iZartan

The Mac Observer notes that Apple has applied for a patent for a colour changing computer case, using “a collection of red, green and blue LEDs, capable of being used to generate any colour entered as an RGB value”. Looks like the concept is aimed at the iMac and/or eMac line of products:

A computing device is disclosed. The computing device includes a housing having an illuminable portion. The computing device also includes a light device disposed inside the housing. The light device is configured to illuminate the illuminable portion.

Personally the concept in itself sounds too gimmicky/cheezy for Apple to seriously pursue simply as an aesthetic direction. The idea was actually penned back in 1999, but Apple filed for a trademark on a “MORPH PAD” in the UK on July 14, 2004, possibly indicating more solid plans regarding the use of such a concept in the finicky and trend hungry consumer market. But I’m sure Apple has plans of creatively incorporating the feature into something greater than a computational disco ball. Or not. The obvious idea would connect such a feature with music/multimedia. Another idea would use the case colour capability to indicate the status of your computer in much the same way the power light pulses on various Apple computers when in sleep mode (i.e. after an application crash, the case would flash red several times, or when a file was sucessfully downloaded the case would change green to notify).