What I’d like to see in the near future...

[Sasha-1]

The iPad Pro is starting to become something of a contender to the MacBook Pro in my opinion. There are a few tricks the iPad Pro has up its sleeve that I feel can’t yet be matched on the MacBook Pro.

1. The iPad Pro is always on and always receives notifications. Unlike a laptop, I never turn off the iPad Pro and as it sits over night it appears to use virtually no power and it does this while still chiming in when a new email arrives. I wish the MacBook Pro could do this.

2. One of the coolest features I’m now really getting into is the concept of changing the input from English to another language, like Russian. When I do this on the iPad the virtual keyboard becomes solely a Russian keyboard. Something like 60% of the world’s population is multi-lingual and would benefit from a completely virtual keyboard.

So what I would like to see on a future MacBook Pro is the option to have the mechanical keyboard completely gone and replaced with a 100% touch based virtual keyboard and touch bar all in one. You won’t even need Touch ID. Just use the camera to do the Face ID same as the iPhone X. No more physical keys. Now you have one single MacBook Pro to sell world wide. As the user changes the local and input device to meet their own language, the keyboard which is virtual changes to suit them.

While I am sure this will be initially more expensive than a traditional keyboard, I think over time it will be cheaper and allow more effective inventory management since any MacBook Pro could be sold into any local. You need only change the box the unit ships in. The computer itself doesn’t need to change.

Hopefully these would have ARM processors to run the keyboard as a device within the MacBook Pro. This is so it doesn’t depend on the intel processor to run the keyboard. The keyboard shall be treated as a device inside the MacBook Pro the way it is now treated as a device. That way a hang of the computer will not result in a hang of the keyboard.

And in addition to this I’d like to finally have a modem built in. And another ARM processor to handle always on notifications and essentially make the MacBook Pro feel like it is always on with little power drain same as how the iPad Pro is always on with little power drain when not being used.

Another way to do this is to simply advance the iPad Pro further into the direction of the personal computer. Mac a version more like a laptop with a virtual keyboard on the bottom part, and a screen on the top part. I just want to get away from the physical keyboard. I think the virtual keyboard is now better than the physical keyboard. The physical keyboard now feels restricted to me.

I find I am using the iPad Pro and my English / Russian keyboard a long more than just my MacBook Pro which is English only. Much of the time I disconnect the physical keyboard and just use the virtual keyboard because I find using it to be easier. The keyboard is dedicated and not split between two languages and cluttered. I find myself feeling like the iPad Pro is better than my MacBook Pro in this regard.

 

[ZapNZs]

No, for the simple reason that my typing speed would be impaired and I also imagine prolonged typing against a completely flat surface with zero give would become uncomfortable. I would prefer to see e-Ink keys instead, which I feel could be combined with a touchbar with it's own taptic feedback engine to literally transform the way many interact with a computer. It would make the touchbar truly come of age (in that it would be used to control what you see on the keyboard/what a key actually does when pressed.) It would give the keyboard so much more versatility than it currently has.

https://sonderdesign.com/

 

[Falhófnir]

No, I think just about anyone who does a significant amount of typing will agree that would be an awful move on Apple's part.

 

[Sasha-1]

No, I think just about anyone who does a significant amount of typing will agree that would be an awful move on Apple's part.

I can type pretty quickly on the virtual keyboard on the iPad screen. Have been able to do that since the very first iPad. So I will disagree. I think it is simply a matter of getting used to it.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

I don't know what the point of this would be. We currently have iPad, a portable lightweight use computer for on the go kind of stuff. Or a MBP, a portable heavyweight use computer for doing actual work. If you combine the two you'll get a gimped MBP that can't run any software, or a bloated iPad that's too expensive/heavy to be practical.

If the iPad works for you in your setup then great, if all you're doing is media browsing/internet/word then great, it'll work fine. If you're running CAD, CC, 3D, Editing etc. then you need a MBP. Trying to type for long periods or have an iPad as a main computer is still a far off idea, however it can replace your computer in certain situations.

I really don't want to try model a scene on the iPad, and I shudder at how long the render would take to complete. I need a mouse and keyboard shortcuts to do this efficiently which just don't work with an iPad (Not to mention the software needed doesn't work).

