All Apple MacBooks to use LED backlighting by 2009

[AppleInsider]

Apple plans for all of its MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009, completing a transition across its notebook lines away from mercury-laden panels that began last year with an update to its MacBook Pro.

According to a report in the Wednesday edition of the Chinese-language Economic Daily News, back light unit (BLU) maker Kenmos Technology will be the primary beneficiary of the move. The Taiwan-based firm is said to have been the Mac maker's primary supplier of LED BLUs in 2007 when it introduced BLU technology on the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Since then, Apple has gone on to make LED-lit displays standard on its 13-inch MacBook Air. It also offers them as a build-to-order option on the more generously proportioned 17-inch MacBook Pro.

The movement is part of the company's charge towards "a greener Apple," which kicked into overdrive last year amid increased pressure from shareholders and environmental organizations who accused the electronics maker of dragging its feet when it came to removing environmentally harmful toxic chemicals from its products.

As part of an open letter on the matter, chief executive Steve Jobs said plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.

"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," he explained.

Jobs in the same letter added that Apple also has a plan to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008.[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ] (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=4088)

[ Digg this story ] (http://digg.com/apple/All_Apple_MacBooks_to_use_LED_backlighting_by_2009 )

[Clive At Five]

Now Greenpeace will write a scathing letter, whining, saying it's not quick enough... :rolleyes:

[DHagan4755]

"All of its displays by the end of 2008" would lead me to believe that we might actually see a Cinema Display upgrade soon. Hell it's way overdue.

[Vulcan1]

Wow, what a surprise! Not...And i'm not sure if it's right to say that it's (only) because Apple wants to become greener, i think it's because they are just better than the conventional ones, pure and simple, and that they are sexier!!! If it makes Apple any greener then that's just a bonus.

Now please, bring that revised, slimmed down 30" Cinema Display with LED, HDMI etc, so that i can finally put my claws in one;)

[theGAR]

Now please, bring that revised, slimmed down 30" Cinema Display with LED, HDMI etc, so that i can finally put my claws in one;)
Ditto !! :p

[onceuponamac]

I wonder how long the led screens will last - there was a report a week or so ago that sony's new oled TV was performing at a fraction of what sony was representing the life of the screen would be.

[Bergermeister]

I'll settle for a new 23" but yeah, long, long over-due.

[solipsism]

I wonder how long the led screens will last - there was a report a week or so ago that sony's new oled TV was performing at a fraction of what sony was representing the life of the screen would be.

BLU LED is not the same as OLED.

[solipsism]

Now Greenpeace will write a scathing letter, whining, saying it's not quick enough... :rolleyes:

Probably, and then if Apple did everything they wanted they'd find something else to cry about. Though I do understand the POV of a previous Greenpeace statement that stated they are harder on Apple because they are the industry leaders and the others will follow.

[resnyc]

Has it been confirmed anywhere that the impending upgrades to the MacBook Pro line will have Blu LED displays as the standard option?

[ppopp]

Do you think the new MacBooks that are rumored to be released in Q3 of this year will have LED displays? I'm planning on buying one when they are released, and the possibility of an LED display is one of the reasons I was waiting. I figured that they would be LED since they (probably) would be sourced with the same displays as the MB Air. This new "LED backlighting by 2009" pledge by Apple now has me wondering.

[SpamSandwich]

"Mercury laden"?

laden |ˈlādn|
adjective
heavily loaded or weighed down : a tree laden with apples | the moisture-laden air.

For them to be mercury [I]laden I think mercury would have to make up around half of the material in the product. "Laden" sounds a little dramatic to me.

Something less "run for the hills" would be:

Apple plans for all MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009, a process that began last year with an update to its MacBook Pro. This would complete a transition across its notebook lines away from panels containing mercury.

[solipsism]

"Mercury laden"?

laden |ˈlādn|
adjective
heavily loaded or weighed down : a tree laden with apples | the moisture-laden air.

For them to be mercury [I]laden I think mercury would have to make up around half of the material in the product. "Laden" sounds a little dramatic to me.

Something less "run for the hills" would be:

Apple plans for all MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009, a process that began last year with an update to its MacBook Pro. This would complete a transition across its notebook lines away from panels containing mercury.

I agree that it is a strong word, but I'd also contend that it is not incorrectly used. As a ppm the amount of mercury is minimal, but mercury is very toxic and therefore it doesn't take much to be harmful so using it from a POV of its toxicity I would say it's acceptable.

