Following up on Apple’s refresh of its MacBook Pro lineup, complete with updated Intel processors, and a new version of its “butterfly” keyboard, the cool cats at iFixit have published a full teardown of the new notebooks.
The update keyboard, it turns out, uses new materials to help improve reliability. In addition, Apple extended the keyboard repair and replacement program to include virtually any Mac notebook with the butterfly keyboard (including the new ones), offering free repair for up to four years.
While the guys at iFixit discovered that the new keyboard is almost identical to previous models, along with being as difficult to repair as its predecessors, they noted the following major changes:
First, the transparent switch cover is now clearer and smooth to the touch. It’s definitely made of a different material, as confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy.
Second, the metal dome that compresses and bounces back as you press the key may be slightly revised. This metal dome is like pressing in on a bottle cap, and if it cracks or bends or the contacts wear out, the key will stop working properly.
Finally, a different finish on the dome caps could imply that Apple is using a revised heat treatment, alloy, or both.
It’s unknown as to whether these changes will help fix the butterfly keyboard’s infamous reliability issues, or what long term effect this will have.
Stay tuned for additional changes as they become available.