A Beloved MacBook Feature Is Back After 10 Years, but Apple Won’t Let You Have It on the More Affordable New MacBook Pro Yet

One of the MacBook’s most recognizable design features is making a comeback. After ten years without it, the glowing Apple logo is returning to the back of the MacBook Pro.

Apple confirmed the change with its redesigned OLED MacBook Pro, restoring a feature that disappeared during the controversial 2016 redesign.

Apple CEO John Ternus celebrated the return on X, writing: “We’re glowing with excitement over the new MacBook Pro. You’ve gotta touch it to believe it.”

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Why Apple removed the glowing logo in 2016

The illuminated Apple logo was a signature feature of MacBooks from the late 1990s through 2015. Its removal in 2016 disappointed longtime users who had come to associate the glowing emblem with Apple’s laptops.

Older MacBooks used light from the display’s backlighting system to illuminate the logo. When Apple redesigned the MacBook Pro, it replaced the glowing emblem with a polished metal version.

Bringing it back on the new model requires a different approach.

The new PROLED XDR Display uses OLED technology, meaning individual pixels produce their own light rather than relying on a shared backlight.

Apple hasn’t explained how the revived logo is illuminated, but it has confirmed the feature is built into the redesigned MacBook Pro.

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The glowing logo returns alongside OLED and touch

The illuminated logo is part of a larger redesign that introduces touchscreen support to the Mac for the first time.

Apple’s new OLED panel offers deeper blacks, higher contrast, and precise brightness control at the pixel level. The laptops also feature thinner bodies, smaller bezels, and a Dynamic Island replacing the traditional display notch.

The 14-inch OLED MacBook Pro starts at $2,899, while the 16-inch model starts at $3,399. Both are available to pre-order now, with shipments beginning November 6.

Apple also offers a more affordable 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M6 chip, but the illuminated logo is exclusive to the redesigned OLED models.

There’s no indication yet that Apple plans to bring the feature back to the MacBook Air or other models.