Harvesting waste light in a portable computing device

An electronic device, comprising:

• a base;
• a lid pivotally coupled to the base, the lid defining a display opening oriented in a first direction and an illumination opening oriented in a second direction opposite the first direction;
• and
• a display assembly disposed within the lid and aligned with the display opening, the display assembly comprising:
• a display panel,
• a light source,
• a first light guide panel positioned behind the display and configured to spread light received from the light source across the display panel and out of the display opening, and
• a second light guide panel configured to redirect waste light received from the light source to the illumination opening defined by the lid.

A portable computing device, comprising:

• a base;
• a lid pivotally coupled to the base, the lid defining an opening covered by a translucent substrate to form an illuminable region;
• and
• a display assembly disposed within the lid, the display assembly comprising:
• a display panel,
• a light source configured to illuminate the display panel,
• a reflector comprising a first surface configured to redirect light from the light source towards the display panel, and
• a light guide panel coupled to a second surface of the reflector, the second surface opposite the first surface, the light guide panel being configured to redirect waste light from the light source to the illuminable region of the lid.