Steve Jobs Gives Green Light to Macs with LED Backlighting

Green Apple Logo

Apple aims to abolish the use of toxic chemicals in its products by shifting to LED-backlit screens in place of displays that use cold cathode fluorescent (CCFLs) backlights.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed the intention in an open letter to the company’s customers and shareholders. He said Apple plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.

The first Macs with LED backlighting will come out this year. “Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays,” Jobs said.

LED technology is actually more efficient at distributing lighting evenly across the entire display surface and offers an increase in color saturation. It also consumes less power, runs cooler, and lasts longer than CCFLs.

With that premise, the switch to LED from CCFLs is hardly an altruistic environmental decision. It makes business sense.

[Via: AppleInsider.com]

Published by Chris Malinao

Chris teaches Lightroom as workflow software to photography students at the FPPF, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation. He also teaches smartphone photography.