Apple Is Upgrading All MacBooks with LED-Backlit Displays

Apple is said to be kicking off what appears to be the final move towards a "greener Apple," sources are reporting. Last year, shareholders and environmental organizations started pointing their fingers at Apple for being too slow at removing environmentally harmful materials from its products. As such, Apple is planning to equip its entire MacBook lineup with LED-backlit (mercury-free) displays by 2009, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News reveals.

The same report mentions Kenmos Technology as the primary beneficiary of the deal. The back light unit (BLU) maker Kenmos Technology, based in Taiwan, has been supplying LED backlit displays for the Cupertino labs since 2007, when Apple first threw in a BLU tech-enabled notebook, namely the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

But, even though shareholders are accusing Apple of moving too slow with its initiative, recent reports reveal that Apple is steadily securing a better position within the Greenpeace Guide with the passing of each year. We've recently covered a Greenpeace report saying that Apple jumped from 2.5/10 to 6.7/10 in less than two years, but the Cupertino-based corporation still has to shake off the remaining PVC and BFRs in its line of Macs.

"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," an open letter signed by Apple CEO Steve Jobs read.

Greenpeace noted in March that, while Apple still had to shake off the PVC and BFR in its Macs, the environmental organization had faith in its commitment to do so within the course of this year: "[Apple] has committed to eliminate all uses of PVC and BFRs in its products by the end of 2008," Greenpeace stated. Click here to download the PDF report.