TechCrunch‘s review of Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020) and, as are many of the reviews for the product, it’s mainly about the keyboard. It’s good again, thanks to a return to Apple’s much-loved scissor-switch design after an ill-fated five-year foray into the wilderness on a quixotic quest for thinness for thinness’ sake.
It seems that Apple has relearned a powerful lesson: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
With the new MacBook, Apple closes one of the more unfortunate product chapters in its history. The upgraded 13-inch mercifully marks the end of the failed five-year experiment that was the butterfly switch…
After a few attempts to salvage the technology, Apple finally scrapped it, going back to basics and returning to the trusty old scissor switch. I’m typing on it now, and it’s seriously making me reconsider upgrading my four-year-old machine. Honestly, the laptop is in perfect shape otherwise, but man, those keys. It always felt too much like typing on a flat surface.
With this week’s news, the 13-inch becomes the third and final member of the MacBook family to get the new keyboard. It’s not “Magic” as the name implies (Apple really does love the M-word), but improvements are immediate and vast. The experience is considerably softer to the touch and quieter than previous versions, and the one millimeter of key travel is much easier on the hands.
There are other nice touches, here, including the addition of a dedicated Escape key. It’s a small but welcome consolation that the Touch Bar can’t do everything.
I realize I’ve just spent the first several paragraphs focusing on the keyboard. Silly, I know, but why bury the lede? After all, without it, the new MacBook would be a fairly standard MacBook upgrade (nothing wrong with that, but that’s just how these things work). With it, it’s a far more compelling invite for those who have been on the fence about an upgrade.
MacDailyNews Take: Finally, the butterfly is dead. Good riddance to bad rubbish!