According to a patent application, Microsoft's Surface device may adopt a modular design to compete with Apple's M1-powered MacBook.

The application, discovered by Windows Latest, details that the laptop Surface device may include "interchangeable housing panels." An important example cited is faster cellular data connectivity, a feature missing from the Apple M1.

The Microsoft Surface Pro X already has cellular connectivity, but it is based on an early Qualcomm ARM chip that can cause compatibility issues with Windows software. 4G or 5G modules can be used to create these compatibility issues 4G or 5G modules could enable always-on connectivity to the native x86 Surface without creating these compatibility issues.

The illustration in the application documents of such a modular Surface laptop storefront display also depicts several different modules, albeit generally packaged, to expand the system to include distinct add-ons such as an extended battery pack module

However, the system can be expanded to include a number of distinct add-ons.

But before you start saving up for a pre-order, remember that even if Microsoft intends to continue with this concept, a patent application does not necessarily mean a product that is deep in development. It is also unclear whether such modular functionality would apply to any of the existing Surface devices or be reserved for an entirely new Surface device. Since the patent refers to a foldable laptop design, probably not the Surface Pro, and since the Surface Book's screen would need to be removable, finding a suitable place for the module to fit would be tricky.

That leaves the Surface Laptop, but from what we've heard about the Surface Laptop 4, no major overhaul beyond using Intel's Tiger Lake-U CPU has been suggested.

Still, Microsoft is not afraid of outlandish designs. It's only been a few weeks since the release of the Surface Duo, a flawed but beautifully thin dual-screen smartphone.