The butterfly switch could soon become extinct.
Apple will replace the 13-inch MacBook Pro's keyboard with a scissor switch in the first half of 2020, Taiwanese news outlet DigiTimes reports.
The report comes just days after Apple released the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the first to feature a redesigned scissor that we found to be "radically improved."
Not only does the new "Magic Keyboard" feel more comfortable, but it should be more reliable than the Butterfly keyboard. It even features a physical Esc key and an inverted T arrow key layout.
DigiTimes states that the smaller MacBook Pro will retain a 13-inch display and not jump up to 14 inches, as rumored. The now-discontinued 15.6-inch MacBook Pro was replaced by a 16-inch model with thin bezels. Some folks thought the 13.3-inch model would see similar changes and get bumped up to a 14-inch panel.
DigiTimes has a mixed track record, so you should take this latest report with a grain of salt. That being said, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted earlier this year that Apple would bring the scissor keyboard to every MacBook by 2020.
We wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that holds true. Apple's Butterfly keyboard has caused headaches for both Apple and MacBook users over the past few years. The component was so unreliable that Apple apologized to users and was forced to implement a free repair service.
By moving its entire MacBook fleet to a more traditional scissor key switch, Apple can save money on repairs and potentially win back customers who jumped ship for a more reliable machine.
