iFixit’s 16-inch MacBook Pro teardown reveals the old keyboard we know and love
Removing the scissor switch in the new keyboards. [credit: iFixit ]
iFixit's teardown of the 16-inch MacBook Pro uncovered a laptop that is a sort of hybrid between the 2015 MacBook Pro and its butterfly keyboard-equipped successors. iFixit performs and publishes these teardowns both to advocate for repairable devices and to drive its own revenue by selling fix kits to readers.
The team found that the new scissor-switch keyboard has deep similarities to Apple's time-tested, standalone Magic Keyboard, as well as to the keyboards found in Mac laptops before the introduction of the butterfly mechanism. In fact, you can even swap in some of the old Magic Keyboard keycaps. The teardown writeup notes that there is no dust-proofing membrane on the keyboard switches, suggesting that Apple does not expect the same problems caused by particulate matter that users repeatedly ran into with the butterfly switches.
However, the keyboard assembly is still riveted in place, and repairing damaged switches is likely to be no more convenient or cost-effective than has been the case with the butterfly keyboards. Given the positive track record of the Magic Keyboard, you're much less likely to see failures in this keyboard-but if you do, you'll still be dependent on either your warranty or AppleCare to save you from big costs. Even most savvy users likely won't be able to perform the repairs themselves. For this reason and others, iFixit gave the new MacBook Pro a 1 out of 10 repairability rating.
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