MacBook Air gets dedicated Dictation, Spotlight and Do Not Disturb function keys
Apple has tweaked the function key layout on its new M1 MacBook Air, swapping Launchpad and keyboard brightness for Dictation, Spotlight, and Do Not Disturb.
Credit: Apple
The new function key arrangement was first spotted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and only applies to the Apple Silicon MacBook Air. Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 chip has a Touch Bar.
The removal of dedicated keyboard brightness keys means that users must navigate to the macOS Big Sur Control Center to adjust keyboard backlighting. Launchpad can still be triggered relatively easily by pinching a thumb and three fingers together on the MacBook Air trackpad.
The Spotlight search key will make it easier for users to carry out the systemwide search, while Do Not Disturb and Dictation appear to be aimed at digital health, productivity, and accessibility.
In addition to the swapped keys on the MacBook Air, Apple has also added the emoji globe icon to the function key on both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Separately, both M1 MacBook models sport Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, bringing the laptops in line with iPhone and iPad and enabling faster data transfer speeds.
Credit: Apple
The new function key arrangement was first spotted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and only applies to the Apple Silicon MacBook Air. Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro with an M1 chip has a Touch Bar.
The removal of dedicated keyboard brightness keys means that users must navigate to the macOS Big Sur Control Center to adjust keyboard backlighting. Launchpad can still be triggered relatively easily by pinching a thumb and three fingers together on the MacBook Air trackpad.
The Spotlight search key will make it easier for users to carry out the systemwide search, while Do Not Disturb and Dictation appear to be aimed at digital health, productivity, and accessibility.
In addition to the swapped keys on the MacBook Air, Apple has also added the emoji globe icon to the function key on both the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
Separately, both M1 MacBook models sport Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, bringing the laptops in line with iPhone and iPad and enabling faster data transfer speeds.
Comments
As for the new keys, I suppose for people like my wife who refuse to learn shortcuts this makes sense, but for the rest of us command-space, fn-fn-fn, and option-clicking the notification icon at the top right have all worked pretty well...
I did buy a jacked up M1 Air. Arrival in the last week of November. Seems soon enough.
I wanted a different form factor in the middle of an iPhone, iPad Pro 12", iPad 10", MBP 15" and iMac.
This a deal breaker for me! /s