Apple is reportedly ditching butterfly keyboard amid news of Jony Ive’s departure

Reports have surfaced that Apple is doing away with the controversial butterfly keyboard. This news follows news of outgoing Chief Design Officer Jony Ive’s departure from the multinational tech company.

The company will reportedly be doing away with the butterfly keyboard in the upcoming MacBook laptop design. According to Dezeen, financial analyst Ming-chi Kuo released the report coming from sources within Apple’s supply chain in Asia. The reason behind the potential move is high production costs.

However, it’s no news that the butterfly keyboard has been a problem for MacBook users. It was first released in 2015 MacBook models. The thin keyboard designed allowed Apple to shave off a few millimeters of its laptops’ thickness. The downside? prominent tech blogger John Gruber has called it “the worst products in Apple’s history.”

The butterfly keyboard’s faulty design even prompted a class-action lawsuit from frustrated users. The design makes it prone to damage making “certain keys can become unresponsive, or they can register twice from a single press.” according to tech journalist Antonio Villas-Boas.

Gruber attributes the faults of the butterfly keyboard to Ive. In a blog post about Ive’s departure from Apple he wrote:

“I don’t know the inside story, but it certainly seems like a good bet that the MacBook keyboard fiasco we’re still in the midst of is the direct result of Jony Ive’s obsession with device thinness and minimalism. Today’s MacBooks are worse computers but more beautiful devices than the ones they replaced.”

Kuo suggested that Apple is bringing a revolutionary glass fiber keyboard to the table. It will be adopting the traditional scissor-switch keyboard design. Mac Rumors reported Kuo saying:

“The new keyboard could improve the typing experience by offering longer key travel and durability by adopting glass fiber to reinforce the keys’ structure.” The new design will reportedly make a debut for the upcoming 2019 model of the MacBook Air.

Christian Woods
Christian Woods
Christian is a morning reporter and technology columnist for Best in Australia. Christian has worked in the media since 2000, in a range of locations. He joined Best in Australia in 2018, and began working in Melbourne in 2019.
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