So basically what you described is why an iPad is great and still relevant, but transferring those ideas into an actual computer makes for a terrible computer experience.

Apple are and have been (For several years) working on ways to replace the physical keys with digitised versions. The current MBP could be a precursor to this for instance. But they are unlikely to go full touch keyboard as again, horrible experience. eInk could work but it feels a little outdated and wouldn't really look right. They could also go for OLED keys, which dynamically change (Displaying shortcut icons for instance when in certain apps), these could effectively replace the current keys meaning the same typing experience, but with the added digital versatility. And I think that's where they're headed eventually, maybe next refresh, who knows really. Trying to modernise a analogue input that's been with us for over a 100 years is not easy, just look at the threads of people complaining about the current version, and the amount of people wanting '1mm' extra travel, in the belief it'd make a difference.

 

[bluecoast]

I suspect after the negative response that the current MBP keyboard has got that we’ll see still a traditional keyboard in the next version with more travel.

I suspect also that we’ll see less thin MBPs overall and a return to making those computers feel more like ‘trucks’.

The iMac keyboard seems to me to be a good place to experiment - but with a version that’s optional. And of course iMac owners are never ‘stuck’ with a keyboard in the same way that laptop owners are.

Apart from this, I agree with the OP on all of the other points.

I suspect that the Apple A class chip on the iMac Pro is also going to be used (perhaps in the next MacOS release) for the iPad/iPhone ‘sleep’ features that the OP mentioned and that we’ll see frameworks bought over from iOS in order to do this.

This would give the iPad the freedom to get more powerful without having to squish every feature into it (see MS Windows) and would allow the Mac to keep in taking the ‘must have’ features from iOS without sacrificing its pro focus (I hope).

 

[maflynn]

I want a physical keyboard, if I'd be happy with a virtual keyboard, I'd use an iPad for my work, but I prefer laptops for my work. I'm a touch typist and the tactile feedback of actual keys is important to me

 

[Sasha-1]

I suspect after the negative response that the current MBP keyboard has got that we’ll see still a traditional keyboard in the next version with more travel.

I suspect also that we’ll see less thin MBPs overall and a return to making those computers feel more like ‘trucks’.

The iMac keyboard seems to me to be a good place to experiment - but with a version that’s optional. And of course iMac owners are never ‘stuck’ with a keyboard in the same way that laptop owners are.

Apart from this, I agree with the OP on all of the other points.

I suspect that the Apple A class chip on the iMac Pro is also going to be used (perhaps in the next MacOS release) for the iPad/iPhone ‘sleep’ features that the OP mentioned and that we’ll see frameworks bought over from iOS in order to do this.

This would give the iPad the freedom to get more powerful without having to squish every feature into it (see MS Windows) and would allow the Mac to keep in taking the ‘must have’ features from iOS without sacrificing its pro focus (I hope).

I think an optional glass surface keyboard for the iPad would be a great idea to test this. I do suspect that once people get a taste of it they'll like it a lot more than they think they will.

And to respond to the other posts that seem to be confused, just because I like the virtual keyboard does not make the iPad ideal. I still like the idea of a mouse. Though I will say the pencil is pretty good and I wouldn't mind an iMac that supported the pencil and had a screen tilt similar to that of the Cintiq HD display.

Back to the keyboard. The keys on the MacBook Pro are not even contoured at this point. The travel is just about gone. It's pretty close to what you'd be getting on a smooth surface virtually at this point. And virtual has several advantages for bilingual users. On the iPad for example, there is a little globe, and we press that it switches to the next input language in the list we set. So I could toggle between two languages or if I had four I could toggle between them by pressing the globe one or more times to cycle through the languages I want.

If you're Russian, there is no @ symbol on a pure Russian keyboard. We need Western characters to send an email. We have to grab the mouse, select the USA flag, get the symbol, then change back. It's a hassle. The world is bigger than just the United States. On the iPad, it is much easier to deal with all the requires keystrokes. Especially now with iOS 11 where a key has a gesture in which stroking the key downward gives us the shift key rather than the key itself.

Believe it or not a lot of deal with a keyboard which crams two languages on the keyboard and it's a little on the confusing side. With a virtual keyboard, it would be one keyboard at a time, and not two characters, one on the upper left and one on the bottom right. It would just be one in the center and perhaps it's lighter printed shift option in gray above it.

