Kuo: Apple to Use New Scissor Switch Keyboard in Future MacBooks, Starting With 2019 MacBook Air Refresh

[ph001bi]

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will do away with its controversial butterfly mechanism keyboard in future MacBooks, beginning with a refreshed MacBook Air later this year.

In a report obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says Apple will instead use a new keyboard design based on scissor switches, which should provide better key travel and durability than the more failure-prone butterfly keyboard.
Kuo believes a new scissor switch keyboard will also be used in the MacBook Pro, but not until 2020. Perhaps tellingly, Kuo made no mention of the 16-inch MacBook Pro he has previously suggested Apple will launch later this year.
Apple's butterfly keyboards are highly controversial and have been called out as one of the company's worst design decisions due to their penchant for failure due to small particulates like crumbs or heat issues.

Following years of anecdotal complaints from customers, and a few class action lawsuits, Apple initiated a worldwide service program, offering free repairs of 2015-and-later MacBook and 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro keyboards, which are equipped with low-profile butterfly switch mechanisms.

Apple in 2018 debuted MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models that use an updated third-generation butterfly keyboard. The third-generation keyboard has a thin silicone barrier behind each key, which was put in place as an ingress-proofing measure to prevent dust from getting in the keys.

Clearly the hope was that the updated keyboard would cut down on failures, but the 2018 MacBook Pro is still prone to keyboard issues, and Apple acknowledged as much in March.

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 to mass production in 2020 and will make the Taiwan-based firm Apple's most important keyboard supplier.

Article Link: Kuo: Apple to Use New Scissor Switch Keyboard in Future MacBooks, Starting With 2019 MacBook Air Refresh

We're not seeing any info about MacBooks. Only Macbook Airs and MacBook Pros at this point.
Does that mean that the MacBooks will just die out?

 

[intelligence]

Furthermore if people move to a Windows laptop due to the unreliable keyboard they may also move away from the Apple ecosystem and buy a phone etc from another company. Restoring people's faith in the keyboard will lead to more people joining the Apple ecosystem.

It baffles me that it took them so long to realize this. But on the other hand, throwing out all the R&D through the window can't be an easy decision either.

 

[JokerPower]

I hope this is true.

Butterfly is very unreliable.. you have to carry air duster in order to clean the sticky keys..

 

[Falhófnir]

I wholeheartedly agree! What a relief this news is!

Actually I was so happy that I had to create a user account here FIRST AND FOREMOST because I wanted to like this post / thread!

Happy 4th of July, Americans! Greetings from Norway

Welcome to the forum! Great day to join on

 

[arch1t3cton]

Back in 2015 I started saving for a new top of the line MBP. I thought to myself hey I might pay a bit extra up front but it’ll probably last for a good 5 years...

5 years and 4 severely problematic MBP revisions later I still don’t own a MBP...

Piggy bank is full! Thank you Apple!

 

[psingh01]

Great news if true!

 

[Rogifan]

So you’re attacking Marco for an imaginary complaint he hasnt made yet. Precious.

And read my earlier post. This assumption that Ive had iron fisted control over all design decisions, may be flawed. Especially in the past year or so when his stock was likely falling at apple already.

I think the whole narrative that Ive alone was responsible for everything (while at the same time being checked out for years) is nonsense. We’re seriously supposed to believe Apple leaders like Jeff Williams are signing off on mass producing a faulty keyboard because Ive says so? Nonsense. Same thing with the Mac Pro. When it was announced Phil Schiller got up on stage and said “can’t innovate my a—“. But yet we’re supposed to believe that product looked and functioned the way it did only because Ive said so? Again, nonsense.

I’m not attacking Marco. But he’s one who too often in my opinion blames everything on thinness. So I will be curious to hear what he (and others) says if we get a different keyboard but the laptops don’t get thicker.

 

[Konigi]

One more reason for me to upgrade my MBA this year!
I'm curious of why the status in the Buyer's Guide has not updated to "DON'T BUY -- REFRESH SOON".

 

[psingh01]

apple releases a new materials keyboard for the 2019 macbook pros and then releases all new keyboard to other lines 3 months later? Yeaaa, not buying it.
Why would they put more $$$ into one year when they plan on releasing newer keyboards in the same or even following year?
They would of just ran the 2018 keyboards for one more year to save that r&d on fixing the butterfly keyboards.

