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moikeyy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 21, 2011
29
0
Do you actually use the keyboard backlight?

Honestly I dont.. and gives me an ethereal assurance that my battery will last longer haha.
 

n1tut

macrumors regular
I don't have it on my 2010, but I wish that I had the option as it would be useful when I am using it in bed at night, but can not have a light on because my wife is an early sleeper.

I am not a touch typist so need to look at the keyboard which sometimes means angling the screen down to use its light.

tut
 

newdeal

macrumors 68030
Oct 21, 2009
2,509
1,769
...

I am a moderately descent touch typist but i still like the backlight because it becomes hard to touch type when laying on your back with the laptop on your chest at night. I had a 2010 air and returned it because it was irritating enough to have no backlight that i didnt want it anymore. I owned a 2011 air also which is a greeat computer...ended up returning it too but only because it was too much money for me to spend at the time. I may get another once they hit the refurb store
 

vitzr

macrumors 68030
Jul 28, 2011
2,765
3
California
I've got far more exciting things to do in bed, than use a flippin computer :)

That said, I travel internationally a lot and the backlit keyboard is a nice touch when on the plane in dim or no light. Although I don't really need it, I've been typing for so long, my handwriting is shot. It's the glow that's simply quite nice.
 

Troneas

macrumors 65816
Oct 26, 2011
1,378
58
At the alternatives section.
i really don't know what all the fuss is about.


most people don't need to look at the keys when they type. and if you have to look, the screen light alone will show the keys.


airplanes have overhead individual light as well.

imo, backlight is incredibly overrated. it certainly wouldn't be a deciding factor for me when it comes to choosing a product. far from it.
 

garbeth

macrumors regular
Apr 13, 2010
124
1
Brisvegas
I think it's a fantastic feature. I usually keep mine on, dimmed down nearly all the way when I'm typing in low light conditions. I don't need it on all the time but occasionally I need to look down to find a less often used key.
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
5,961
13,939
I keep mine on in the settings all the time, set to turn off after 5 seconds of inactivity. 75% of the time its actually off because i'm in a well-lit room most of the time. It's on right now because I'm a dimly lit room and it makes my computer look "tron"-like.

I can take it or leave it honestly. I would be perfectly happy without it. It's 100% purely aesthetic and offers no practical benefit. On the 2010 MBA, the letters on the keys were painted with a highly reflective paint which worked almost as well for seeing the keys in the dark.


I don't think it drains any substantial amount of battery.
 

molala

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2008
620
3
Cambridge, UK
I must admit I thought it was a waste of a feature on me, as I can touch type and always leave the backlight off anyway. But on one occasion, lying on the sofa in the dark, not wanting to get up to properly type, I needed the backlight to find the keys. So yes, it's nice to have it around.
 

Skeltagalvis

macrumors newbie
Nov 8, 2011
1
0
replacing keyboard

Hi guys,

few keys dont work on my MBP 13' (2009), but the backlight is fine, so I am changing the keyboard. Question: can I use the old backlight with new keyboard, or I have to buy the whole set (keyboard+backlight). Please explain me how it works.

Hope my question is clear. Thanks!
 

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,834
46,282
In a coffee shop.
For my part, I am a big fan of the backlit keyboard; I travel a lot and am sometimes in places with erratic electricity supplies but even when in the west, I find I like the backlit keyboard and use it a lot.

Steltagalvis: I don't know whether you have Applecare or not, - if so, it shouldn't cost you anything - but my 2010 MBA was in a similar position a few months ago, when a few keys didn't work, and the keyboard needed to be replaced. However, it was still under warranty, so replacing it wasn't a problem, and I also have Applecare.

Nevertheless, I'm not quite sure whether it was simply a keyboard replacement, or whether the whole thing was replaced. As the MBA is sculpted out of a single piece of aluminium, I suspect that when such a replacement needs to be done, the whole lot may have to be replaced.
 

MultiFinder17

macrumors 68030
Jan 8, 2008
2,719
2,037
Tampa, Florida
I keep it on because it looks nice and takes up a minimal amount of energy. Besides, I occasionally use it to look down at rarely-used keys while I'm typing.
 
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