The return of the glowing Apple logo

[ignatius345]

i am against apple revising that magsafe design simply because the casing would fray after a year or usage and the parts fell apart after some years.

Everything wears out eventually. I hope this time around they just make cable detachable and replaceable because replacing the whole charger when the cable wore out was unnecessarily wasteful and expensive.

Even better if it could plug into any standard usb-c charger.

 

[krfr]

TBH I hated the stainless steel logo at first, but I'm beginning to like it. Having a piece of plastic in the middle of a sea of aluminum is starting to look old. But, that's IMHO

I completely agree with this statement. I actually prefer the stainless steel logo much more than having the glow.

 

[profcutter]

I always hated the glow. If I was traveling with family, I had to cover up the logo with duct tape so it wouldn’t wake up my wife or kids when we were sharing a hotel room. I still have a glowing 15 inch, looking forward to replacing it with something that doesn’t glow when the new Apple silicon models come out.

 

[Seanm87]

As others have mentioned I noticed all the ads still have the glowing logo. It seems strange they keep using it so maybe they do intend to bring it back.

 

[iAFC]

Won't happen. Apple is transitioning to mini-LED, therefore eliminating the need for a display backlight. Unless they installed an extra LED on the back just to illuminate the logo, which would make no sense.

 

[jerryk]

The glowing apple always made it easy for thieves to do "Apple Picking" in Coffee places and other lounges.

 

[tranceking26]

To be honest I often forget it's there on my MBP, unless I'm sitting in darkness.

 

[satchmo]

What about an optional backlit logo that can be chosen in preferences?

 

[RobbieTT]

Maybe optional or at least controllable.

My guess is that it will be an OLED Apple Logo that will utilise the former Touch Bar control system thereby giving the user the option to view message alerts, current time, battery status, network connection, file download et al with a simple swipe or tap when the lid is closed. Looking at all the complications that can be added to the Apple Watch will give you an idea of how useful an interactive Apple logo could be.

If Apple have genuinely missed this opportunity then I claim all rights and royalties for such a display for the RobbieTT foundation of me and perhaps even the wife.

 

[liriel_]

Will it happen this year? What kind of re-design can we count on based on leaks/

 

[Spudlicious]

The glowing apple always made it easy for thieves to do "Apple Picking" in Coffee places and other lounges.

Better to not have thieves.

 

[Spudlicious]

Won't happen. Apple is transitioning to mini-LED, therefore eliminating the need for a display backlight. Unless they installed an extra LED on the back just to illuminate the logo, which would make no sense.

That's a reasoned objection, but the glowing Apple could easily be independent of the backlight by using an (very thin and cheap) electroluminescent panel. That would also make it software controllable and easily allow other info display functionality.

 

[Stephen.R]

What about an optional backlit logo that can be chosen in preferences?

Sure. Apple just need to travel to the 32nd century and bring back programmable matter so they can make a section the case be either translucent or opaque via a software control.

 

[Lihp8270]

Sure. Apple just need to travel to the 32nd century and bring back programmable matter so they can make a section the case be either translucent or opaque via a software control.

There a lot of advances in switchable smart glass (electronic privacy glass).

it’s even available as a self adhesive film now

 

[Spudlicious]

Sure. Apple just need to travel to the 32nd century and bring back programmable matter so they can make a section the case be either translucent or opaque via a software control.

I bet Apple's R&D boffins are all over modified porous nano-crystalline films.

 

[iAFC]

That's a reasoned objection, but the glowing Apple could easily be independent of the backlight by using an (very thin and cheap) electroluminescent panel. That would also make it software controllable and easily allow other info display functionality.

Why, though? Would the iMac get the same treatment? What about iPhones? It’s just something that would be utterly tacky and more akin to Chinese brands than to Apple.

