Teardown shows 16-inch MacBook Pro keyboard's revised mechanism
An initial teardown of the 16-inch MacBook Pro offers a close examination of the new keyboard mechanism used in the model, with the scissor mechanism deemed to be a massive improvement over the prior butterfly mechanism.

The 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro's keyboard mechanism (via iFixit)
Over the last few years, Apple has taken criticism for the butterfly mechanism it employed in its MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup, with repeated reports claiming the three generations of mechanism were not up to scratch. The ingress of debris, even with the added protection of a silicone membrane around the mechanism, was a common issue for complaints, prompting calls for Apple to change it for something else.
In the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple made the switch from the butterfly for a scissor-switch style it uses in the Magic Keyboard. Initial analysis of the keyboard on the 16-inch MacBook Pro reveals it has a much larger key travel than in models released in recent years, while at the same time generally being quieter than the mid-2019 keyboard.
The first part of a customary teardown by iFixit gives a closer look at the mechanism under the keycaps, confirming a shift away from butterfly. The version used in the new Mac Pro is claimed by the repair outfit to be "almost identical" to the switches used in the desktop Magic Keyboard, as well as pre-butterfly MacBooks.
The similarity with the desktop Magic Keyboard extends to a point that keycaps from the desktop keyboard could be used on the switches in the MacBook Pro.
Made from two plastic pieces that are crossed with a central pivot, the mechanism is considered to be more robust than the butterfly equivalent, with 0.5mm more travel in the key to enable it to handle debris more gracefully. Unlike later butterfly keyboards, Apple has not included a membrane, suggesting Apple is confident about its durability.
There is further strength in the way the keycaps connect to the switches. While 0.2mm thicker than previous versions, the clips attaching the keycaps to the switches are seemingly reinforced, reducing the chance of damage in heavy-duty usage or for disassembly for repair.
Aside from improving the mechanism, Apple also updated the design to include a physical escape key, and altered the arrow keys to form an inverted-T, creating more space around the four keys.
The changes to the keyboard were part of a multi-year development process, Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller revealed on Wednesday, with criticism from "Pro customers" prompting a rethink of the MacBook Pro keyboard. Schiller did not advise on whether the switch mechanism will spread to other models, stating "We are continuing both keyboard designs."
The iFixit team anticipates revealing its full teardown of the 16-inch MacBook Pro on Monday.

The 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro's keyboard mechanism (via iFixit)
Over the last few years, Apple has taken criticism for the butterfly mechanism it employed in its MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup, with repeated reports claiming the three generations of mechanism were not up to scratch. The ingress of debris, even with the added protection of a silicone membrane around the mechanism, was a common issue for complaints, prompting calls for Apple to change it for something else.
In the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple made the switch from the butterfly for a scissor-switch style it uses in the Magic Keyboard. Initial analysis of the keyboard on the 16-inch MacBook Pro reveals it has a much larger key travel than in models released in recent years, while at the same time generally being quieter than the mid-2019 keyboard.
The first part of a customary teardown by iFixit gives a closer look at the mechanism under the keycaps, confirming a shift away from butterfly. The version used in the new Mac Pro is claimed by the repair outfit to be "almost identical" to the switches used in the desktop Magic Keyboard, as well as pre-butterfly MacBooks.
The similarity with the desktop Magic Keyboard extends to a point that keycaps from the desktop keyboard could be used on the switches in the MacBook Pro.
Made from two plastic pieces that are crossed with a central pivot, the mechanism is considered to be more robust than the butterfly equivalent, with 0.5mm more travel in the key to enable it to handle debris more gracefully. Unlike later butterfly keyboards, Apple has not included a membrane, suggesting Apple is confident about its durability.
There is further strength in the way the keycaps connect to the switches. While 0.2mm thicker than previous versions, the clips attaching the keycaps to the switches are seemingly reinforced, reducing the chance of damage in heavy-duty usage or for disassembly for repair.
Aside from improving the mechanism, Apple also updated the design to include a physical escape key, and altered the arrow keys to form an inverted-T, creating more space around the four keys.
The changes to the keyboard were part of a multi-year development process, Apple VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller revealed on Wednesday, with criticism from "Pro customers" prompting a rethink of the MacBook Pro keyboard. Schiller did not advise on whether the switch mechanism will spread to other models, stating "We are continuing both keyboard designs."
The iFixit team anticipates revealing its full teardown of the 16-inch MacBook Pro on Monday.
