Apple recently updated its 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Touch Bars to include faster processors, a new T2 chip, and quieter keyboard. During its teardown of the new laptops, iFixit discovered that there might be an ulterior motive in Apple introducing the new keyboard.
By deconstructing the new laptops, iFixit found that the butterfly mechanism in the new keyboard is actually protected by a thin silicone membrane. The company has stated that the new addition to the butterfly mechanism is "obviously an ingress-proofing measure to cover up the mechanism from the daily onslaught of microscopic dust" and not, in fact, there to dampen the noise level. Although this is just an opinion, iFixit has backed up its claim with an Apple patent, that shows the exact same design, even being labeled that the membrane was designed to “prevent and/or alleviate contaminant ingress”.
What makes this situation a bit odd is that Apple has explicitly stated that the new keyboards won"t be solving the sticky key problem. But, since the company is in the midst of several lawsuits regarding the reliability of its keyboard, it wouldn"t really be able to come out and state that it has "fixed" the issue, without admitting fault. If interested in the latest from Apple, be sure to check out its website, where the new MacBook Pro starts at $1,799.