With Apple reportedly redesigning the M6 MacBook Pro, it’s time to bring back the beloved glowing Apple logo on the back of the laptop.
Not only is it an iconic look, but reviving a signature feature from the old MacBooks would be a statement that Apple is back to making laptops as good as they were back in the days when you could easily spot a MacBook from across the room by the glowing Apple logo.
When the world was young and MacBooks had a glowing Apple logo
For those too young to remember, the first Apple laptop to feature a glowing Apple logo was the third-generation PowerBook G3, introduced in 1999. To be clear, this isn’t an exaggeration—the logo on the back of the lid would actually light up when the laptop was turned on.
The design continued through Apple laptops for more than a decade and a half, until 2015.
MacBook’s biggest design mistakes including killing the glowing logo
And that’s when MacBooks started to go off the rails. In addition to ending the glowing logo, Apple introduced the “butterfly” keyboard in 2015 – a super-slim design with little key travel and a tendency for the keys to jam with even the tiniest grain of sand.
2016 ushered in the “Dongle Era”. Apple has removed almost every dedicated port and replaced them with USB-C. It was the end of the HDMI port, SD card slot and even MagSafe.
It is no coincidence that the illuminated Apple logo was cut in the same time period.
Then, for too many years, MacBooks were a triumph of form over function. They were gorgeously thin and gorgeous, but weighed down by a problematic keyboard and forced hubs or adapters on virtually every type of accessory. And our beloved glowing logo was nowhere to be seen.
Reviving the MacBook
Fortunately, Apple has turned the MacBook around. It was actually a while ago: the butterfly keyboard was gone until 2020, and the following year saw the return of the HDMI port, SD card slot and MagSafe charging to the MacBook Pro range.
The MacBook Pro has since stuck with the same 2021 design, but a major overhaul is on the way. Leaks and rumors tell us that highlights will include an OLED display, a touchscreen, an Apple M6 processor, and a thinner/lighter chassis.
In a sea of identical laptops, the glowing Apple logo made MacBooks iconic
The return of the glowing Apple logo on the back of the M6 MacBook Pro would be a clear sign that its latest model is returning to the great laptops it made a decade or more ago.
At the time, this illuminated logo was an instantly recognizable symbol of creativity, craftsmanship and confidence. Every open MacBook has become an indicator that someone is serious about being a designer, developer, artist, filmmaker… whatever.
Fresh design for a new era
Image: Gemini/Cult of Mac
The original glowing logo was literally just an apple-shaped hole in the back of the MacBook covered in white plastic. The glow came from the backlight of the LCD screen. This won’t work with the M6 MacBook Pro – its OLED display doesn’t have backlight, because each pixel lights up by itself.
But with modern LEDs and advances in energy efficiency, Apple could reintroduce the glow in a way that’s sleek, energy-efficient and unmistakably MacBook.
Giving the glowing Apple logo its own light source would allow people to change the color of the MacBook Pro to match their personal style. Or turn off the glow when it’s not convenient.
You can’t say it’s a crazy idea because Apple filed a patent in 2022 for a method of adding a backlit logo to a device.
Imagine how cool it would be to look around classrooms, studios, coffee shops and conference rooms around the world and see the illuminated Apple logos again. Each would be a shining beacon showing that we’re just as proud to use our MacBooks as Apple is to make them.
Ed Hardy He has been writing about the technique full-time for 25 years and has been using it for much longer. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but he now uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. It is written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthandas well as other sites.