Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Silicon MacBooks and backlit logo

V

vulcanite

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 22, 2008
10
2
One of the classic things ditched by Apple with the Intel transition was the glowing Apple backlit logo on their laptops. I don't know why this was removed (probably the thin lid).
But do you think this classic backlit Apple logo makes a comeback with the new Apple Silicon based MacBooks?
 
vulcanite said:
One of the classic things ditched by Apple with the Intel transition was the glowing Apple backlit logo on their laptops. I don't know why this was removed (probably the thin lid).
But do you think this classic backlit Apple logo makes a comeback with the new Apple Silicon based MacBooks?
Click to expand...

I seriously doubt it. The last thing Apple wants to do is make their laptops thicker just to accomodate a glowing Apple logo in the lid. The presence of that glowing logo has no impact on the user experience, and if anything would have at least a slight effect on battery life. The glowing logo was a great marketing tool at a time where Apple was still struggling to gain its footing in the market, but today they have more than enough market share to let word of mouth and seeing Macs everywhere you go speak for itself. I'm in a coffee shop right now, and of the eight people on their laptops right now, six of us are on MacBooks.
 
The backlit logo was made possible by less efficient and directed light sources. If anything I expect this situation to change further in the future with micro-LED displays, in which case you would literally have to power an additional light source to make the Apple logo light up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hobowankenobi and chabig
vulcanite said:
One of the classic things ditched by Apple with the Intel transition was the glowing Apple backlit logo on their laptops. I don't know why this was removed (probably the thin lid).
But do you think this classic backlit Apple logo makes a comeback with the new Apple Silicon based MacBooks?
Click to expand...

Highly unlikely.

Also- was not ditched with the intel transition, was way later than that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ModusOperandi, Yorkieray, lukesturr and 6 others
The backlight logo was ditched in 2015/2016 well after the intel transition. It seams that the decision was made more so out of a want for for thinner top clamshell as well as the much tighter margin for error allowed for P3 displays given the 500 nit backlight and not being able to use the bleed from it to light up the aforementioned logo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ModusOperandi, pioneer9k, hobowankenobi and 4 others
dmccloud said:
I seriously doubt it. The last thing Apple wants to do is make their laptops thicker just to accomodate a glowing Apple logo in the lid. The presence of that glowing logo has no impact on the user experience, and if anything would have at least a slight effect on battery life. The glowing logo was a great marketing tool at a time where Apple was still struggling to gain its footing in the market, but today they have more than enough market share to let word of mouth and seeing Macs everywhere you go speak for itself. I'm in a coffee shop right now, and of the eight people on their laptops right now, six of us are on MacBooks.
Click to expand...

The glowing logo was removed precisely to save battery life. It has absolutely no impact on display thickness. If you cut a hole in the aluminum back of a current MacBook light would shine through just as in the old backlit.

Mikael H said:
The backlit logo was made possible by less efficient and directed light sources. If anything I expect this situation to change further in the future with micro-LED displays, in which case you would literally have to power an additional light source to make the Apple logo light up.
Click to expand...

That less efficient light sources are the same sources used today. But yeah, micro-LED would make it impossible without an additional light source.
 
Andropov said:
The glowing logo was removed precisely to save battery life. It has absolutely no impact on display thickness. If you cut a hole in the aluminum back of a current MacBook light would shine through...
Click to expand...
I tend to think that it’s because the light behind that cutout would shine through, altering the high quality color correctness. (Hold up the back of those old laptops to any suitably strong light and you’d see it shine through) You can’t claim full accurate compliance to a color space with a hole that lets light come through.
 
Last edited:
Unregistered 4U said:
I tend to think that it’s because the light behind that cutout would shine through, altering the high quality color correctness. (Hold up the back of those old laptops to any suitably strong light and you’d see it shine through) You can’t claim full accurate compliance to a color space with a hole that lets light come through.
Click to expand...

Good point. However, their claims with MacBook displays is support for P3 gamut, not necessarily color accuracy. I believe only the Pro Display XDR is factory calibrated to be accurate. (Coincidentally, Apple's displays are usually calibrated better than most, but they don't directly market that for anything but the Pro Display XDR).

Besides I think the amount of light that comes through is too small to make significant color variations, but I could be wrong. No way to know really without testing.
 
Andropov said:
Besides I think the amount of light that comes through is too small to make significant color variations, but I could be wrong. No way to know really without testing.
Click to expand...
I’ve seen one in person. With the the computer off, you can see the light coming through.
forums.macrumors.com

Is this normal...? I can SEE the Apple logo through my screen!

This. OP its a non issue. They all due it due to the translucent Apple. Once the screen turns on it goes away.
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com

I agree the amount of light coming through MAY be negligible if your screen brightness is up high enough to drown it out, but the potential for a dimmer screen to have it’s colors improperly brightened over the reverse of the Apple logo is there.
 
The glowing Apple logo was light bleed from the backlight used for the screen. There was no extra power usage. I cannot say why it was removed, but all of the above reasons may be valid, and I would like to add that it probably simplified manufacturing some, as in not needing to add a diffuser and a transparent lens to back cover.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ModusOperandi and Unregistered 4U
I would say the backlit logo was removed just like the multicolour Apple logo was removed. Easier and cheaper to manufacture.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ModusOperandi
I hope not as it was a bit gauche and cheesy. As a few others have said, it dated from the days when Apple had a smaller market share and MacBooks weren’t as well known - and to make their users feel a bit exclusive. Apple is so ubiquitous now, that such a move by then would be unclassy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ModusOperandi
I could see them adding it back in to try and lure people into buying thier iphone powered macbooks 😂
 
I would welcome its return and am sure that there are technical means to achieve it without compromising in any meaningful way the specifications of the screen or case dimensions.

I think its removal was a design choice and any re-inclusion would be design-led too. I doubt it will come back as they will want to appear like they are moving forward, not back.
 
I'd love for it to come back but don't hold out much chance for that to happen. I remember seeing an interview with Phil Schiller who said the reason they removed it was to have a synchronization across the brand for all of their products. The iPhone didn't have it, iPads didn't have it, and the iMac and Mac Pro didn't have it. They felt the simplistic logo was enough moving forward.

I can't find that interview anywhere but I know I saw it back when the 2016 MacBooks were refreshed.
 
I would like to see it return, maybe as a glowing outline rather than the whole thing lighting up? It was just one of those little 'Mac things' like the startup chime (which has returned, though granted that didn't require any specific engineering effort to do!).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back