Dell's recent move to switch to more power-friendly LED-backlit displays is apparently one that is of great interest to all notebook manufacturers. According to some estimates, upwards of 40% of new laptops manufactured next year will end up having a LED backlight as opposed to a lamp.

In fact, the estimates are that LED backlighting will account for up to 15% of newly manufactured laptops in the last quarter of this year. Why the sudden change from what was formerly a lamp-dominated market? Is Dell's recent announcement influencing other vendors or are they just taking part of a greater shift towards more energy-efficient machines? A jump from less than 10% this year to nearly 40% next year indicates more than just circumstance.