A Wild Guess: Glowing Apple Logo Back on MBP/MB Ultra

[Ted_Appleseed]

It sounds like the rumored MacBook Ultra, or the next MacBook Pro, will have a design refresh since 2021.

How about having the glowing Apple logo back? My wild guess is that it might happen.

It's not the first time Apple revive old but good designs, such as MagSafe on MacBooks (absent 2017-2021), I/Os on MBPs (absent 2016-2021), and thinner iPhones (absent *2015-2025). It would make sense to bring back the iconic glowing Apple logo on MacBooks. It gives me the first impression of MacBooks and amazed me since the first day I saw it when I was a Windows kid.

It has been gone since *2018. Nearly a decade later, it will be great to see it come back just like those other old but good designs. Only if they want to do it. It might be harder to do given today's screen technology, but...I hate to say this...If Jobs was here, his reality distortion field will let it happen.

Edit 1: year fact. The timeline is: 2015 was the first MacBook without the glowing logo; 2016 was the first MBP without it; 2017 was the last MBA shipped with it and succeeded by the 2018 MBA; and in 2019 they stopped selling the 2017 model.
Edit 2: year fact. 2014 iPhone 6 was the thinnest, and iPhone became thicker since the 6s.

 

[Moonjumper]

I don't see the glowing logo come back.

It was a cutout that allowed the backlight to shine in the opposite direction. The dimming zones of the current screens means it is no longer available as a byproduct. The Ultra is rumoured to have an OLED screen, which doesn't have backlight at all. Also, removing the cutout, and the weakness it creates, allows the lid to be thinner, They are not going to make the lid thicker by reintroducing a cutout and having an extra light source.

 

[Ted_Appleseed]

I don't see the glowing logo come back.

It was a cutout that allowed the backlight to shine in the opposite direction. The dimming zones of the current screens means it is no longer available as a byproduct. The Ultra is rumoured to have an OLED screen, which doesn't have backlight at all. Also, removing the cutout, and the weakness it creates, allows the lid to be thinner, They are not going to make the lid thicker by reintroducing a cutout and having an extra light source.

That's what I've learned too. However, this article suggests that OLED is also thin so this would be achievable:

Why I Want Apple to Bring Back The Glowing Logo (We Have the Technology)

The glow-up we deserve.

www.howtogeek.com

I'm not an engineer so idk how to, but I believe if they really want to do it, they can figure out a way to achieve it.

 

[Moonjumper]

OLED is thin, but it is still thicker than nothing, and will be thicker with a plate to stop the light from it showing through on the screen. It will also affect heat dissipation of the main screen.

 

[theluggage]

That's what I've learned too. However, this article suggests that OLED is also thin so this would be achievable

OLED is thin, but it is still thicker than nothing, and will be thicker with a plate to stop the light from it showing through on the screen.

OLED doesn't use a backlight at all. The logo wouldn't light up. The individual pixels emit light (if they're on) unlike LCD screens where the pixels act as "shutters" for an always-on backlight (either LEDs or fluorescent tubes back in the good old days) - which was what shone through the translucent Apple logo. I suspect the idea stopped working even with the newer, brighter LCD screens, is unlikely to work with current mini-LED/local dimming screens and it certainly won't work with OLED.

I guess they could actually add a LED to illuminate the logo, but that sounds like the sort of rainbow LED "unicorn vomit" that plagues gaming PCs, and if we go down that route we'll end up with Macs sporting go-faster stripes and chrome... part of the appeal of the old backlight illuminated logo was that it was such a simple hack.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

A glowing pic from my 2009 MBP I’m posting from. For all the reasons, technical and financial already mentioned, I think this is a non event that folks just aren’t wishing for.

Sure it’s possible to have a separate OLED/ Mini LED image cut-out displayed to be lit up but the branding is now so strong and mainstream that a chunk of aluminium with an Apple logo is sufficient to be recognised for what it is (i.E. Neo, MacBook, Air, MBP).

 

[Ted_Appleseed]

OLED doesn't use a backlight at all. The logo wouldn't light up. The individual pixels emit light (if they're on) unlike LCD screens where the pixels act as "shutters" for an always-on backlight (either LEDs or fluorescent tubes back in the good old days) - which was what shone through the translucent Apple logo. I suspect the idea stopped working even with the newer, brighter LCD screens, is unlikely to work with current mini-LED/local dimming screens and it certainly won't work with OLED.

I guess they could actually add a LED to illuminate the logo, but that sounds like the sort of rainbow LED "unicorn vomit" that plagues gaming PCs, and if we go down that route we'll end up with Macs sporting go-faster stripes and chrome... part of the appeal of the old backlight illuminated logo was that it was such a simple hack.

