The return of the glowing Apple logo has been bouncing around at the back of my mind. It is confirmed that the Apple logo’s brightness is tied to screen brightness and that the illumination can be disabled.
From this, I’m willing to make a prediction: it will be used as a status light for conveying information while the lid is closed.
Paired with optimisations to lid-closed audio, I think they’re priming the Mac for virtual assistant and AI functionality while closed. Apple are putting a focus on smart-home offerings presently (new HomePod Mini, HomeView), and the new MacBook is now also properly suited for that functionality. I would be unsurprised if they made Siri voice commands work smoothly with a closed MacBook.
MacBooks are very popular with the AI crowd, and there are common jokes about leaving the lid open just a bit so that agents can do their work. I think this will become a fairly major feature, especially as it ties into the investments Apple has been making into Siri AI as of late.
If Apple doesn’t do this and an API is exposed, a third party will certainly implement the functionality. If I had the money to splash on an (at minimum) $4,599 AUD computer so I could develop an app implementing the functionality, I’d certainly cash in on this opportunity.