When Apple CEO John Ternus introduced the first touchscreen Mac, the crowd’s biggest reaction was for the illuminated lid logo rather than the OLED touchscreen or the lighter chassis. The feature marks a return of the light-up logos that Apple began phasing out in 2015 and completely removed by the 2018 MacBook Air redesign.
How the New Logo Works
The brightness of the new logo ties directly to the screen display, mimicking the functionality of older models. However, because modern OLED screens lack a traditional backlight, a teardown by iFixit revealed that four white LEDs illuminate the logo while software synchronizes it with the display brightness.
According to the source, this setup means Apple could have incorporated RGB LEDs to provide a full spectrum of colors. The Verge noted that multicolor lighting would have leaned into Apple’s stated commitment to gaming.
Customization Limitations
While the Verge hoped for built-in customization similar to Microsoft’s Elite Series 2 controllers, the logo only shines in white light out of the box. Users can disable the light using Terminal commands or manage it via third-party software, but iFixit’s teardown demonstrated that accessing the LEDs risks breaking the screen.
Free third-party applications like LogoLight currently let users make the white logo pulse, breathe, flash Morse code, or sync with music beats. The Verge pointed out that adding color options to these animation features would have elevated the experience significantly.
While RGB lighting might traditionally feel out of place on a professional laptop, the publication suggested that multicolor LEDs could serve as an entertaining Easter egg. With Apple entering a new era of experimentation under John Ternus—highlighted by unexpected hardware choices like a touchscreen Mac—future iterations of the light-up logo might offer more playful options.
