Cupertino-based technology giant Apple will reportedly ditch the controversial butterfly keyboard that it has been using in its MacBooks since 2015. Another report also claims that the company will be switching to a new scissor-switch design instead that will make use of glass fiber in order to reinforce the keys.
While the first development has been shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the information about the scissor-switch keyboard design first surfaced on 9to5Mac. Kuo’s report also said that the laptop that will be the first to get the new keyboard will be a new MacBook Air model that will be launched this year. The MacBook Pro that will be launched in 2020 will also sport the same keyboard design. Kuo said, “We predict that the butterfly keyboard may finally disappear in the long term.”
Apple has been tweaking the design of its butterfly keyboard with every MacBook in order to overcome some problem that customers commonly complain about. These include keys act in a strange manner and the keyboard not functioning properly or even stopping to work completely. Apple has apologised about the issues customers have faced because of its keyboard earlier this year. The Cupertino based technology giant said that a small number of users had experienced some troubles with its keyboard. In the past, it has also launched a repair program for the earlier versions of the device.
Kuo has given a number of different reasons why Apple is changing its keyboard design. The most prominent one among them is that the upcoming keyboard will be more durable because it will come with glass fiber replacement. According to a MacRumors report that quotes him, the new keyboard “could improve the typing experience by offering longer key travel.”
However, he has also added that the butterfly switch design is expensive for the company to manufacture and that the new scissor switch design will be more affordable. But then, one can’t expect it to be as affordable as the keyboard of an average laptop.
We should also point out that while the current design has some disadvantages, it is extremely thin. This can prove to be very important for those who value space when they buy a laptop that is as premium and modern as the MacBook.
According to Kuo, the new design of the keyboard will make it slightly thicker, however, he also added that “most users can’t tell the difference.”
The report has also added that the keyboard would not ship with the 16-inch MacBook Pro that is supposed to launch this year. It would also not be present on the rumoured 13-inch MacBook Pro model.
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