[Timon]

It's funny how on one hand Greenpeace is yelling about displays containing mercury but on the other they want everyone to move to CFLs for lighting your home.

There is a lot more mercury in all those CFL light bulbs that the amount in the CCFLs use for backlights.

But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.

Now Greenpeace will write a scathing letter, whining, saying it's not quick enough... :rolleyes:

[MacCentric]

Wow, what a surprise! Not...And i'm not sure if it's right to say that it's (only) because Apple wants to become greener, i think it's because they are just better than the conventional ones, pure and simple, and that they are sexier!!! If it makes Apple any greener then that's just a bonus.

Now please, bring that revised, slimmed down 30" Cinema Display with LED, HDMI etc, so that i can finally put my claws in one;)


I think a big factor especially regarding mobile computers is the power savings which leads to increased battery life.

[solipsism]

I think a big factor especially regarding mobile computers is the power savings which leads to increased battery life.

And that is green in and of itself.

[SpamSandwich]

I agree that it is a strong word, but I'd also contend that it is not incorrectly used. As a ppm the amount of mercury is minimal, but mercury is very toxic and therefore it doesn't take much to be harmful so using it from a POV of its toxicity I would say it's acceptable.

Strength of toxicity has nothing to do with the amount of toxic material in this case. Computer displays contain it, but they are not "swimming" in it.

[SpamSandwich]

It's funny how on one hand Greenpeace is yelling about displays containing mercury but on the other they want everyone to move to CFLs for lighting your home.

There is a lot more mercury in all those CFL light bulbs that the amount in the CCFLs use for backlights.

But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.

Reminds me of the time Jobs chewed out protesters at one of the Apple stockholders meetings. He said they should hire engineers so they could understand what the hell they were complaining about. :lol:

[solipsism]

Strength of toxicity has nothing to do with the amount of toxic material in this case. Computer displays contain it, but they are not "swimming" in it.

Hence, my statemnt of POV. Laden can also mean burdened or encumbered which doesn't imply a quantity, just an undesired attribute. Personally, I wouldn't have used laden as the colloquial definition tends to imply a vast amount of something, but that doesn't mean it's incorrect.

[echosonic]

But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.

Since when did greenpeace move from saving whales and preventing animal cruelty to becoming a shill for The Global Warming.

They never engaged in this Enviro-Nazi bull--it when I was growing up.

[Obi-Wan Kubrick]

More good news. They can introduce those new designed laptops any time now.

[MacCentric]

It's funny how on one hand Greenpeace is yelling about displays containing mercury but on the other they want everyone to move to CFLs for lighting your home.

There is a lot more mercury in all those CFL light bulbs that the amount in the CCFLs use for backlights.

But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.

The average CFL bulb has about 4 ml of mercury. The amount of mercury that would be released in the process of burning coal to provide the extra power to use an incandescent is about 12 ml. So even if the bulb is thrown away, that is still 8 ml less mercury being released into the environment. If the CFL is properly recycled, virtually none of the mercury in the bulb will be released.

[8CoreWhore]

Joseph Kesselring is rolling over in his shallow grave.:devil:

[8CoreWhore]

[QUOTE=SpamSandwich;1254077]"Mercury laden"?

Mercury Laden = Bin Laden. They're messin' with us. :grumble:

[SpamSandwich]

Hence, my statemnt of POV. Laden can also mean burdened or encumbered which doesn't imply a quantity, just an undesired attribute. Personally, I wouldn't have used laden as the colloquial definition tends to imply a vast amount of something, but that doesn't mean it's incorrect.

I'll concede the point to the distinguished gentleman. :D

[SpamSandwich]

[QUOTE=SpamSandwich;1254077]"Mercury laden"?

Mercury Laden = Bin Laden. They're messin' with us. :grumble:

:D I was going to make a similar comment, but decided it was just too easy. :lol:

[probably]

How long will it take for the rest of the industry to switch?

Are there any models besides this random Dell laptop that came up in my cursory Google search?

[solipsism]

How long will it take for the rest of the industry to switch?

I'd say it'lll take several years before they completely switch. We have to take Dell's and HP's cheapest notebook and then figure out how old the tech is. Then figure out how much they are paying for the current display and then figure out how long it will take for LED BLU to come close ot that pricepoint. At least, that is how I'd try to figure it.

