Earlier today, July 12, Apple introduced an all-new MacBook Pro. In addition to offering a better processor and up to 32GB of RAM, the new tablet also comes with a “quieter” keyboard. Whether this is a better keyboard remains to be seen.
Last month, Apple implemented a keyboard service program for its MacBook and MacBook Pro lineup. In announcing the program, Cupertino said that it had determined that a small percentage of “butterfly switch” keyboards within the two lines may become faulty and would need to be replaced. This followed the highly publicized formation of a class action lawsuit earlier in the year over this same issue.
Until the new MacBook Pro ships, we won’t know with much certainty whether the changes made on the keyboard to make it “quieter” have also fixed the issue that has plagued the keyboard found on previous models. One TechCrunch writer who got to experience the new laptop before it was announced, didn’t see anything new about the keyboard at least from a mechanical perspective.
While writer Brian Heater found the third-generation keyboard “noticeably quieter than its predecessor,” he didn’t see any other changes.
He explains:
Otherwise, there’s really no difference with the new keyboards from a mechanical perspective. The butterfly switches are the same, and they offer the same amount of key travel as their predecessors. The company won’t actually say what it’s done here to lower the clickity-clack (that’s going to be a job for some teardown artists), but it’s certainly an improvement.
It’s great that Apple finally implemented what amounts to a keyboard replacement program for older MacBook and MacBook Pro models. Regardless, a company like Apple shouldn’t be any sort of position to have to do this.
We’re not talking about something that’s all-new here like Face ID or Touch ID. The problem affecting many Apple users in recent months has been faulty keyboards — a mechanism that has been around as long as we’ve had typewriters.
With the new MacBook Pro going for as much as $7,000, it should be guaranteed that this “quieter” keyboard has put this problem to rest, don’t you think?
Hopefully, we’ll find out soon.
You can order a new MacBook Pro beginning today on the Apple website.
Did your older MacBook or MacBook Pro have a faulty keyboard? Was it replaced?