Comments
Having the ability to remove an individual key-cap to remove debris alone is a huge improvement over the butterfly keyboards. The increased key travel likely means that a piece of debris that would compromise a butterfly key will be much less likely to cause an issue with the new keyboard. For people who switch between keyboards (most of us?) the increased travel will lessen the difference between the keyboards.
I'm sure there are people whose job it is to research stuff like this, but it seems to me that there is probably a minimum distance needed for comfortable typing. From the days of manual typewriters that had a travel of over an inch we've steadily progressed to shallower and shallower depths. In general, no one had problems with the Mac keyboards that had travel of ~2mm and then more recently just over a mm but many people didn't like the shallow, 0.5mm travel of the butterfly keyboards. Extrapolating from that it appears going much below 1 mm gets bothersome for people.
#1 They were waiting on how the new butterfly membrane design would be received
#2 Tolerances
#3 Price
We don’t have any user feedback on the new keyboard, maybe it will show up in future designs. Or, Maybe Apple plans to kill of the 15” model and adding a new keyboard to the supply chain is more trouble than it’s worth.
I wouldn’t expect to see TouchID on a separate keyboard since the secure enclave is on the Mac and not the keyboard.
if Apple able to recreate the click click feel in an optional keyboard. I will pay $500 for it.
I actually scrolled through this thread to see if there was actually one of you status quo defenders who would continue to defend the failed butterfly keyboard, and yes, there is one. I applaud you, urahara, for sticking by your guns and not allowing your preference to float with the wind. You like that butterfly keyboard and you are sticking by that sentiment, even when others who once lambasted me in this forum for daring to say "more key travel is better" now embrace the new keyboard with MORE key travel only because that's what Apple's pitching to us now.
I for one like that which is good (i.e., more key travel) and loath that which causes fingers to ache (i.e., almost no key travel, such as butterfly keyboards). It's great to see Apple has PARTLY listened to those of us daring enough to speak our voice against their past low-travel foolishness, but that doesn't mean the new scissor keyboard is necessary "good." It just means it is comparatively better. I can say that because it seems the 16" MBP keyboard has the same key travel and stability as the space gray Magic Keyboard, one of which I purchased recently as a replacement for my failing Matias aluminum keyboard. That Magic Keyboard is very low travel but much more travel than butterfly keyboards, which I have typed on before at Apple stores, which is a good thing. But the Magic Keyboard is still a far cry from the glorious key travel of older wired Apple keyboards like the one I ordered with my 27" iMac in late 2009. I still have one of those wired aluminum keyboards (with white keys and numeric keypad) at the office and love it to pieces. Sure, it's not the key travel of an old mechanical, but it's good enough for my fingers which love to type. The Magic Keyboard of today is only barely enough, in my opinion.
I love key stability, and I think that is really what most butterfly keyboard lovers rave about. But like I said, even the Magic Keyboard has that same key stability, and no doubt the 16" MBP does too. The kicker is key TRAVEL. How some people can like near-zero travel is beyond me. It's no different than rapping your fingers on a wood desk. That wood desk is as stable as can be, but stability is not everything. Key stability is only part part of the typing experience, and although it is important, it isn't enough to replace key travel. And that is why Apple made a good choice in restoring at least some key travel in the 16" MBP.
By the way, I bought the Matias aluminum space gray keyboard in the first place because at that time Apple had not released their iMac Pro with its space gray magic keyboard. The Matias captivated me because of its 1 year battery life, which even to this day makes me upset Apple doesn't do the same with their Magic Keyboard. And while the key travel on the Matias was about the same as the keyboard on my 2015 15" MBP (which is very acceptable and good), the key stability was the most horrid I have ever experienced in my 35+ years of using computers. The white silkscreen printing came off very quickly, and keys broke off too. That ultimately led me to getting the Magic Keyboard, which again has what I consider to be a "barely acceptable" amount of key travel, and certainly much less than the 2015 15" MBP I own and love (which has the same key travel as the 2017 MacBook Air, two of which I bought for my children a year ago).
All said, if you wouldn't accept any less key travel than the 2015 and earlier MacBook Pros, you probably won't like the Space Gray Magic Keyboard or the new 16" MBP. But if you find the Magic Keyboard acceptable, then the 16" MBP should fall in line with that and be acceptable too. But for me, that horrid butterfly keyboard lacks the key travel to make my fingers happy. And the faster Apple can rid the world of that thing the better.
Key TRAVEL. It does fingers good.