Next-Gen MACBOOK PRO To Shine Brighter

(From AppleInsider.com -- By Kasper Jade)

A forthcoming update to APPLE'S MACBOOK PRO line will usher in a generation of more vibrant and uniformly-colored notebook displays thanks to some new underlying backlight technology, APPLE INSIDER has learned.

Confirming an earlier but widely discounted report from Taiwan-based DIGITIMES, faithful industry sources say the new pro-oriented systems will mark the start of a gradual transition away from cold cathode fluorescent backlights (CCFLs) and towards LED backlights for the MAC maker.

Thus far, those sources say Apple has agreed to implement the LED technology only within a revision to its 15-inch MacBook Pro due sometime in the second quarter of this year.

A broader expansion to the 17-inch model and across the company's 13-inch consumer line, though inevitable, reportedly remains under consideration.

While pricer than CCFLs, LED technology is more efficient at distributing lighting evenly across the entire display surface and offers an increase in color saturation.

According to a white paper from CREE, a backlight solutions provider expected to provide its LED technology to Apple, LED-based backlights also consume less power, run cooler, and last longer than CCFLs.

For end users, the new technology translates into improved notebook battery life and displays that will maintain their initial levels of brightness longer into their respective life-cycles.

Come this spring, LED-lit displays will also deliver a more vivid canvas for the various software user interface enhancements and animation techniques that will be included with
MAC OS X LEOPARD.

Next-Gen MacBook Pro To Shine Brighter

Kraig Bailey, thanks for the post.