[Leonard]

The average CFL bulb has about 4 ml of mercury. The amount of mercury that would be released in the process of burning coal to provide the extra power to use an incandescent is about 12 ml. So even if the bulb is thrown away, that is still 8 ml less mercury being released into the environment. If the CFL is properly recycled, virtually none of the mercury in the bulb will be released.

CFLs bulbs may be greener, but they introduce more poisons into the home when you replace incandescents with CFLs. Of course, even I have started to use CFLs, but I don't have little kids around the home.

I wonder if eventually we could have LED bulbs lighting our homes. I have seen them for outside security lighting.

[Timon]

I won't/can't use CFLs at home since most can't be dimmed. On the other hand CCFL can be dimmed and last 4 times as long as CFLs. LEDs will be the best once the price comes down.

[live2learn]

The only comment I would wish to offer is that of someone who has had their life changed, forever, it seems, by mercury poisoning. I speak, not as a tech geek, an engineer, or an academic--but, as one who has suffered.

Whatever anyone, whether individuals or corporations, is willing to do to minimize the amount of mercury, and other toxic chemicals we are all exposed to in the environment--I applaud them.

Before my ordeal, I never looked at food, water, soil, and air, as invaders and potential adversaries, but I do now.

Arguing over the amount of mercury, it seems to me, is a useless distraction. Rather, spend the energy encouraging all those have choice in the matter, to do better. As consumers, we must do all we can to hold them accountable.

And, with the energy that remains--spend it on compassion for those whom the environmental fallout has proven less than benign.

[elroth]

To live2learn:

Thanks for your post.

[solipsism]

The only comment I would wish to offer is that of someone who has had their life changed, forever, it seems, by mercury poisoning. I speak, not as a tech geek, an engineer, or an academic--but, as one who has suffered.

By what method did you get mercury poisoning?

[inkswamp]

@live2learn

Thanks for having the presence of mind to remind everyone why this is important. It adds a dimension to the topic that is rarely touched on.

[SpamSandwich]

Of course! No one is in favor of mercury usage! It's a well-known toxin. Clearly, it came down to dollars vs. damages when the engineering went into these things originally. Ridding displays of mercury will be a welcome, overdue change.

[solipsism]

Of course! No one is in favor of mercury usage! It's a well-known toxin. Clearly, it came down to dollars vs. damages when the engineering went into these things originally. Ridding displays of mercury will be a welcome, overdue change.

Exactly. Which is why I do my part to rid homes I visit of harmful mercury thermometers by dumping the mercury down the drain where it can't hurt anyone.

[echosonic]

Of course! No one is in favor of mercury usage! It's a well-known toxin. Clearly, it came down to dollars vs. damages when the engineering went into these things originally. Ridding displays of mercury will be a welcome, overdue change.

Mercury is awesomeness in every way, I beg to differ. Steel floats on it. It tells you what your body temperature is. It makes an awesome fluid electrical contact in my thermostat.

STELL FLOATS on it. if that ain't a party, I don't know what is.

[SpamSandwich]

Exactly. Which is why I do my part to rid homes I visit of harmful mercury thermometers by dumping the mercury down the drain where it can't hurt anyone.

... :p ...

[miamitranceman]

Hopefully they'll finally solve the "white spot" issues back from as early as the Powerbook days. I've got some on my MBP that i'll be turning over to Apple through Applecare shortly. :grumble:

[McHuman]

"All of its displays by the end of 2008" would lead me to believe that we might actually see a Cinema Display upgrade soon. Hell it's way overdue.

Nope..read carefully :

"Apple plans for all of its MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009"

So what about CinemaDisplays?

"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."

IE: Once the industry can make 23-30" LED displays for roughly the same price as the CinemaDisplays are, then Apple will switch. Currently, large LED displays are front page CES fodder...costing a ton more than regular ones. :(

I bet new cinemadisplays in 2009-1010 some time. Basically, wait until most other companys are primarily selling LED displays (dell, samsung, etc) and THEN apple will release their own.

[Isomorphic]

Why is it that the LCD TV manufacturers are able to produce 40" 1080p LED-backlit TVs for a few hundred more than the 30" Cinema Display? Are they cutting corners somewhere?

Gimme new Cinema Displays. Dammit.

[solipsism]

Why is it that the LCD TV manufacturers are able to produce 40" 1080p LED-backlit TVs for a few hundred more than the 30" Cinema Display? Are they cutting corners somewhere?

Gimme new Cinema Displays. Dammit.

