David Hanak Apple somewhat surprisingly in the last week updated hardware equipment of selected MacBook Pros. Above all, the new MacBook Pro in the 15″ variant, which can be newly configured with up to an eight-core processor, has seen the biggest changes. What Apple did not explicitly mention in the press release is that the new MacBook Pros (2019) have a slightly changed keyboard. The technicians from iFixit looked under the surface to find out what the truth is.
It could be interest you
The keyboards in this year's versions of the MacBook Pro received components made of changed materials, thanks to which the problem with the reliability of the keys should (ideally) be eliminated. This is something Apple has been struggling with since 2015, and the three previous revisions to this keyboard haven't helped much.
The mechanism of each key consists of four separate components (see gallery). For the new MacBook Pros, the material has been changed for two of them. The material composition of the silicone membrane of the keys and then the metal plate, which is used both for switching and for the haptic and sound response after pressing the key, has changed.
The membrane in last year's models (and all previous ones) was made of polyacetylene, while the membrane in the new models is made of polyamide, i.e. nylon. The change in material was confirmed by a spectral analysis that iFixit technicians had performed on the new parts.
Gallery
The above-mentioned cover has also been changed, which is now also made of a different material than it was before. In this respect, however, it is not clear whether it is only a change in the surface treatment of the component, or whether there has been a complete change in the material used. Anyway, the change happened and the goal was most likely to extend the lifespan.
Apart from minor changes in the design of the keyboards and the possibility to equip selected MacBook variants with more powerful processors, nothing else has changed. It is rather a small update responding to the possibility of using new processors from Intel. This hardware update also likely indicates that we won't be seeing all-new MacBook Pros this year. The long-awaited redesign, in which Apple will finally get rid of the problematic keyboard and insufficient cooling, will hopefully arrive sometime next year. Until then, those interested have to make do with the current models. At least the good news is that the new models are covered by the recall for the problematic keyboard. Although it is rather sad that something like this happens at all.
Source: iFixit
Why isn't it properly tested?