New keyboards on the next MacBook

Posted Jul 4, 2019 by Colin Moore.

The very problematic Papillon keyboards have apparently been a bad enough experience for Apple to decide to switch to a new mechanism.

For several years now, Apple has had problems with its keyboards called “butterfly” which have a proprietary mechanism. The Cupertino company, however, seems ready to move on.

Finally a panacea?

Inaugurated during the marketing of the 12-inch MacBook in 2015, the keyboard “butterfly” is causing malfunctions. These include a character appearing twice on the screen after a single press and a phenomenon blocking the key in the aluminum body of the computer. The second version of the keyboard appeared in 2016 on the MacBook Pro, but did not correct its mechanical errors. Apple has tried again, in 2018, to review the keyboard, without more success.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that these problematic keyboards will disappear this year in favor of new ones. Apple would retain the backlight enjoyed by users, but is working on a longer activation point – the keyboards “butterfly” being too short and often not appreciated by users. The analyst believes that Apple may have resorted to a fiberglass structure to bring more strength.

According to Kuo, the MacBooks would be the first to enjoy it, and the MacBook Pro would benefit from them from 2020. Still, according to the analyst, Apple could change manufacturers and opt for Sunrex rather than Wistron, which currently produces the Papillon keyboards for the firm.