Apple gives MacBook Pro keyboard rubber pants

Apple has applied a prophylactic to its butterfly MacBook Pro keyboard, teardown specialist iFixit discovered after taking apart a model from the refreshed line. Apple said that the new range, announced last week, would get "an improved third-generation keyboard for quieter typing". The teardown of the new Macbook Pro models …

[djstardust]

Maybe so

But at those prices Apple can go suck.

Apart from that, the SSD being soldered to the motherboard is a definite no-go for me.

[Waseem Alkurdi]

Re: Maybe so

And RAM. And everything.

Just heat-press the thing and you have Surface-like reparability.

[ThomH]

Re: Maybe so

Yeah, it seems odd to me to focus on the SSD. The trend in soldered batteries is more a concern to me; that's the only part of a laptop I've ever replaced.

[Gene Cash]

Re: Maybe so

Well, the only part of my last 3 laptops I've replaced/upgraded was the disk, so it seems normal to focus on that to me.

I've never seen a laptop where the battery doesn't just unclip. That's insane if it's soldered on.

[wolfetone]

Re: Maybe so

To me it's fairly standard to upgrade the hard drive and RAM on a laptop after a number of years to prolong the life of the laptop.

[Giles Jones]

Re: Maybe so

The SSD is a module. But they're so expensive you'd not bother replacing it.

[deltamind]

Re: Maybe so

They always purposely mess some stuff up for us don't they?

[Anonymous Coward]

The company itself describes the Pro range as the most popular developer machine in the world.

In the same way that Malaria is the worlds most popular disease presumably.

[Oh Homer]

Re: "the most popular developer machine in the world"

With a laptop market share in single digits, I find that highly unlikely.

Unless they mean it's the most popular Mac, used by a minority of developers ... mostly for developing mobile apps (which is now 52% of the market), while everyone else uses Dells et al.

[Thomas 6]

Re: "the most popular developer machine in the world"

It may well be true, albeit misleading.

I assume that everyone who wants a pro-level Mac is going to buy one of these. Everyone who wants a pro-level Windows or Linux machine, however, has a lot more to choose from, therefore, their individual share will be a lot lower.

[Anonymous Coward]

to be fair...

Sometimes it's the only way a dev can get a (half) decent machine put of the beancounters.

It certainly is round our way. MacBook pro; 1 month to procure... Lenovo high spec p50... 3 months and counting.

[tiggity]

I'm sure

I have seen rubber (or similar) sheets underneath keyboards (and definitely under calculator keys as I remember taking them apart when they died in case repair possible - back when they were (relatively) expensive) in the past to prevent crud getting in, surely lots of prior art for that "oh so worthwhile" patent

.. or is there some suitable weasel wording and its just a tiny bit different from the decades of prior art

[Spacedinvader]

Re: I'm sure

Certainly under buttons in controllers but that's for the contact...

[MiguelC]

Re: I'm sure

It's the first patented "by Apple"... those last two are the magic words that make it oh so different.

[AMBxx]

McDonalds?

Am I the only one who had an image of those plastic overlays you see (used to see?) in fast food places?

[Gordon 10]

I for one

Welcome our new rubber keyed overlords.

Can I "upgrade" the pre-2018 model Macbook Pro using an old ZX Spectrum keyboard membrane?

[herman]

Hmm, the missus and I both have 2012 MacBook Pros and they still work as/better than the day we bought them. No trouble with the keyboards, SSDs or batteries. Fingers crossed for another 6 years?

[nematoad]

Gah!

"ingress-proof"

He means "sealed"

"it's English Jim, but not as we know it."

[Tigra 07]

"As we noted, Apple's professional laptops can often be found in unforgiving environments, such as field work" coffee shops.

There, fixed that for you!

[mrtom84]

Those brownie crumbs can be hazardous!

[Anonymous Coward]

And this is why I don't eat anywhere near the thing....

[Jay Lenovo]

Macbook "Bubble Boy" Pro

The keyboard was getting foiled by specks of dust, not even huge crumbs.

The original keyboard design was brilliant, provided it was sealed away from direct contact with the outside world.

[Tigra 07]

Re: Jay

"The original keyboard design was brilliant, provided it was sealed away from direct contact with the outside world"

...In the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard?

Sorry, i hate that joke but couldn't resist...

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting that Apple isn't touting this

They only talk about it being quieter. They already basically admitted the previous butterly keyboards were crap, by giving those extra extended warranties, so they are pretty well protected from class action suits (if Apple is repairing it for free, you don't have much to sue about)

I wonder if this is because they aren't sure this will really address the problems, so they don't want to claim it does only to have people start reporting the same issues? They'd have considerable egg on their face if they did. While it isn't a good look to appear to not be doing anything about a publicly acknowledged issue that gave them a lot of bad press, if it turns out it is fixed they don't have to keep quiet about it forever...

[rmason]

Re: Interesting that Apple isn't touting this

@dougS

It's because You, I and reg readers know about this problem.

Joe public hasn't a clue. If my mum, uncle,sister etc etc (all bright but you'll never find them on a tech blog or similar) wanted a new laptop they wouldn't get a sniff of broken keyboards and recalls.

Hence:

New, more quiet, keyboard.

Never:

new more reliable keyboard.