If recent patent applications are to be believed, Apple could be set to re-introduce the backlit logo on its MacBooks again. First introduced in 1999, the luminous fruit has not been seen anywhere on a new Apple device since 2015.
Originally filed in May 2022, the U.S. patent office published the patent application last week which covered — among other things — the implementation of “Electronic devices with backlit partial mirror structures.”
When required to cite an example of the patent in action, the response of the Cupertino giants will get fans of the lit-up logo excited:
“An electronic device such as a laptop computer or other device may have a housing. Components such as a display and keyboard may be mounted in the housing. The rear of the housing may be provided with a logo. The logo or other structures in the device may be provided with a backlit partially reflective mirror. The mirror may provide the logo or other structures with a shiny appearance while blocking interior components from view. At the same time, the partial transparency of the mirror allows backlight illumination from within the device to pass through the mirror.”
According to Patently Apple the new backlit logo will work in a different way to previous devices as this is a fresh patent and not an extension of the previous one. Also pointing to a new approach is the fact that three of the engineers listed on the patent only joined Apple in 2018, meaning they could not have had anything to do with the old system.
The patent also provided details of a potential choice of colors for the backlit logo, “The mirror may have a neutral color such as light gray or may have a non-neutral color such as gold.” This level of customization would be a new take on an old classic.
Originally dropped for the 12-inch MacBook Air, it will be interesting to see if any of Apple’s next generation of MacBooks will have the famous glowing logo. Similarly, did the new approach to the logo come too soon for the likes of the new MacBook Pro M2 Pro series?
The MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch for 2022 were originally tipped to launch this month with a new M2 Pro and M2 Max chip. But a recent report says that these new MacBook Pros are delayed until 2023, along with the new Mac mini and Mac Pro.
Other than the new chip, these new MacBook Pros will reportedly have identical designs to their predecessors. So the addition of a glowing logo would at least add a little flair.
While not exactly a system seller, the glowing Apple logo was an icon of its time that brought an element of wonder to MacBooks, and its reintroduction would surely prove popular with longtime fans.
