By now, you have most likely heard about Apple's new MacBook Pros, featuring updated processors, a new T2 chip, and also a quieter keyboard. While the impact of the new keyboard is debatable, a quick dissection of the unit revealed that there was a new membrane surrounding its problematic butterfly mechanism. This, in turn, led many to speculate that the membrane was actually there as a form of protection and not as a sound dampener.
This was reportedly confirmed today by a newly discovered internal Apple document. But the real question is, how well does the new membrane protect against dust and debris? The folks at iFixit took it upon themselves to test out just how well the new membrane layer works, by pumping particulates into the keyboard and seeing the results.
As you can see from the image, fine particles remain, for the most part, on the outer edges of the membrane. This protects the butterfly mechanism that is located on the inside portion. The team also performed the test on an older MacBook Pro without the membrane and noticed that the butterfly mechanism was immediately compromised. After some typing on the new MacBook Pro, the particulates did manage to penetrate the mechanism but didn't cause any problems. The new laptop is still not immune, however, as introducing sand into the mix caused it to fail.
This is all quite interesting, considering that Apple is currently facing several lawsuits with regards to the faulty keyboard. If you own a newer generation MacBook Pro and are having issues with your keyboard, be sure to get it serviced. Sadly, the company won't be replacing your keyboard with the improved model.
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