I'm a longtime lover of the Mac Air, but the lack of a backlit keyboard is a deal breaker on buying the new model. Any idea why that is? And the likelihood of there being light again?
I have to admit, I've had this Macbook Air for about a month now, and I've only just noticed the lack of backlit keyboard. Its a great little machine: You have the portability of an iPad, way more capability, and avoid embarrassment at being seen in a coffee shop as an iPad victim.
It's hard to see why there's no backlight. Having ripped an old Macbook Air apart, I can report that the backlight takes the form of a thin mylar(?) film that lies in the keyboard tray, lit down one side by 5 LEDs. Little ribs on the surface of the mylar under the keycaps scatter the light from what's basically a flat, light conducting layer. It takes up hardly any thickness or weight. I guess it had power budget issues and they dropped it this time.
I write this is the dark, the keyboard illuminated more than adequately by the display.
An earlier post was: 'There is no backlit keyboard because they're trying to extend battery life. Simple as that.' Made sense to me and I sure do enjoy the longer battery time.
I would think the exclusion of a backlight would be more of a cost cutting measure than a power saving one. A preference setting to turn off the backlight is all that would be needed to eliminate it as a power consuming component. Battery estimates are already done under very conservative conditions, they could simply add "with keyboard backlight" off to their estimate.
If you have a backlit keyboard, you usually forget to turn it off to extend the battery life, and then your battery life vanishes before you realize that you should have shut it off because there's no battery left 😉 However, I think the cost-saving possibility just as likely if not more likely. Apple is still viewed as a company that makes Rolls Royce class computers. Meaning that if one doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a computer, one doesn't look at Apple's machines.
Now this view isn't necessarily accurate. Apple laptops are competitively priced, reasonable if not cheap, and often contain extras worth the price. For all that the MBA's are at the top end. And likely anything Apple could do to make them a little cheaper, a little more competitively priced, and get buyers to say, "it might be on the high end of my price range, but it's still in my price range--" they did.
Once again, when I consider features that one might cut to make the MBA a little more affordable to a recession-wary buyer, the back-lit keyboard would top MY list. It would top MY list because (1) the screen already lights the keyboard, (2) most people can touch-type and if they can't, can buy a dirt-cheap USB light, (3) it depletes the battery.
And, finally, I'd guess that Apple found it would lose fewer MBA buyers for want of that backlit keyboard than if they had it but made the machine more expensive to pay for it.
What I really don't understand is why those who see this as a deal breaker don't just go for the iPad which has a keyboard that is
always "lit?" It's a similar size, lighter, longer battery life, cheaper, etc. And next gen with more features will be out soon. It seems to me that the iPad is perfect for who always have to look at--and see-- the keys--as compared to us touch-typists who need actual keys that we can feel under our fingertips.
I tend to agree...I setup Mac Pro's at work for folks, and under the premise of setting them up, which in cludes installing Parallels and setting up and configuring a Windows OS, I see somewhere around 3-4 hours of battery life - includes leaving the keyboard LED's are on (default).
To make this fair - my PC laptop has a backlit keyboard as an option, which I MISSED somehow when I ordered it (OOPS) - and realized I wanted it once it was too late (would have been my first system with a lit keyboard). Not being available as an after purchase option, I live with it, only needing a lit keyboard once in awhile...pretty rare, actually.
Going back to the battery life - if the MBA did come with a backlit keyboard, I'd keep it off most all the time, just to save battery. Battery life was one of the hallmarks of this product and one of the primary reasons why I wanted one.
i wanted to buy the new mba 13" for myself as a christmas present to me. i was going tommorrow to the apple store but after reading this thread i am sitting on my couch with low light on my powerbook g4 and never realized it but i would love a backlight. my g4 does not have it so i took out my sons sony pc with backlight and it is sweet.
anyway i now have $1700 to hold onto until apple puts the light back in the mba.
I've the 11" MBA and its really good. It took me a month to notice the lack of backlight. The screen illuminates the keyboard just fine for after dark activities...
+I've always surprised that there are so many people that want to use a computer but don't know how to type. That would be similar to jumping into a pool without knowing how to swim or riding a bicycle without learning with training wheels. For those of us that took typing classes and know the keyboard by touch, a backlit keyboard is really just a power-robbing gimmick and a non-issue...+
[[[ +There is no backlit keyboard because they're trying to extend battery life. Simple as that. Which do you want, backlit keyboard or a longer battery?+ ]]]
==
Then if I want my battery to last another 15 minutes then I'll TURN OFF THE DANG BACKLIGHT MYSELF!
RECALL THESE UNITS, APPLE! Fix them, and return them to your loyal customers --- Then FIRE your ENTIRE Sales Prevention Team ON THE SPOT
Definately agree, my 2008 MB Air was stolen before Xmas, was going to buy a new one, but no backlit keyboard no sale. I travel a lot, work late and use the feature a lot. WHY did they pull it?
Won't buy a heavier machine either, now looking at used ones...
I've never owned a Mac with a backlit keyboard, so I can't miss what I've never had. While already knowing how to type may seem to negate the need for such a gadget, I've read the opinions of many posters here that there are many other reasons for needing the backlit keyboard that don't have anything to do with knowing how to type. Others have mentioned needing to be able to easily see not so often used keys like the function keys.
I'm not so quick to exclaim: "You just need to know how to type" as I was before. I've also read that this option being removed increases battery life and I like that idea also.
Agreed....Give the user the option of using the backlit keys.
5 leds at 15-20mA a piece is a very small amount of battery consumption,( if one does in fact need it).
Apple has and will always have great products. Thinking outside the box is something
the engineers at Apple have always been commended for.
This unique feature scores high marks on my list for practicality and sheer elegance of the machine. Hopefully Apple will put the backlit keyboard back in the next generation MBA's.
I agree with you. I've never had it or needed it. I do respect the wishes of some people that have used the backlit keyboard and do actually need it but, alas, it has been deleted from the MBA this time around...
Sly