 

[diggy33]

I would only want it to return with some special anniversary edition type machine. Give something for the folks who are nostalgic about those things, and see how it sells. I’d definitely go for a pre-unibody style MacBook Pro with modern internals. It’ll never happen, but that’s the only reason I’d personally like to see it return.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

I hope glowing logo not coming back. I personally don’t like to see Apple logo or any glowing logo staring at my face.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

That's a reasoned objection, but the glowing Apple could easily be independent of the backlight by using an (very thin and cheap) electroluminescent panel. That would also make it software controllable and easily allow other info display functionality.

I'd have to ask why have a separate assembly that was purely for vanity (whether Apple's interest in promoting their product, or the user's pride of ownership)? Every part/assembly comes at a cost, and each one is a potential point of failure, both in initial factory quality control as well as during ongoing use, repairs, etc. Imagine the complaint posts, "Why should I pay for/carry the weight of something that has no functional purpose?"

The old glowing Apple was brilliant because of its simplicity - there was all that display backlight, why not steal a bit to illuminate a translucent plastic panel? It even had its uses for troubleshooting - if there's evidence the Mac booted (the LEDs on the Shift Lock key or MagSafe connector) but there was no light pouring through that little window... potential fluorescent backlight failure.

I haven't researched this, but one potential reason for the phase-out would've been a change in the design of the display panels - even before a switch to micro-LED, all it would've taken is a module built with a solid metal back (which is the way iPhone displays have been built for as far back as I can remember). Now, the iPhone display modules probably need a bit of electromagnetic shielding, as the CPU is right behind the display. It also reduces the chance of a shattered display puncturing the battery or cutting a ribbon cable. Laptop lids don't have those particular concerns.

But as much fun as the glowing logo often was (the Apple advertisement in countless movies and TV shows where Apple loaned the filmmakers a laptop/the personal announcement of "I've got a Mac"), it could be annoying in a darkened meeting room.

The highly-polished Apple on the backs of iPads and Macs is a bit more understated, but as long as the light hits it from the right angle, it's still a very noticeable Apple advertisement.

 

[bunnspecial]

they are not compatible afaik

Magsafe 1 and Magsafe 2 are electrically identical-only the physical shape of the plug is different(wider and thinner).

Apple and others make/made an inexpensive passive adapter to turn a Magsafe 1 plug into Magsafe 2. The other way around is theoretically possible but I've never seen it done. After Magsafe 2 was introduced, Apple shipped the adapter with the Thunderbolt display up until it was discontinued since it was never updated to Magsafe 2.

BTW, I've only JUST recently stopped using a Magsafe 1 computer as my primary computer(2012 MBP) in favor of an M1. It's been a really, really long time since I've had a damaged Magsafe adapter. My "secret" is that I just bought a bunch of them and left them places where I would use them. I still have one on my desk at work(since I go into the office twice a month at best these days) plus scattered around the house and a dedicated suitcase one.

Most of my Magsafe 1s are T-type. I strategically use the L type where it's more convenient-namely on the couch.

 

[Spudlicious]

Why, though? Would the iMac get the same treatment? What about iPhones? It’s just something that would be utterly tacky and more akin to Chinese brands than to Apple.

Because the glowing Apple logo is so iconic, so widely recognised, so familiar; a brilliant promotional device that many users took a pride in. I'd seen it in countless films and TV programmes before ever I saw a MacBook in the aluminium flesh and I never thought it tacky or anything but symbolic of an America company.

 

[Spudlicious]

I'd have to ask why have a separate assembly that was purely for vanity (whether Apple's interest in promoting their product, or the user's pride of ownership)? Every part/assembly comes at a cost, and each one is a potential point of failure, both in initial factory quality control as well as during ongoing use, repairs, etc. Imagine the complaint posts, "Why should I pay for/carry the weight of something that has no functional purpose?"

The old glowing Apple was brilliant because of its simplicity - there was all that display backlight, why not steal a bit to illuminate a translucent plastic panel? It even had its uses for troubleshooting - if there's evidence the Mac booted (the LEDs on the Shift Lock key or MagSafe connector) but there was no light pouring through that little window... potential fluorescent backlight failure.

