According to a report from Notebook Check, citing AppleInsider, Apple has patented a new technology that replaces traditional keyboard markings with LEDs, allowing keycaps to display customizable symbols — a move that could point to a future MacBook upgrade.

The report notes that Apple had previously patented a touchscreen keyboard, but that earlier design came with a major drawback: it could significantly impact battery life, whether through tiny displays on each key or a full touch panel.

In its latest patent, Apple takes a different approach to dynamic keyboards, using multiple LEDs beneath each key to render the desired symbols instead of relying on a display, as highlighted by the report.

According to AppleInsider, this would work by placing a mini-LED beneath an aluminum key plate, with each key featuring precise perforations to let light shine through. Each key would function like a low-resolution display, showing the necessary letter or symbol. Unlike devices such as the Stream Deck, this approach does not use individual miniature displays, nor can it produce high-resolution imagery like an OLED screen, as AppleInsider adds.

AppleInsider also points out that the new design uses physical keys and LEDs to achieve the effect, with the appearance of a traditional hardware keyboard.

As Notebook Check indicates, because this new design eliminates the need for the traditional LED backlighting used in current MacBook keyboards, it likely won’t significantly increase power consumption.

Notebook Check notes that the design could offer users greater flexibility, enabling them to quickly switch between regional keyboard layouts with the press of a button.

(Photo credit: Apple)

TrendForce 2025 Mini LED Backlight Display Trend and OLED Technology Competition Analysis
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