Apple's 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro keyboard expected to shift to scissor mechanism
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suspects that the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be the first Apple laptop to shift to a scissor mechanism, and away from the butterfly keyboard introduced in the MacBook in 2015.
2019 MacBook Pro
In a note seen by AppleInsider, Ming-Chi Kuo writes that manufacturer Sunrex will be used going forward for the mechanism, expected alongside the new MacBook Pro release in the fall. Kuo cites a "productivity experience" enhancement from the adoption of the scissor switches.
Furthermore, Kuo is predicting that the entire MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines will migrate in 2020 to the technology.
TF Security-provided expected timeline for a keyboard switch shift
It isn't clear what precisely Kuo is referring to when referring to the scissor switch keyboard. Where Apple's butterfly design is very specific in what it entails, a "scissor" design encompasses an entire range of designs, and key travels.
In a report issued on Monday, Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro was again said to be a LCD model, running at 3072 pixels wide, by 1920. Assembly duties are said to be performed by Quanta and Foxconn. Should the new model have the same pixel density as the existing MacBook Pro, that suggests the screen is approximately a 16.4-inch display on the diagonal.
At present, it isn't clear if Monday's report was uniquely sourced, or a repeat of previous predictions by Ming-Chi Kuo or other venues. Monday's report suggests that the 16-inch MacBook Pro will come in starting at about NT$90000, over $3000.
In regards to the keyboard, Apple seems to be tackling the problems with the design head-on with changes to the 2019 models, but it's not clear yet what the changes are actually going to do. They've expanded their repair program to now include the 2019 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air and are actively touting the new keyboards as having improved reliability.
AppleInsider's own research has detailed the extent of the keyboard problem. If Apple really did improve the reliability in the 2019 then the number should fall even further.
2019 MacBook Pro
In a note seen by AppleInsider, Ming-Chi Kuo writes that manufacturer Sunrex will be used going forward for the mechanism, expected alongside the new MacBook Pro release in the fall. Kuo cites a "productivity experience" enhancement from the adoption of the scissor switches.
Furthermore, Kuo is predicting that the entire MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines will migrate in 2020 to the technology.
TF Security-provided expected timeline for a keyboard switch shift
It isn't clear what precisely Kuo is referring to when referring to the scissor switch keyboard. Where Apple's butterfly design is very specific in what it entails, a "scissor" design encompasses an entire range of designs, and key travels.
In a report issued on Monday, Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro was again said to be a LCD model, running at 3072 pixels wide, by 1920. Assembly duties are said to be performed by Quanta and Foxconn. Should the new model have the same pixel density as the existing MacBook Pro, that suggests the screen is approximately a 16.4-inch display on the diagonal.
At present, it isn't clear if Monday's report was uniquely sourced, or a repeat of previous predictions by Ming-Chi Kuo or other venues. Monday's report suggests that the 16-inch MacBook Pro will come in starting at about NT$90000, over $3000.
In regards to the keyboard, Apple seems to be tackling the problems with the design head-on with changes to the 2019 models, but it's not clear yet what the changes are actually going to do. They've expanded their repair program to now include the 2019 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air and are actively touting the new keyboards as having improved reliability.
AppleInsider's own research has detailed the extent of the keyboard problem. If Apple really did improve the reliability in the 2019 then the number should fall even further.
Comments
Secondly, if they do, you'll just find something else to whine about.
My guess? Even if they change the keyboard mechanism, the travel won't increase.
Sometimes the current technology is as good as it gets. Back before Apple screwed things up I do not recall an outcry for a new keyboard mechanism.
And no, the price "increase" will e due to a fact that this will be a completely different machine. Just like how there's a price "increase" between the 8 and the X, or the XR and the XS. If you don't like the pricing, Apple sells other laptop models.
If Apple can find away to make the sensation of typing better without increased key travel then why not be happy with that?
Regardless, a keyboard that is as sensitive, as the butterfly appears to be, is crap.
https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks
The 2016 had the highest failure rate of all of the new design keyboards, about double the (low) rate as compared to the 2015 and earlier. We don't have enough data for the 3.5 from earlier this year to talk about it yet, but the second generation and the third generation were decreases from the 2016 rate.
The Butterfly Keyboard is a flawed design, and not just a matter of preference. Here’s why.
Keyboard travel is like cushioning in a sports shoe. If there is insufficient depth of cushioning, the shoes will feel harsh to run in. Similarly, a lack of key travel makes typing feel like pounding your fingers on concrete.
This harshness can’t be fixed a adding softer membranes under the keys, because the problem is one of physics, not materials.
By compressing the key travel distance, as Apple has done, they have also compressed the keystroke duration to about 40 milliseconds - which causes the keys to ‘bottom out’ too early. This lack of travel is insufficient to allow a soft landing of the fingertips on the aluminium frame.
Sure, you could argue that you can get used to shallow keyboard travel - like you can get used to running shoes with no cushioning. But after you’ve run a few miles (or pounded out a few thousands words), the lack of cushioning takes its toll.
This is why it is so critical that Apple increases the amount of travel in the next generation of MacBook keyboards.