Surface Laptop’s audio could get even better in the future thanks to a clever twist – a speaker built into the touchpad Microsoft patent for ‘haptic trackpad loudspeaker’ sounds like a smart idea.
The proposed implementation of the trackpad involves a touch sensor that functions as a haptic surface – so it simulates a physical ‘click’ when the pad is pressed, to avoid having a mechanical switch for the pad to register a click – and that sensor also acts as a diaphragm for the touchpad speaker.
The idea, then, is to either provide an extra speaker built into the touchpad to enhance the laptop’s other speakers, or to replace a speaker in the notebook chassis, giving more room for other components – a bigger battery, say – or to allow for a slimmer device perhaps.
A future Surface Laptop could sport a fresh innovation in the form of a trackpad that also acts as a speaker.
The Surface Laptop already offers a good level of sound quality, and this could improve its audio chops further (the device currently tops our ranking of the best laptops, incidentally).
