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5/8/2K: IBM had announced a laptop with a "night light" that
illuminates the keyboard, making it easier to use in the dark.
Rumors of a PowerBook with illuminated keys have been around
for months - in fact, some rumor sites were noticeably disappointed
when Pismo didn't include illuminated keys.
As anyone whose ever used a flashlight knows, lights use up
batteries quickly. Apple, always thinking different, has
been looking for the perfect way to make the keyboard glow in the
dark.
They abandoned the idea of backlit or sidelit keys, although
that was a driving force behind the switch to translucent keys with
the Lombard "bronze keyboard" model introduced in 1999. But the
lighting technology wasn't ready yet.
Another dead end was radium, like on non-digital watches,
compasses, and other night-glow items. The problem was twofold.
First, these items need to be "charged" by exposure to a bright
light source. But the second argument was even more important:
people are not attracted to radiation. To illuminate a
keyboard with radium would have called for a whole lot more than
the minuscule amounts used on watches and compasses.
Back to the drawing board. Night-glow plastics, like
those used in flying discs, shared the problem of needing to be
exposed to light before they could be used. And the glow didn't
last long enough.
Apple negotiated to license the IndiGlo technology from
Timex, but in the end decided that a bluish glow was not right for
their computers. Blue symbolizes another computer company,
one known for big iron, powerful servers, and Windows PCs.
In the end, Steve Jobs was inspired by the
bioluminescence of the firefly. More precisely, it was the
glowing sticks carried by trick-or-treaters that got his attention.
After years of research, Apple R&D has discovered a way to
create chemical-based backlighting for the keyboard using just the
barest trickle of electricity to stimulate a reaction.
In fact, the process is so cost-effective and efficient, Apple
is exploring its uses as a backlight for the displays used in
laptops. If this pans out, it could be a more profitable licensed
technology than FireWire.
Expect to see FireFly technology in the next generation of
PowerBook keyboards; it may be a year or more before we know if the
LCD backlighting will work out.
- Anne Onymus
Recent Rumor Mills
New Apple drive supports Blu-ray and HD DVD, 09.11.
Tired of being second-guessed and sometimes outmaneuvered by Microsoft, Apple has embraced both next gen DVD formats with its new SuperDrive Extreme.
California: Beyond 'no light bulbs for you', 02.01.
A Calfiornia assemblyman wants to make incandescent light bulbs illegal - but that's just the beginning. His next target: CRT monitors and TVs.
Sudden impact: Apple's great Asteroid hoax, 06.09.
Truth of the matter is, the Asteroid Project didn't exist to produce a viable product, but as a way to shut down rumor sites.
Mac of the Day: Power Mac 8200, Apr. 1996 - The minitower version of 7200 was never sold in America.
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October 7 in LEM history: 98: Love that PowerBook G3 - 99: Troubleshooting 101 - Love at first sight - 02: Hot rodding a Power Mac for OS X - Beefing up Windows networking - 05: Choose FireWire 800 over USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 - Faster Mac minis shipping - Speedy 100 GB 7200 rpm notebook drives
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