New MacBook Air and Base 13-Inch MacBook Pro Have Same Keyboard as Higher-End 2019 MacBook Pros

Good news: both the new MacBook Air and the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro models introduced today have the same third-generation butterfly keyboard design with an updated material as the higher-end 2019 MacBook Pro models introduced in May, we've confirmed directly.

2019 macbook pro keyboard ifixit

2019 MacBook Pro keyboard teardown via iFixit

Apple previously said the new material should substantially reduce issues that some users have experienced with its butterfly keyboards in recent MacBooks, according to The Loop. Apple apologized for the issues in March, but it continues to insist that a "small percentage" of customers are affected.

Apple has not elaborated on the new material, but the repair experts at iFixit completed a teardown of the 2019 ‌MacBook Pro‌ and discovered a "subtle change" made to the silicone membrane covering the keyboard switches.

Whereas the membrane in the 2018 ‌MacBook Pro‌ is "semi-opaque" and "feels like silicone," iFixit said the cover in the 2019 model is "clearer and smooth to the touch." Based on infrared analysis, it appears the 2018 membrane was made with polyacetylene, while the 2019 covers uses polyamide, aka nylon.

Despite the new material, Apple has added all 2019 MacBook Air and 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, including today's refreshed entry-level configuration, to its keyboard service program — hopefully out of an abundance of caution.

This means any 2019 ‌MacBook Air‌, 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, or any Mac with a butterfly keyboard that experiences keyboard issues such as sticky or inconsistently responding keys qualify for free repairs from Apple for up to four years after the original purchase date worldwide, regardless of warranty status.

With the 12-inch MacBook having been discontinued today, this means every notebook that Apple sells today features this new material for improved reliability. Whether the new material actually cuts down on the issues or not remains to be seen, as the sticky or repeating keys often take time to manifest.

Looking forward, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple plans to adopt a new scissor keyboard in future MacBooks, including a new ‌MacBook Air‌ later in 2019 and a new ‌MacBook Pro‌ in 2020. While the ‌MacBook Air‌ was updated today, the only change was a True Tone display, so a processor refresh could still follow this fall along with the new keyboard if Apple finally plans to ditch the butterfly mechanism.

To initiate a keyboard repair, visit the Get Support page on Apple's website to book a Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Provider appointment.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26 Maps Glass

Apple Reportedly Moving Ahead With Ads in Maps App

Sunday October 26, 2025 6:22 am PDT by
Apple Maps could feature integrated ads as soon as next year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple's plan to bring more ads to iOS is moving "gaining traction," with the Maps app being next in line. The project will apparently give restaurants and other businesses the option to pay to have their details featured more prominently in...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
swift for android

Developers Can Now Make Android Apps With Apple's Swift

Sunday October 26, 2025 4:23 am PDT by
The first preview release of the Swift SDK for Android was published this week, allowing developers to build Android apps in Swift with official tooling and making it easier to share code across iOS and Android. The SDK enables Android apps to be built in Swift using officially supported tooling rather than community workarounds. In June, it was announced that Apple's Swift programming...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
82 months ago
In the meantime, Apple is reserving scissor keyboard for a major update as a groundbreaking revolutionary feature
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
82 months ago

Good news: both the new MacBook Air ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/07/09/macbook-air-updated-true-tone-lower-1099-price/') and the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/07/09/base-13-inch-mbp-gets-8th-gen-touch-bar-t2/') models introduced today
"Good news"?

I would consider it disappointing news. Until the keyboard returns to scissor switches next year, there isn't any good news to share.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EvilEvil Avatar
82 months ago
They're probably using up their remaining stock of keyboards before they switch to the new ones.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
82 months ago
How widespread are these keyboard issues, really? I'm acting as local IT in my department, we have tons of MacBook 12-inches, tons of MacBook Pro 13-inches and a few MacBook Pro 15-inches all with these keyboards. None are newer than mid-2018 models so no one is having the latest revision of these keyboards either and all machines are being used daily, most of them a lot "on-the-road" and there has been zero issues with the keyboards?

I do agree that they aren't the best to type own, you need a certain amount of travel and these are just not providing it. But in-terms of reliability we haven't had any issues. I understand that Apple has return programs for them, so there are obviously some issues but as soon as Apple starts with these return program's it seems like everyone and their mother starts to act like every single keyboard is bad which is clearly not the case.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Achiever Avatar
82 months ago


Attachment Image
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cardfan Avatar
82 months ago
Another dud then with the faulty kb's. No thanks Apple.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)