I haven't researched this, but one potential reason for the phase-out would've been a change in the design of the display panels - even before a switch to micro-LED, all it would've taken is a module built with a solid metal back (which is the way iPhone displays have been built for as far back as I can remember). Now, the iPhone display modules probably need a bit of electromagnetic shielding, as the CPU is right behind the display. It also reduces the chance of a shattered display puncturing the battery or cutting a ribbon cable. Laptop lids don't have those particular concerns.

But as much fun as the glowing logo often was (the Apple advertisement in countless movies and TV shows where Apple loaned the filmmakers a laptop/the personal announcement of "I've got a Mac"), it could be annoying in a darkened meeting room.

The highly-polished Apple on the backs of iPads and Macs is a bit more understated, but as long as the light hits it from the right angle, it's still a very noticeable Apple advertisement.

Have you ever seen the three-pointed star emblem on a Mercedes vehicle? If so, were you concerned about a separate assembly that was purely for vanity? Other brand awareness examples are available. One potential reason for the glowing logo phase-out might have been that people make mistakes, such as switching to a poorly designed keyboard and dropping a charging connector that was both functional and popular with customers. Fortunately, mistakes can often be rectified.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Have you ever seen the three-pointed star emblem on a Mercedes vehicle? If so, were you concerned about a separate assembly that was purely for vanity? Other brand awareness examples are available. One potential reason for the glowing logo phase-out might have been that people make mistakes, such as switching to a poorly designed keyboard and dropping a charging connector that was both functional and popular with customers. Fortunately, mistakes can often be rectified.

Yeah, you could also mention the hood ornament on a Rolls Royce or the logo pattern on a piece of Louis Vuitton luggage. Let's get real. Mercedes is a relatively poor example of "luxury product" when compared to another Daimler Benz product, Maybach (hey, even a Mercedes dealer needs an up-sell opportunity). Like an iPhone, a Mercedes or BMW may be only twice the price of a "comfortably middle-class" car, rather than 10 times the price or more.

I guess the difference for me is that Apple is a mass-market premium brand, it's not really a luxury brand. Overall, Apple is an "affordable luxury," like getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks instead of McDonald's, or Haagen Dazs ice cream vs. Breyer's.

Still, if you're going to spend $30,000 more on a Mercedes than you would on a Ford or Honda (as opposed to a Lincoln or an Acura)... sure, you're not going to quibble about the cost of a hood ornament, or even the cost of periodically replacing that oft-stolen hood ornament. But when you're spending "just" $500 more on a Mac than a Dell?

There will undoubtedly be people who would balk at paying even a cent for an ostentatious Apple logo - coming up with an extra $500 may not be easy - feeling like they're spending $50 of that on a logo might not go down very easily. We see this kind of reasoning in these forums all the time - people who don't think a particular feature is useful to them and so would prefer a stripped-down model (Face ID, Touch Bar, ECG...). At least those are features, rather than ornaments.

I would not pay an extra penny to have a giant-sized Polo/Ralph Lauren or Izod logo on a shirt (I'm more likely to buy if the logo is smaller or even better, non-existent). For me Apple is an entirely practical purchase, not a luxury or status symbol - not unlike paying extra for higher-quality groceries. What people think of my groceries (or computing devices) has no bearing on my choices. An expensive hood ornament or a logo that requires its own backlighting assembly - both of which have zero practical use - would rub me the wrong way.

 

[iAFC]

Because the glowing Apple logo is so iconic, so widely recognised, so familiar; a brilliant promotional device that many users took a pride in. I'd seen it in countless films and TV programmes before ever I saw a MacBook in the aluminium flesh and I never thought it tacky or anything but symbolic of an America company.

It wasn't tacky when it was just a cutout taking advantage of the screen backlight. Adding a dedicated LED just to make it glow would be tacky.