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Yesterday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a report to MacRumors, revealed that Apple is going to include a new scissor switch keyboard in the 2019 MacBook Air. The scissor switch keyboard is expected to have glass fiber to increase its durability. This means that Apple will finally do away with the butterfly keyboard, introduced in 2015, which has always been infamous for reliability and key travel issues. The MacBook Pro will also be getting the new scissor switch keyboard, but not until 2020.

The scissor-switch keyboard uses a mechanism in which the keys are attached to the keyboard via two plastic pieces that interlock in a “scissors”- like fashion, and snap to the keyboard and the key.

In a statement to MacRumors, Kuo says that, “Though the butterfly keyboard is still thinner than the new scissor keyboard, we think most users can’t tell the difference. Furthermore, the new scissor keyboard could offer a better user experience and benefit Apple’s profits; therefore, we predict that the butterfly keyboard may finally disappear in the long term.” Kuo also states that Apple’s butterfly design was expensive to manufacture due to low yields. The scissor-switch keyboard might be costly than a regular laptop keyboard, but will be cheaper than the butterfly keyboard.

The scissor-switch keyboard intends to improve typing experience of Apple users. The existing butterfly keyboard has always been a controversial product, with users complaining about its durability. The butterfly keyboard design is sensitive to dust, with even the slightest particle causing keys to jam and heat issues.

Last year, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple in a federal court in California for allegedly using the flawed butterfly keyboard design in its MacBook variants since 2015. Apple has also released a tutorial on how to clean the butterfly keyboard of the MacBook or MacBook Pro. Apple has also introduced four generations of butterfly keyboards, attempting to address user complaints about stuck keys, repeated key inputs, and even the loud clacking sound of typing when striking each keycap.

In March this year, Apple officially apologised for inflicting MacBook owners with its dust-prone, butterfly-switch keyboard. This apology was in response to a critical report by the Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern about the MacBook’s butterfly-switch keyboard, which can make typing the E, R, and T keys a nightmare when writing.

The new scissor-switch keyboard is thus expected to be a big sigh of relief to all MacBook customers. The new scissor-switch keyboard is the same keyboard mechanism that was present in all pre-2015 MacBooks and was quite well-received by the MacBook users back then. Though the new model is expected to be a more meaningful evolution of the previous product.

Kuo says the new replacement keyboard will be supplied solely by specialist laptop keyboard maker Sunrex rather than Wistron, which currently makes the butterfly keyboards for Apple. The analyst expects the new Sunrex keyboard will go for mass production in 2020 and will make the Taiwan-based firm Apple’s most important keyboard supplier.

Users are relieved that Apple has finally decided to ditch the butterfly keyboard.

A user on Hacker News says that, “Finally! It took four years to admit there is something wrong. And one more year to change upcoming laptops. It‘s unbelievable how this crap could be released. Coming from a ThinkPad to an MBP in 2015 I was disappointed by the keyboard of the MBP 2015. Then switching to an MBP 2018 I was shocked how much worse things could get”

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Vincy Davis
A born storyteller turned writer!