It was rumored for a few weeks now that Apple would release a Black MacBook Air to the masses, a move that hasn't been seen since the days of the plastic Mac notebooks that were on market a few years ago.
The next generation MacBook Air is rumored to be released in the next few weeks, and MacRumors yesterday reported that Apple was working on a black edition on the notebook. According to their report, Apple was making a new case that would only be for the most elite Air model, and was to be "black anodized aluminum." It was widely confirmed, and was a logical move for Apple.
However, today MacRumors received confirmation that Apple was indeed planning the black model of the Air, but actually ended up discontinuing it after a large amount of test models that were on Apple campus experienced issues with soaking up body oils around the track pad area, something that no-one really wants to see. The information came through from an employee via email:
The rumors that the next iteration of the MBA's will have an optional black finish is grounded in truth.
We tried to powder coat the Air's (and Pro's for that matter) in black as a test run. There are more than a few floating around campus.
The coating looks good and holds up well, but it also soaks up body oils, making the palm rest look pretty gross. Ultimately that is the reason that the top brass (Jobs) killed the idea... it was just too easy to make the computer look like crap.
At some point we may offer a black coating, but it won't be powder coat, and it won't be anytime soon.
Here's hoping Apple finds a way to fix the issue and brings a black MacBook to market soon. For now, we can continue wondering when the next generation Air will actually be released.
Image Credit: Black MacBook Air by Colorware
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