Backlit Keyboard Coming Back to the MacBook Air [Rumor]

Image courtesy of zanoii on Flickr

Apple’s next-generation of MacBook Airs are expected to launch alongside OS X Lion as early as this week, and in addition to the latest Sandy Bridge processors and Intel’s high-speed Thunderbolt technology, the new models could boast a backlit keyboard.

Of course, the first three iterations of the MacBook Air already packed a backlit keyboard, a feature present in Apple’s MacBook Pro lineup, but it was stripped away with the release of the current generation in October of last year. According to an AppleInsider report, however, backlit keyboards are coming back:

According to people familiar with the matter, backlit keyboards will join the string of hardware enhancements planned for the new 11.6- and 13.3-inch notebooks, which are also expected to adopt high-speed Thunderbolt ports, an upgrade to Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture, and possibly high-speed 400MBps flash memory.

The omission of a backlit keyboard from the current MacBook Air line was a bemusement to many when the notebook was first announced. One industry watcher even suggested it was “planned obsolescence” on Apple’s part, according to AppleInsider — purposely saved for the next-generation.

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