Because it was probably less money overall. They are having to replace entire top panels of laptops for free because of garbage keyboards. So changing materials for keyboards that would still fit in the existing enclosure probably made sense if it saved a few bucks. Only the keyboard changes.

The new laptops will likely have new enclosures that accommodate a new keyboard design.

 

[Suttree]

I hope the new keyboards offer the same stability as the current butterfly keys. The old keys are too wobbly and squishy.

 

[Windoes]

Great, now we can only wait

 

[YaBe]

So people will buy this "new and improved old beyboard", but they do not realize it will have its own issue, rinse and repeat.

It's a "1st gen" kinda thing, I would stay away the first months....that is, if I still was using a Mac.

 

[Rogifan]

I still have a few Jobs era MacBook Pro’s and a PowerBook lying around that has easy access to user upgradable Ram. The hard drive wasn’t soldered in, so could easily be upgraded too. The current laptops simply don’t allow for that.

Why even mention Microsoft.

What year was that? The reason I mentioned Microsoft is this is what everybody is doing now. Because it’s what the majority of the public wants. The hobbyists and tinkerers might not be happy but they’re a very small percentage of computer buyers. Everyone else just wants to buy something and not have to think about replacing or upgrading anything.

 

[ohbrilliance]

That would make a good start. We’ll be back in action when the touch bar has gone, the thermal issues resolved and the trackpad made smaller than a basketball court. A better range of ports and SD card reader would be a bonus.
Till then, my late 2013 13” will serve me well.

 

[thasan]

And still the Apple Defence League members that patrol these forums will continue to insist that there is nothing wrong with the butterfly keyboards. That it’s all a big conspiracy created by YouTube influencers and Apple critics.

Well, I am still using it without any problem. And I love it!
Perhaps because I dont eat or work in the fields like photographers etc.
I just miss the magsafe in my MBP.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

That's some sweet cherry picking you got there. I'm pretty certain he was able to contribute to some good things as well. No?

I can think of only one. The unibody enclosure.

 

[thasan]

That would make a good start. We’ll be back in action when the touch bar has gone, the thermal issues resolved and the trackpad made smaller than a basketball court. A better range of ports and SD card reader would be a bonus.
Till then, my late 2013 13” will serve me well.

What is the issue with touchbar? Never encountered any (apart from the initial cost) I love it! Probably its most useful when filling up forms.

 

[Manzanito]

It baffles me that it took them so long to realize this. But on the other hand, throwing out all the R&D through the window can't be an easy decision either.

I don’t know how much the R&D for the butterfly keyboard was, but the macbook brand’s reputation has suffered, and that also has a cost and consequences in the long term. I think they should have canned the butterfly design in the first generation, instead of keep on patching it for three years in a row. If you spend over two grand on a machine only to find out the keyboard fails time and time again, you’re not likely to buy again from that vendor.

Also, spend a little more on quality control. It pays off in the long run.

 

[Sharewaredemon]

Oh so the butterfly models will all drop in value. Good luck selling them.

I'll buy em used if Apple keeps fixing them.
There are so many things I like about the new models I look forward to using when I buy one for sub 500 in 5 years.
For day to day use I can't think of a single reason anyone should buy a new Mac when there are so many used ones that do what you need for wayyyy less.
A 2012 13 inch MacBook Pro is gonna do what most people need today, I use one myself.

 

[MattMJB0188]

Why don't they just go back to the 2015 MBP keyboard? That one seemed to be the best one.

 

[satchmo]

Now add another port to the 12" Macbook. No excuse to have just one USB-C port.

 

[x-evil-x]

That would make a good start. We’ll be back in action when the touch bar has gone, the thermal issues resolved and the trackpad made smaller than a basketball court. A better range of ports and SD card reader would be a bonus.
Till then, my late 2013 13” will serve me well.

Probably the last computer you’ll have then. But hey we can dream

 

[LiveM]

Oh so the butterfly models will all drop in value. Good luck selling them.

Only defective units.

 

[IIGS User]

Well, guess all of us plagued with the current crop of MBP's should joust be happy we could purchase a Compaq 2018.

Oh wait, Compaq made more reliable stuff. What was I thinking.

 

[0906742]

I don't get why they would go back to scissor keyboard with longer key travel because logically it will require more space to implement. In my opinion only feasible successor for the butterfly keyboards would be force touch keyboards, why not make keys like touchpad in current MacBooks. Of course cost would be issue but eventually it will get down and I don't see that limiting factor today for the current higher end Pro models where price is not the first thing anyone looks.