Apple refreshes MacBook Pro with updated butterfly keyboard (using Liquidmetal?)

Apple’s first 8-core MacBook Pro, the fastest Mac notebook ever, with fourth generation butterfly keyboard
“In the second update to the current crop of MacBook Pros since they were released in July 2018, Apple this week has expanded the available CPU options for both the 13-inch and 15-inch models,” Samuel Axon reports for Ars Technica. “Just as importantly, Apple has made another update to its butterfly keyboards in the MacBook Pro. This marks the fourth generation of the butterfly keyboard that has divided users and seen some widely publicized hardware failures that resulted in an ongoing repair program from Apple. Apple claimed significant improvements to reliability in the third generation that shipped with laptops introduced in 2018, but users continued to report issues.”
“Apple says it has changed the material it is using in the new, fourth-generation keyboards, and the company expects the change to substantially reduce the prevalence of issues with keys double-typing without user input or failing to type at all with user input,” Axon reports. “The company hasn’t yet gotten more specific than that, so we’ll have to wait on teardowns and testing to learn more.”
“That said, Apple has made another welcome change regarding the keyboards: it has extended its repair program to cover butterfly keyboard-equipped machines introduced in 2018. Previously, the repair program only covered the previous two generations,” Axon reports. “The program offers users repair or replacement for their failed butterfly keyboards at no cost throughout its duration, and Apple claims it has made improvements to its repair processes to reduce the time it takes to complete the repairs.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Why did Apple not mention that fact – 4th gen. butterfly keyboards – in the press release?
Regardless, hopefully, the fourth time’s the charm!
Liquidmetal? Apple has changed the material it is using in their new, 4th-gen. butterfly keyboards & expects it to substantially reduce issues. Apple’s US Patent (10,056,541) concerns using bulk metallic glass in the fabrication of, among other things, keyboards.
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