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

Lol does anybody use their keyboard backlight?

DAAAAAAAVE

DAAAAAAAVE

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 15, 2008
193
0
Sydney, Australia
I just went to turn up my screen brightness and accidently hit the keyboard backlight adjustment instead. i completely forgot i had it and can't think of one situation when i would possibly need it besides for novelty. Does anyone actually have a useful use for it?
 
I used the one in my Pro all the time. It's really useful if your room isn't brightly lit for some reason. Nothing like surfing away in a room lit only by a roaring fire. However it's hard to see your keys in that light :)
 
In a dark room? I use it in lectures, although it's a pain having to turn it off when the lights are fully dimmed if we're watching something.

Not everybody uses their laptop in their bedroom/school, some people actually use them on the go...
 
Schtumple said:
In a dark room? I use it in lectures, although it's a pain having to turn it off when the lights are fully dimmed if we're watching something.
Click to expand...
There should be a function key shortcut to turn it on and off.
Schtumple said:
Not everybody uses their laptop in their bedroom/school, some people actually use them on the go...
Click to expand...

A bedroom is an ideal place to use the backlit keyboard :)
 
I think it's just a novelty. I can type without looking at the keyboard and I just find that it's a very cool thing to have, but not entirely necessary :p.
 
I use mine all the time. On the old MacBook Pros with silver keys it wasn't entirely necessary, but with the black keys I find it far more useful.
 
I always keep it at about 1/2 to 3/4 brightness unless I'm in a VERY bright room or connected to my Cinema Display when I use an external keyboard. I personally find it very useful.
 
haha turns out im the only person who doesn't use it. I type without looking at the keyboard and i like to have my screen brightness up anyway so i can always see the top line of function keys. I know a fair few people with MBP's and none of them use the backlight. Just thought it was a novelty and was curious if anyone did use it
 
I dont touch type well and love having my keyboard backlit. I would imagine the percentage of macbook owners with the 2.4 model that use it would be quite high as it is really the main distinguishing difference over the base model.
 
For me, it is one of those 'little touches' that adds to the bling/wow factor. It actually IS useful in darkened environments even though I can touch type.

The first time I had my new MBP at work (I have the only Apple computer there), we were in a conference room, they hit the lights off, my display auto dimmed and the keyboard lights slowly faded up and several people freaked out. They thought it was the coolest thing! *NOW* they want Macs.

Of all the stupid reasons to finally want to switch, this is what did it for them. One picked up a new Macbook, and the other got an iPhone and is saving for a Mac. The third had already had his iMac on order.

The other three people said 'Macs are stupid!'

It's crazy.
 
Even in a pitch dark room, all the keys are visible because of the brightness coming off the screen.
 
Andy-V said:
Even in a pitch dark room, all the keys are visible because of the brightness coming off the screen.
Click to expand...
If you're doing word processing or writing an e-mail, but what if you're using a program with a greyish or dark background?
 
I do. Sometimes I find myself working in dim light and I'm sitting in a way where the existing overhead light reflects off the keyboard and key labels are harder to see. I don't really need it but backlight helps...

BTW, my desktop keyboard has backlit keys which are impossible to see without backlight, but I keep it off anyway. Sometimes certain symbols (like * or %) take a couple of tries to hit but most of the time I'm fine.
 
I can touch type so its switched off. Plus I find the light leakage of the bottom of the keys very off putting and cheap looking.
 
i love the back lit keys. I use them all the time usually on the lowest setting because frankly that's all you need it on
 
I never realized how much I depended on being able to see my keys in the dark until last night. I had to work on my husband's WindowsXP machine, and it was very frustrating in the dark. I ended up having to turn on a lamp, and I much prefer the dark.
 
I got the 2.4 aluminum MacBook b/c I knew I would be using the backlist KB.
 
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