Apple, HP to ship LED-backlit notebooks in spring?

Apple and key rival HP are planning to introduce LED backlighting to the displays of their notebook computers, according to sources speaking with DigiTimes. Both system builders are expected to bring portables with the new backlights to market in the second quarter of 2007 that would dramatically improve the image quality of the LCD screens attached to the computers, providing a more even distribution of lighting as well as an improved color range. The source refuses to detail the exact models that will receive the upgrade but notes that the part manufacturers Cree and Nichia should be the main suppliers, DigiTimes says.

LED technology has already found its way into certain Samsung HDTVs and has also appeared in color-accurate desktop LCDs, but has rarely if ever been seen in notebooks due to initial fears of high power consumption. The move reinforces the attempts by both Apple and HP to compete based on their strengths in media-friendly PCs rather than cost alone.