The Glowing Apple Logo Is Back on the MacBook Pro After 10 Years
Apple's illuminated logo returns to the MacBook Pro lid for the first time since 2016, alongside a redesigned hinge, closed-lid audio and new chargers.
Image: Property of Apple
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The logo lights up again
For the first time since 2015, the Apple logo on the lid of a MacBook Pro is illuminated. Apple stopped lighting the logo when the 2016 redesign went Retina, because the logo had previously acted as a window for the display's backlight, and that light source had to go. Ten years later it is back, and Apple has not explained how. Mashable's hands-on coverage confirms a glowing logo on the lid of the new MacBook Pro, and MacRumors is reporting it as the illuminated logo returning after a decade. Practically, this is the detail that will show up in every unboxing thumbnail for the next year.
Small details worth knowing
The logo is not the only small thing worth knowing today. The hinge is redesigned to stay rigid when you press the screen, and reporting links the underlying hinge work to lessons from the iPhone Duo, a foldable that has been under scrutiny this week for display cracks. The nano-texture option is now etched directly into the cover glass rather than applied as a separate layer, which fixes the softness and cleaning problems that came with the film version. And the whole machine is lighter: three pounds for the 14-inch and four pounds for the 16-inch, in the same footprint as before.
Closed-lid audio for desktop use
One of the genuinely useful additions barely got mentioned: dedicated audio tuning for closed-lid use. If you dock a MacBook Pro to an external display, the built-in speakers have historically sounded muffled with the lid shut. Apple now tunes the six-speaker system specifically for that scenario, with redesigned woofers delivering 50 percent deeper bass and reshaped tweeters improving clarity. Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support continues. For anyone who works docked all day, this is a daily quality-of-life change rather than a spec line.
Chargers are new too, and that matters
Apple also quietly released redesigned 70W and 140W power adapters, an updated Power Adapter Extension Cable, and a new World Travel Adapter Kit, all using a new AC Connector 2 with a pill-shaped design that Apple says complies with updated regulations. The previous AC Connector 1 used a notched design, and when Apple began rolling out Connector 2 in some countries earlier this year, owners complained their older extension cables and travel kits no longer fit. This release fixes that compatibility gap. The World Travel Adapter Kit is 39 USD and includes Type A for North America and Japan, Type C for continental Europe and Brazil, Type D for India, Type G for the UK and Gulf states, and Type I for Australia and New Zealand.
Why these details matter more than specs
For a site like this one, the small stuff is the story. A glowing logo, a hinge that does not flex, a speaker that sounds right with the lid closed, a charger that fits the cable you already own: none of these appear in a benchmark chart, and all of them affect whether you enjoy owning a machine for five years. Apple spent the last decade arguing that touch and OLED would compromise the MacBook Pro. Today's launch is really a list of the ways it did not, plus a logo lit from behind for the first time since 2015.
What we still do not know
Apple has not said how the illuminated logo is lit, whether it can be turned off, or whether it will appear on future MacBook Air models. The company has also not published Canadian pricing for any of the new adapters or the revised MacBook Pro lineup, so check apple.com/ca before ordering. Reviews landing closer to the November 6 launch will answer the practical questions: whether the brighter logo is distracting in a dark room, how the nano-texture glass handles fingerprints, and whether the lighter chassis changes how the machine carries in a bag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the new MacBook Pro have a glowing Apple logo?
Yes. The illuminated Apple logo returns to the MacBook Pro lid for the first time since the 2016 redesign removed it.
Why did Apple remove the glowing logo in the first place?
The logo was historically lit by the display backlight shining through the lid. When Apple moved to Retina displays, that backlight design changed and the glowing logo was dropped.
What else is new on the new MacBook Pro?
PROLED XDR tandem OLED display, Touch, a reinforced hinge, Dynamic Island, nano-texture etched into the cover glass, a lighter 3-pound or 4-pound chassis, deeper bass with closed-lid audio tuning, and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips.
Are the new Apple chargers different?
Yes. The 70W and 140W adapters, extension cable and World Travel Adapter Kit now use the AC Connector 2 with a pill-shaped design, which Apple says meets updated regulations and restores compatibility with older accessories.