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I'm pretty sure Apple has a patent on this.

Here's some code! http://osx-launchpad.blogspot.com/2010/11/breathing-led-effe...

edit: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6658577.html

The article is like 3 sentences, one of which says this.

IANAL, but the patent, as I read it, if for a "A sleep mode indicator apparatus for a laptop computer, said apparatus indicating to users that said laptop computer being in sleep mode" or "A status indicator apparatus for an electronic device, said apparatus indicating to users of said computer a certain status". Since the cuff links doesn't communicate any kind of state, I don't think the patent applied. Copyright for the design sounds more plausible, as they're clearly designed to look like something from a Mac.

> Since the cuff links doesn't communicate any kind of state

They could be connected to brain-wave analyzers so they could indicate you are asleep.

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