Apple has launched the new 2018 MacBook Pro which it said comes with a new keyboard design which allows for a quieter typing experience. However, apart from curbing the typing sound, the other and more desirable outcome of the new keyboard design is that it has built-in mechanism this time to prevent seepage of dust or other undesirable stuff which otherwise hampers the normal functioning of the keyboard.
Though not exactly acknowledged but a teardown report by iFixit has confirmed the presence of a silicone cover underneath the keys. The cover again is so designed to ensure there is minimal chances of dust or other particulate matter getting inside the keys. That said, the silicone cover is also designed perfectly to prevent getting into the way of the contact points, which means there are almost zero chances of the silicone layer getting into the way of the normal functioning of the keyboard.
A patent filing that dates back to March of this year had also revealed a remarkably similar construction. It was then claimed to have been specifically designed to make future keyboards dustproof. Apple though hasn’t stated they have made any special changes to the keyboard which interestingly sports more or less the same looks as the keyboards of previous generation MacBook devices.
The new design no doubt should also allow Apple to effectively deal with the deluge of complaints that users had with the keyboard. And most of such issues can be traced to the presence of unwanted materials such as dust inside the keys which led to a below-par performance of the keyboard.
In fact, such has been the extent of keyboard related issues that Apple also launched a Keyboard Service Program aimed specifically at keyboards attached to the MacBook and MacBook Pro devices. Apple serviced the keyboard for free while it even replaced those which suffered extensive damaged due to dust seepage. The service program covered 2015-2017 MacBook and 2016-207 MacBook Pro units.
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Apple however never acknowledged the inconsistent behavior of the keyboards which covered issues such as sticky keys and such has to do with the ingress of dust or other foreign materials. Nonetheless, it is still good to see the company doing all it can to insure future MacBook devices does not get a repeat of the same issues. Unfortunately, Apple has confirmed the latest keyboards are compatible with only the latest 2018 MacBook Pro model and is not backward compatible with older units.
