis via a spring element." The proposed solution is a speaker system that would reside underneath a MacBook Pro's keyboard. "It can be desirable to reduce or eliminate transmission of such vibrations so that they are not perceptible by a user while in contact with the electronic device."Īpple also wants to "achieve such results with an arrangement that minimizes cost in terms of components and time for assembly." "The vibrations generated by speaker motion can tend to be transmitted throughout the electronic device," says the patent application. "At the same time, a user may operate a keyboard or another component of the electronic device by physically contacting such a component." "During operation, a speaker mounted within an electronic device may move in a manner that generates vibrations," continues Apple. "This design challenge generally arises from a number of conflicting design goals that include the performance of separate components and the user experience while interacting with the electronic device."Īpple wants the MacBook Pro to sound great, but also to not in any way impair a user's working on one. "One design challenge associated with the manufacture of electronic devices is the assembly of parts that provide different functions into a compact form factor," says the patent application. Audio quality is important, but this patent application is equally concerned with "design, heft, ease of portability, and overall aesthetic appearance."
So the newly-revealed "Speaker Assembly for Electronic Device" patent application proposes a new speaker system. But that model wasn't known for having great audio, not even with its hidden subwoofer inside the chassis. Apple's ideal for the MacBook Pro appears to be one where the device is no wider than the keyboard, and no taller than the screen.Īpple's ideal for the MacBook Pro is apparently the beloved 12-inch PowerBook. First they came for the bezels - and Apple isn't done reducing those - and now it wants to cut back on the speaker grill.
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