From the big leap in design unibody implemented by Apple on the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro at the turn of 2015, apple computers have lost one of their most distinctive signs. Indeed, until then, it was impossible to miss a Mac user, whether in a café or in films and series… thanks to the prominent luminous logo on the back of the screen.
However, in 2015, Apple introduced a new, more integrated, thinner (some would say more elegant) design, while removing this distinctive sign in favor of a more discreet logo in reflective metal. With this decision, the Apple logo has thus become almost as (in)visible as the logo of competing computers such as that of the Microsoft Surface.
The backlit Apple logo on the back of MacBooks is likely to make a comeback!
But it will probably only be a parenthesis. Indeed, a Patently Apple and MacRumors info reports that a patent suggests the return of the illuminated Apple logo on the back of Macs. And for this, the firm seems to have recruited several engineers (mentioned in the document) in 2018. This seems to confirm that the firm intends to implement a new design shift, involving the return of the apple of light.
But it would be wrong to speak of a simple return. Because the new logo will remain partially reflective like the logo found on the current generation of Mac laptops. The patent in question, filed in March 2022 and published last week in the USPTO database, indeed evokes various implementations “backlit semi-reflecting structures”.
In the document, we can read this purpose, to say the least, explicitly:
“An electronic device such as a laptop or any other device is likely to be housed in a casing. Components such as the screen and the keyboard are likely to be installed in this casing. The back of the casing may feature a logo. The logo or any other structure of the device is likely to be equipped with a partially reflecting mirror equipped with a backlight device. The mirror is likely to give a shiny appearance to the logo or any other structure while hiding the internal components. At the same time, the partial transparency of the mirror allows illumination by backlighting from inside the device, through the latter.”
The patent continues:
“One or more layers of laminated thin films are capable of being configured to deliver precise light reflection off the mirror, and the desired visible light absorption spectrum […] the mirror can have a neutral color like a light gray, or non-neutral like a golden hue.”
In addition to the return of the backlit logo on the back of MacBooks, the patent and the recruitment of engineers related to it four years ago now suggests that Apple has been preparing an all-new design for its Macs all this time. It is possible, moreover, that we will discover it soon, perhaps in the course of the year 2023. Do you regret the disappearance of the backlit logo on current Macs? Share your opinion in the comments!
Source: Presse-Citron
I am a technology author with 8 years of experience in journalism. My writing covers the latest technology advancements and trends, drawing on my expertise in news journalism and social media platforms. I have contributed to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters.
