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Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities has released a new report, as Apple Insider spotted. I’ve read the report and it focuses specifically on keyboard suppliers that would potentially work with Apple. And the company should potentially replace the unreliable butterfly mechanism with a new scissor mechanism.
The first laptop that should receive the update is the long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro. Kuo has updated the release timeline for the new device, and he now says that it should be available at some point during the last quarter of 2019 instead of 2020.
But Apple shouldn’t stop there as the company is already working on updates for all laptops. By the end of 2020, the entire lineup should have received an update with a new keyboard.
According to the timeline, Apple could keep both the 15-inch MacBook Pro and the 16-inch MacBook Pro in the lineup for now. Maybe the new model will be more premium than the normal 15-inch MacBook Pro. So the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Pro could all switch to the new keyboard next year.
Apple first introduced the butterfly mechanism for the 12-inch MacBook back in 2015. The company gradually rolled out the new keyboard design across the lineup.
But it has attracted a ton of criticism over the years as many people suffer from dropped keystrokes and repeated keystrokes. Debris can easily block keys, and the keyboard itself is hard to repair. That’s why Apple has been running a free replacement program for all laptops that have a butterfly-based keyboard.
With the new design, Apple is basically going back to a trustworthy design. You can find scissor switches in most Windows laptops and even in Apple’s external keyboard. The company was even using scissor switches in MacBook laptops before replacing them with butterfly switches.
If today’s rumor is accurate, you’ll have to wait a bit more to get a laptop with a more traditional keyboard design. But it’s on the way.
