Apple confirms its new MacBook Pro keyboard has a 'membrane' to prevent dust borkage

It's now safe to eat croissants over your laptop again

Apple confirms its new MacBook Pro keyboard has a 'membrane' to prevent dust borkage

APPLE HAS CONFIRMED that its third-generation keyboard comes with a 'membrane'  to prevent the borkage that affected the second-gen mechanism.


The confirmation comes in the form of an internal document distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers, obtained by MacRumours from a so-called reliable source.

The document confirmed iFixit's discovery of a dust-busting layer, with Apple noting that the keyboard on 2018 MacBook Pro models is equipped with a "membrane" to "prevent debris from entering the butterfly mechanism."

"The keyboard has a membrane under the keycaps to prevent debris from entering the butterfly mechanism," the document reads. "The procedure for the space bar replacement has also changed from the previous model. Repair documentation and service videos will be available when keycap parts begin shipping."

Apple didn't offer up any further details, but iFixit's teardown revealed that the new MacBooks - the most expensive of which costs more than £6,000 - feature a thin layer of rubberised silicon material around updated butterfly mechanism, in order to stop dust and muck from getting inside.


Also Read: Apple's new MacBook Pro keyboards have a dust-busting layer

Dust, crumbs and lint clogging the shallow travel of the keys were found to be a culprit of the keyboard problems that plagued users of Apple's last-gen MacBooks, with reports noting that this caused keys to get stuck and fail.

This extra layer also tones down the click-clack nature of the older butterfly mechanism keyboards.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Apple won't replace borked, last-gen MacBook keyboards with its updated butterfly mechanism.


MacRumours reported that Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers won't be permitted to replace the old keyboards with the new model, and Apple subsequently confirmed it's third-gen components are "exclusive" to the 2018 MacBook Pro.

The reasoning for Apple's decision remains unclear, but reports claim it could be due to the fact that the third-generation keyboards aren't backwards compatible with 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models.