Key Takeaways
- The glowing Apple logo was the coolest feature of MacBooks, serving as free marketing and a symbol of brand loyalty.
- Apple removed the logo in 2015 due to the MacBook’s thin design, fearing a hot spot on the screen and an outdated aesthetic.
- Advancements in OLED and RGB LED technology could allow Apple to bring back the glowing logo in a modern and functional way.
The glowing Apple logo on the back of a MacBook was one of the most iconics Mac features—until Apple decided to unceremoniously dump it. The company offered several excuses as to why the glowing logo was gone, but I think time and technology have made it the right time for Apple to once again see the light.
The Glowing Apple Logo Was the Coolest Thing About MacBooks
As a type of free marketing, the glowing Apple logo on the lid of a MacBook was a stroke of genius. Whether you were in a brightly-lit coffee shop, or in the dark recesses of a university library, there was no doubt which team you backed with your last laptop purchase.
I was late to the Mac party, buying my first MacBook in 2019, long after the glowing logo had gone, but I had always thought it was one of the coolest things about these computers. So imagine my disappointment when I finally made the switch, only to realize that the iconic light-up laptops I’d seen in numerous movies, shows, and on desks at school, were a thing of the past.
Why the Glow Had to Go
The light-up logo ended its reign in 2015, with the release of the 12-inch MacBook. That laptop was impossibly thin for the time, and one of the sacrifices needed to get it to such razor-thin proportions, was ditching the light-up logo. Apple also had to invent the notorious butterfly keyboard to get that MacBook down to its desired slimness, and we all know how that turned out.
Since the screen on the new generation of MacBook was so darn thin, there was a real possibility that the light-up logo might cause a hot spot right in the middle of the screen. The light-up logo worked using the same backlight that lit up the screen, so in theory strong light from behind this now ultra-thin screen could even shine through and be visible.
Apart from this drive for thinness, it seems that Apple just wanted to change up the look of their devices, with more subtle branding. Not to mention that the logo wasn’t functional in any way, it was just cool.
We Have Paper-Thin OLEDs
Would Apple have to compromise on the thinness of their laptop screens to bring back the glowing Apple logo? Back in 2015 this might have been the case, but I honestly believe there are alternative ways to achieve the same look today. In particular, OLED screens are so thin, you could apply an OLED Apple logo to the laptop lid without compromising on thinness. Heck, Apple has trimmed down the M4 iPad Pro to a sliver, and still had enough room to fit two stacked OLED panels into it.
In fact, with a circular OLED on the back, you could to all sort of interesting things aesthetically, and it could even be functional, such as acting like a notification screen or clock when the laptop is closed.
RBG Is Thinner Than Ever
If OLED is over-complicated, perhaps good old RGB LED technology could come to the rescue. Clearly, I’m no engineer, but they can stick RGB into all sorts of tiny spaces these days, and surely finding a way to stick a few on the back of a MacBook lid isn’t that much to ask? Once again, these don’t even have to be purely cosmetic. The RGB logo could indicate whether the Mac is charging, or that it’s in sleep mode.
Everyone Will Like It, Apple. Probably.
Actually, there’s nothing that everyone will like, but I still think enough people will like it that it’s worth giving a shot. Apple has had its ups and downs on the design front over the years, but the glowing logo was a winner, and if there’s no technical reason not to have it on modern Macs, I think it should come back.