There are many aspects to displays that I don't understand but I think you can get a basic idea by comparing the resolution of those TVs to the ACDs. Then figure out how much lower the ppi is in those TVs.

[nvidia2008]

The only comment I would wish to offer is that of someone who has had their life changed, forever, it seems, by mercury poisoning. I speak, not as a tech geek, an engineer, or an academic--but, as one who has suffered...And, with the energy that remains--spend it on compassion for those whom the environmental fallout has proven less than benign.

I sympathise, I had gluten allergy between 2000-2005 or so. Toxins and allergens in the environment at the end of the day are no joke.

Hopefully they'll finally solve the "white spot" issues back from as early as the Powerbook days. I've got some on my MBP that i'll be turning over to Apple through Applecare shortly. :grumble:

In the past year at an Apple Premium Reseller network, I would say, this is a rare occurrence, hope anyways it gets sorted out soon.

Has it been confirmed anywhere that the impending upgrades to the MacBook Pro line will have Blu LED displays as the standard option?

The LED backlight MBP is standard on 15". Is very naiicee, yes... For the 17", I think 50-50 chance the 17" models will be all LED backlit.

Do you think the new MacBooks that are rumored to be released in Q3 of this year will have LED displays? I'm planning on buying one when they are released, and the possibility of an LED display is one of the reasons I was waiting. I figured that they would be LED since they (probably) would be sourced with the same displays as the MB Air. This new "LED backlighting by 2009" pledge by Apple now has me wondering.

I think the pledge is just a factor of news coming out at different timings, cushion for Apple, etc.

I feel 80% chance that the calendar Q3 (towards like Sep or so) newly-redesigned MacBooks will be all LED backlit.

Cinema displays, hmm....

[nvidia2008]

Here's some more predictions I thought I'd ramble out...

June-July-Aug. will probably be the major rollout of iPhone 3G around the world. iPhone madness continues and accelerates to result in total sold by end of 2008 to be, maybe, 18-20 million.

MacBook Pro sometime in June update, teh sexay. Redesigned to flow better with MacBook Air. MacBook Air, bumped specs as well sometime in June (its due...?).

Around Sep. will be the beginning of holiday season madness. With redesigned MacBook that will consolidate the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro lines.

iPods and iMacs probably some beefing up in terms of design, sexayness, etc. sometime around August or September too...

That leaves space for the dark horse of the 2nd half of 2008. The Mac Touch. Is it ready? Is it not? Maybe only January 2009.

Mmm..... Oh the madness...

[nvidia2008]

Why is it that the LCD TV manufacturers are able to produce 40" 1080p LED-backlit TVs for a few hundred more than the 30" Cinema Display? Are they cutting corners somewhere?

Gimme new Cinema Displays. Dammit.

1920 by 1080 resolution, compared to the Cinema Display's 2560 x 1600. But yeah, 2nd half 2008, at least, it is very very likely something interesting is brewing in the Cinema Display area.

Steve's probably been tossing up between the computer-display market and the TV-display market, and how the Cinema Display is going to work in those areas.

42" 2560x1600 LED Backlit Apple Cinema Display. HDMI, DVI, Component input. That's certainly going to blow a chunk into the computer/HDTV display market. This is probably what Apple has been tinkering with, since they like to leapfrog the scene whenever a model has become somewhat dated.

The Apple Cinema Displays have had an extremely long shelf life, mainly because their design is still unsurpassed in many ways. It's the de facto "cool big computer screen thingy" in movies and TV shows. I hooked up my nvidia8500GT-SLI PC to a 20" Cinema Display that's about over a year old, and the quality is still pretty good. Not as vivid as some of the stuff out there, but certainly crisp and balanced.

I think the new Cinema Display range will take us through in style through to the end of 2009. Maybe July 2008 announcement.

[Baphomet]

Do you think the new MacBooks that are rumored to be released in Q3 of this year will have LED displays? I'm planning on buying one when they are released, and the possibility of an LED display is one of the reasons I was waiting. I figured that they would be LED since they (probably) would be sourced with the same displays as the MB Air. This new "LED backlighting by 2009" pledge by Apple now has me wondering.

don' think so...i had similar plans for MB, now it appears pushed to 09.
MB displays can be preempted, it's the cinema displays that should be put off til' 09.

[solipsism]

don' think so...i had similar plans for MB, now it appears pushed to 09.

Screw LED BLU. I'd just like them to use better LCDs in general.

