Apple killed the glowing MacBook logo about ten years ago. Now it's back — and the internet wasted zero time building an app around it.
The app is Backglow, from designer Juan Buis, and it treats the new MacBook Pro's illuminated lid like the toy it always wanted to be: brightness control fully separate from your screen, plus a one-click off switch that used to require Terminal commands. The free version covers the basics; the Pro tier is $9 for a limited time, going to $15 later.
Here's the punchline: the logo ships illuminated, and "how to turn it off to save battery" guides already exist. Ten years to bring the glow back, and the homework is already due. Meanwhile Samsung is shipping open-ear Galaxy Buds On and a SmartTag 3 tracker — because at this point, accessories are the new glow.
The glowing logo is back after roughly a decade, and Backglow is the first app built to boss it around — brightness separate from the screen, off switch included.
While Apple's lid lights up, the rest of the desk is busy too: Samsung's open-ear Galaxy Buds On just landed in the US alongside the SmartTag 3 tracker.
A $9 in-app purchase is all it takes to run your own light show — or, if you're the battery-conscious type, one click to kill the whole thing.
Watch the full breakdown: