New MacBook Pro Released

Surprising announcement from Apple this week: new MacBook Pro released! Full press release available here. Take a few minutes to glance the press release then come back. Do you notice something weird? I did. All the MacBook Pro are pictured in such a way that we don’t see the keyboard. Why? Add this to the fact that there is no mention of any update to the keyboard design. The thing is, the most important part of this machine after the screen, the keyboard, also got an internal update. Why not mention it? This is Apple in full glory here. They don’t want you to notice.

They’re a lot of interesting things to read from John Gruber about this spec bump update.

My own comments and observations.

1. The casing design is the same. Apple rarely changes its design very often. When they do, it is because they feel this bring more value or help fix a real issue. The new version will obviously contain the new and fully redesigned keyboard as this is THE main issue to fix.
2. Does this announcement mean something regarding the rumoured 16” MacBook Pro? Yes. We shouldn’t expect this thing to be unveiled at the WWDC. Maybe this fall at the earliest. More realistically, I would bet on 2020.
3. I would love to read the comments from this guy on Reddit who wrote a lengthy piece on the possible root cause for the numerous problems with these butterfly keyboards. The updated design, which I personally refer to generation 3.1, supposedly uses a new kind of material to help prevent the sticky keys or unsolicited repeating keystrokes. Time will tell how better the updated design is.
4. I think it takes more time than Apple is willing to admit in order to design the next generation keyboard.
5. I’m happy to see Apple pushing more frequent updates of their pro machines. This is where the money is I guess.
6. These new MacBook Pro are also covered with the Keyboard Replacement program from the start. Think about it: you buy a computer that is already covered by a special program to replaced faulty keyboards. I’m not sure this is the best message Apple can send.

Is Apple clearing the way for more important hardware announcements at their WWDC conference? Probably. This won’t be about the iPad or the iMac. The long awaited Mac Pro update could be the most important hardware announcement this year.