It's one of the most famous logos of all time, and there was a time when it lit up libraries, lecture halls and cafes alike. Since 2015, though, the MacBook's Apple logo is no longer backlit – but if new rumours are to be believed, the once-iconic design touch could soon make a glowing return.
A new Apple patent has revealed that the company is working on a way to bring back the illuminated logo. But the tech could be entirely different to that of years gone by. (Looking for the best Mac experience around? Check out today's best MacBook Pro deals.)
The glowing logo can be seen in this completely natural and un-posed photo (Image credit: Apple)
Catchily titled "Electronic Devices With Backlit Partial Mirror Structures," the patent (spotted by PatentlyApple) describes how "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."
The glowing logo was removed in 2015 (Image credit: Apple)
In short, this sounds like a combination of what went before, and what we have now. Today's MacBook Apple logo is mirrored, but this comes at the expense of the backlight. And the new patent suggests Apple may not have been all that keen on killing off the glowing logo in the first place – much to the delight, it seems, of nostalgic Apple fans (although a few DJs might not be thrilled about having to reach for the duct tape again).
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While the feature arguably doesn't offer a huge amount of practical purpose, there's no denying that it's an iconic piece of Apple design – and it seems that's enough for plenty of fans. And it seems Apple has form when it comes to leaning into logo nostalgia lately – just last year it finally brought back those beloved rainbow colours. For the lowdown on the latest MacBook, take a look at our M2 MacBook Air review.
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