Adding LED sounds like a feasible solution, while on the standpoint of customization, I personally wouldn't like the Apple logo to show gaming laptop-ish RGB colors, as it may not match Apple's aesthetics on MacBooks. Tech enthusiasts may find a way to hack it, but that's up to them. If I were the product designer, I would give (limit) user options to change the color temperature of the logo from cool white to warm white, or apply True Tone. Rainbow retro Apple logo? Maybe. But not gamer-ish RGB.

Edit: add: maybe different light colors that matches different MacBook colors too, especially for the sky blue MacBook Air or the multicolor MacBook Neo. It has system accent color matches so same could apply to the logo.

Image Credit: 101. The Kelvin Scale – Choosing The Right Color Temperature For Your LED Lighting (https://oeo.com/blog/101-the-kelvin...2aUAFCAp56OEsP58mr06c2jcJBWfdpiq46XDV-gFnl0d_)

 

[Ted_Appleseed]

A glowing pic from my 2009 MBP I’m posting from. For all the reasons, technical and financial already mentioned, I think this is a non event that folks just aren’t wishing for.

Sure it’s possible to have a separate OLED/ Mini LED image cut-out displayed to be lit up but the branding is now so strong and mainstream that a chunk of aluminium with an Apple logo is sufficient to be recognised for what it is (i.E. Neo, MacBook, Air, MBP).View attachment 2642172

I do agree that Apple's Mac laptops are easy to recognize, and for today's Apple as a famous brand, they don't really need a glowing logo for marketing purpose to stand out. However it's a personality that Mac laptops uses to have, which made them different. It's an Apple personality and attitude - not just for the sake of marketing, but Apple just being Apple. Who else did this...maybe Thinkpad with the red dot on the letter i, but not a lot of other brands. And it's fun.

Take good care of your MacBook. It's a treasure that future generation may forget or even never able to see. Unless my wet dream wild prediction become true. I had the 11-inch 2010 MacBook Air and 15-inch 2013 MacBook Pro but I no longer own them.

 

[conmee]

I'll take the rainbow LED unicorn vomit over more AI. 😉 I'd have standard white LED for main keys, blue LED for arrow keys, purple LED for Function keys and red LED for the Return, Backspace, Tab, and Shift keys... and Orange for the Caps Lock. haha And I'd have the LED Apple logo deep red just like HAL.

C'mon Apple, let's give Alienware and Asus some competition in the unicorn vomit market!

 

[Ted_Appleseed]

I'll take the rainbow LED unicorn vomit over more AI. 😉 I'd have standard white LED for main keys, blue LED for arrow keys, purple LED for Function keys and red LED for the Return, Backspace, Tab, and Shift keys... and Orange for the Caps Lock. haha And I'd have the LED Apple logo deep red just like HAL.

C'mon Apple, let's give Alienware and Asus some competition in the unicorn vomit market!

Cool idea, but I would keep this for gaming models only.

Introducing MacBook Ultra G, which G stands for gaming. We have all of these cool customization features plus Apple's M6 Ultra+ Chip that kills 5090. Available when the AI bubble bursts.

 

[conmee]

Cool idea, but I would keep this for gaming models only.

Introducing MacBook Ultra G, which G stands for gaming. We have all of these cool customization features plus Apple's M6 Ultra+ Chip that kills 5090. Available when the AI bubble bursts.

The gaming rigs were cancelled. Also, the M6 Pro/Max/Ultra cancelled. Gonna have to wait for the M7 Ultra in late 2027/early 2028 but maybe the M5 Ultra this Fall will play some AAA ports at 60fps or greater (haven't tried Crimson Desert yet on my M5 Max). I think Apple shouldn't gate keep LED goodness. If all the serious business Macs get genmoji and the latest emojis an animated wallpaper, they should get the LEDs too. By the time Mac outperforms a 5090, Nvidia will already be two steps ahead with a 60xx or 70xx series.

 

[conmee]

P.S. I'm just goofing around a bit with my other posts. I wouldn't be opposed to an LED logo but I find the shiny mirrored logo good enough.

 

[ignatius345]

Not for nothing, but the cutout on the old MacBooks would actually show a bright spot on the screen if you had it up against strong sunlight.

As for engineering an LED illuminated logo, that just sounds like hardware bloat to me. I would not want a MacBook I buy to be even 1mm thicker or a gram heavier to accomodate something like that.

The backlit logo was cute and sort of fun, but its time has passed IMO.