[Isomorphic]

I understand that 2560x1600 ≠ 1920x1080, and that there are a whole host of color and response time issues involved.

OTOH, a 40" TV has 10" larger diagonal on the Cinema Display... meaning it has to have a larger backlight unit, and the sheet of "motherglass" has to be that much larger. It seems like these costs would offset the lower costs from less pixels, etc.

I guess I don't understand the economics of the situation. TVs obviously benefit from economy-of-scale, as the market for big honkin' monitors is much smaller.


I just really don't want to buy a Dell.

[solipsism]

I just really don't want to buy a Dell.

Unless you are doing work that requires a truer display or just want the aesthetics of the ACD I'd go for the much better value of the Dell.

[REM#1]

Unless you are doing work that requires a truer display or just want the aesthetics of the ACD I'd go for the much better value of the Dell.


If you really want color fidelity go for an Eizo.

[solipsism]

If you really want color fidelity go for an Eizo.

Those make the ACD look cheap.• http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg301w/index.asp

[zinfella]

Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism
Hence, my statemnt of POV. Laden can also mean burdened or encumbered which doesn't imply a quantity, just an undesired attribute. Personally, I wouldn't have used laden as the colloquial definition tends to imply a vast amount of something, but that doesn't mean it's incorrect.[/quote]

I'll concede the point to the distinguished gentleman.



You shouldn't concede, Sammich. Words have meanings. As long as there were other words available to more accurately describe the mercury content, then laden is clearly incorrect. Laden is misleading as description, it implies that mercury is very high in quantity on the list of items contained in the display. Greenpeace is of course attempting to color the situation using it's typical spin, as opposed to being absolutely up front about it. That is one of the reasons that Greenpeace founder, Patrick Moore, left the organization.

[solipsism]

You shouldn't concede, Sammich. Words have meanings. As long as there were other words available to more accurately describe the mercury content, then laden is clearly incorrect. Laden is misleading as description, it implies that mercury is very high in quantity on the list of items contained in the display. Greenpeace is of course attempting to color the situation using it's typical spin, as opposed to being absolutely up front about it. That is one of the reasons that Greenpeace founder, Patrick Moore, left the organization.

I have no love for Greenpeace, but I would argue that using a less accurate word does not mean it is inaccurate. You say laden implies high quantity, but you aren't quantifying in what way the quantity is high. Moisture laden air is still predominately air and not moisture but using the term in that since never raises an eyebrow. As I said before, I would not have chosen that word as it is not the most proper word, but that doesn't mean it's improper.

I bet we could go on all day with this. :D

[zinfella]

I have no love for Greenpeace, but I would argue that using a less accurate word does not mean it is inaccurate. You say laden implies high quantity, but you aren't quantifying in what way the quantity is high. Moisture laden air is still predominately air and not moisture but using the term in that since never raises an eyebrow. As I said before, I would not have chosen that word as it is not the most proper word, but that doesn't mean it's improper.

I bet we could go on all day with this. :D

Probably! :lol:

Anyway, when ingredients are listed, it's customary to list them beginning with the largest in quantity, and working down to the lowest in quantity. Mercury isn't even close to being there in quantities large enough to have the display considered laden with it. It may be said that the display is laden with various components, and that mercury is one of them. It's disingenuous to say that the display is laden with mercury, then ignore the rest of the components, many of which are there in greater abundance than mercury.

It's not quite Bud time. ;)

[solipsism]

It's disingenuous to say that the display is laden with mercury, then ignore the rest of the components, many of which are there in greater abundance than mercury.

This is where the POV I mentioned earlier. If the original author was specifically mentioning the toxin and there are other monitors that don't contain this toxin I can see why they would use the word laden. Again, it's not the word I would have chosen, it's definitely hyperbolic (though a lot less than the x-killer comments we get on their forums). I will defend correct language to no end, even if it's not the most correct language. :)

[zinfella]

This is where the POV I mentioned earlier. If the original author was specifically mentioning the toxin and there are other monitors that don't contain this toxin I can see why they would use the word laden. Again, it's not the word I would have chosen, it's definitely hyperbolic (though a lot less than the x-killer comments we get on their forums). I will defend correct language to no end, even if it's not the most correct language. :)

I lied, it's IS Bud time! :D

If you were taking a multiple choice test, the answer that the test givers are looking for is always the most correct answer. To choose otherwise is to miss the question. ;)