Apple recently refreshed the MacBook Pro and the keyboard on the new models are a bit quieter than they were on the previous ones. There have been many complaints about the mechanical issues with the previous version’s keyboard and Apple recently acknowledged the issues and even launched a repair program for it. And so the company has made some minor changes to the keyboard in the new MacBook Pro which may do a better job of repelling dust and crumbs.
iFixit did a teardown of the new 15 inch MacBook Pro keyboard and found that it has a silicone membrane beneath each key to ensure that dust and other particles don’t get inside. Many users have complained about the keys locking up because of this on previous models.
An Apple patent that showed up earlier this year suggested that the company had explored this method to improve dust resistance. The patent says that this “guard structure” would be instrumental in order to “funnel” contaminants such as dust and crumbs from the part of the keyboard which could lock up. It looks like the membrane doesn’t make contact with the base of the key even when it’s depressed since there’s a gasket between them.
This makes sure that the membrane isn’t separated from the base even when the keyboard is being used. The new keyboard is a bit quieter because of this.