Believe me, you're talking to a mechanical keyboard snob. I love cherry switches, but these MacBook Pros and MacBooks have no contouring and almost no travel anyway. It seems to me that going virtual would actually yield benefits while taking very little away. But that's just my opinion.

 

[InuNacho]

I can type pretty quickly on the virtual keyboard on the iPad screen. Have been able to do that since the very first iPad. So I will disagree. I think it is simply a matter of getting used to it.

It took me months to adapt to a slightly smaller spacebar a few iOSes ago. No thanks on updating an os and moving keys around.

 

[Falhófnir]

I can type pretty quickly on the virtual keyboard on the iPad screen. Have been able to do that since the very first iPad. So I will disagree. I think it is simply a matter of getting used to it.

How much typing do you do? It’s ‘doable’ to bang out a couple of pages for certain but it isn’t a particularly comfortable typing set up.

 

[cambookpro]

I suspect after the negative response that the current MBP keyboard has got that we’ll see still a traditional keyboard in the next version with more travel.

Just to highlight this point - I wouldn't bet on it. Everyone who I've spoken to who owns a 2016 or later MBP loves the keyboard, whereas those who have only typed on it in an Apple Store hate it.

Personally, my words per minute has gone up about 5% when using my 2016 MBP compared to my old 2011. I even replaced my old wireless keyboard with a Magic Keyboard so it felt more similar to the MBP.

My one complaint is that it's a very noisy keyboard to use, but once you get used to the feel, it's very nice to type on. Today I did a 2,000 word essay without batting an eyelid.

 

[Sasha-1]

How much typing do you do? It’s ‘doable’ to bang out a couple of pages for certain but it isn’t a particularly comfortable typing set up.

As much as anyone else I suppose. I bang out emails, replies to posts, etc. Most of it on the virtual keyboard on the iPad.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

As much as anyone else I suppose. I bang out emails, replies to posts, etc. Most of it on the virtual keyboard on the iPad.

Emails and stuff are all it's pretty much good for though. You can't write code on it easily, you can't write an essay or anything that requires formatting easily. It's great for simple replies and stuff but that's not 'writing' as such, but a virtual keyboard is not a substitute for the real thing, it's a compromise which is suitable for light work and short bursts.

 

[leman]

The iPad Pro is always on and always receives notifications. Unlike a laptop, I never turn off the iPad Pro and as it sits over night it appears to use virtually no power and it does this while still chiming in when a new email arrives. I wish the MacBook Pro could do this.

Then you'd be happy, as modern Macs already do this Its called "Power Nap" and I suppose its capabilities will only improve in the future.

One of the coolest features I’m now really getting into is the concept of changing the input from English to another language, like Russian. When I do this on the iPad the virtual keyboard becomes solely a Russian keyboard. Something like 60% of the world’s population is multi-lingual and would benefit from a completely virtual keyboard.

There are reports that Apple is working on a keyboard that can change its key labels (via e-ink or similar tech). This would combine best of both worlds. As others have pointed out, a pure virtual keyboard is unsuitable for serious typing. Of course, the future are touch input devices with some sort of 3D feedback tech, but I don't think we are close to this yet

Hopefully these would have ARM processors to run the keyboard as a device within the MacBook Pro. This is so it doesn’t depend on the intel processor to run the keyboard. The keyboard shall be treated as a device inside the MacBook Pro the way it is now treated as a device. That way a hang of the computer will not result in a hang of the keyboard.

I don't understand this. The keyboard is already a USB device internally and is managed by its own microchip. Why would you need an additional CPU to run it?
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I suspect after the negative response that the current MBP keyboard has got that we’ll see still a traditional keyboard in the next version with more travel.

I think you will find the "negative response" greatly overrated. Sure, there seem to be certain design issues (which will undoubtedly be fixed) and some famous bloggers have written that they don't like the keyboard. The majority of actual users though either like the keyboard or don't care, and the Mac laptop sales are as high as ever.

 

[Toutou]

As much as anyone else I suppose. I bang out emails, replies to posts, etc. Most of it on the virtual keyboard on the iPad.

Let's talk numbers, could you try this typing speed test for us? I have a hard time believing a touch keyboard could be even 60% as fast as a physical one.

http://typing-speed-test.aoeu.eu