According to a new patent, next year's MacBook Pro may do away with the hinge in favor of a flexible unibody design. While it may take some time to become a reality, it could give Apple a more direct rival to Microsoft's Surface Book 3.

The "planar hinge assembly" application was found by AppleInsider within the USPTO patent list. Apple has been researching flexible technology for some time, and this seems like a very reasonable idea that could be used in a real product.

Rather than using a flexible display as in a folding cell phone, this patent instead shows a flexible hinge that forms part of the single body of the laptop. This hinge can be folded open to various angles, although all the electronics and connections necessary for normal operation of the laptop remain. This reminds me a bit of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip folding flip phone.

It has also been suggested that the display could be built into the hinge, moving the Touch Bar tool options to the hinge, although MacBooks have been using Apple's controversial Touch Bar panel in place of function keys for some time now, Apple power users can keep their shortcuts wherever they want, while everyone will benefit from being able to use the physical Esc and F keys again.

The patent also mentions that the technology can be used in smartphone cases and tablets. In other words, if this design works well on laptops, Apple may try the idea on iPhones and iPads. Apple already has a number of ideas for smaller foldable devices and flexible batteries to power them, including a recent patent that proposes turning the iPhone display into a roll-out mechanism.

Microsoft's Surface Book 3, expected to be announced soon, will directly challenge not only the just announced 13-inch MacBook Pro 2020, but also the next two or three generations of MacBooks. If Apple can achieve this design in a MacBook within the next few years, it will overtake Microsoft's Surface Book series in terms of design.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple will support touchscreens in future MacBooks. Currently, touchscreen computing is Apple's exclusive focus on the iPad. However, Apple is trying to bring iPad apps to the Mac with Project Catalyst. In addition, Apple is said to be releasing its first ARM-powered MacBook next year. Furthermore, with the Magic Keyboard with touchpad coming to the iPad Pro, the line between Mac and iPad is definitely starting to blur.

However, patents will not necessarily become reality. If it does become a reality, we could be waiting years, if not months, before seeing it in a MacBook. However, we are confident that this stylish and intelligent foldable design will be utilized, and we hope it appears sooner rather than later.