| Cult of Mac

Apple’s hated butterfly keyboard is officially extinct

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Taking it out on your problematic MacBook butterfly keyboard will only make things worse.
The MacBook butterfly keyboard could be horribly frustrating. But now it’s gone. Mostly.
Photo illustration: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

MacBook buyers, your long nightmare is over. It’s now safe to buy a new Apple laptop without having to worry that someday the butterfly keyboard will jam up, rendering your computer useless without a significant repair. Monday’s release of a redesigned 13-inch MacBook Pro means every new laptop available through the Apple Store includes the more-reliable Magic Keyboard.

Still, Apple held onto the flawed design for too long. Anybody with a MacBook that uses the older design must live in fear of potentially jammed butterfly keys for years to come.

16-inch MacBook Pro shows the advantages of a post-Jony Ive Apple [Opinion]

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The 16-inch MacBook Pro isn’t quite as svelte as it could be.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro isn’t quite as svelte as it could be. And that’s good news.
Photo: Apple

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is a sign of a fundamental shift at Apple: It includes a keyboard that makes this laptop slightly less stylish but more useful. It’s hard to believe this would have happened in the days when chief designer Jony Ive’s habit of putting form ahead of function still reigned supreme over all Apple’s products.

As Ive slowly exits the company, we’re already seeing products less willing to make compromises in functionality in order to get super-sleek looks.

Industrial design team shakeup, redesigned AirPods and more! This week, on The CultCast

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CultCast 385
Reports indicate two new AirPods models are on the way.

This week on The CultCast: Some major changes are in store for Apple’s legendary industrial design team … we discuss. Plus: Apple commits to fixing all MacBook keyboard issues in just one day. This is huge. And it looks like not one but two new versions of the AirPods are on the way, with one being released this year. We’ll fill you in. And the new Powerbeats Pro wireless earphones are almost here, and they look like the higher-quality AirPods we’ve always wanted.

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