Upcoming MacBooks could have a strange magnetic keyboard — and we're worried

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Apple hasn’t learned its keyboard lesson yet

Building the ultimate laptop for accessibility
(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

As laptops get sleeker and lighter, their keyboards start to get in the way. Most companies now use low-profile keyboards to help tuck them down a bit. However, that can make them less comfortable to type on. 

Apple recently filed a new patent for a keyboard that may address these issues. However, given the recent spate of lawsuits the company is facing due to the failed Butterfly keyboard catastrophe, you would think Apple would leave well enough alone, but here we are. 

Apple's new keyboard concept would have the keyboard rise up when it is opened and slide into the body when closed. This retractable keyboard design isn't a new one, as other laptop makers have also been working on similar technology to help make laptops even thinner. 

Apple's concept for the retractable keyboard seems rather complicated as the patent mentions using magnets to raise and lower the keyboard into place when the unit is powered on. It would lower the keyboard once the power is shut off. 

As cool as this sounds, it could create a lot more issues if there is a failure within the system that would retract the keyboard. This could leave you with a stuck keyboard and possibly unable to close the unit fully or if it doesn't rise, unable to type and get work done. 

Once again, Apple may be overcomplicating things and creating more problems rather than solving one, but we're interested to find out. 

Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.