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| - | [* black] What else? The metal dome |
|---|---|
| - | [* black] The dome is like a Snapple bottle cap. You press down and it springs back up. Like a Snapple cap, if you press too hard or if you crack it, the cap will stop popping back up. If you press it too many times, the cap will eventually stop popping back up. |
| - | [* black] The dome must deform and pop back up reliably every time a key is pressed. If the two center prongs break off, the key will stop working. If the dome is cracked or permanently deformed, it may cause erratic behavior. |
| - | [* black] The 2019 model has a visually different color |
| - | [* black] This may be a result from a different surface treatment, or a completely different material |
| - | [* black] Surface treatment or alloy reformulation may strengthen the dome and prevent it from failing due to cracks, losing springiness, etc. |
| + | [* black] What else changed? We think the metal dome switch may have. Let's take a closer look. |
| + | [* black] The dome is like a really fragile Snapple bottle cap—you press down and it springs back up. Like a Snapple cap, if you press too hard, crack it, or press it too many times, the cap will eventually stop popping back up. |
| + | [* black] The dome must reliably deform and pop back up every time a key is pressed. If anything changes about the dome—if it's cracked or deformed—the key may behave erratically. Likewise, if the two center prongs break off the key will stop working. |
| + | [* black] There are myriad reasons for the switch to crack or wear out—plain old fatigue, heat cycling, prolonged exposure to heat, moisture, outgassing from other parts, and corrosion are all possibilities. |
| + | [* black] Heat treatment or alloy reformulation could help mitigate some of these failures, but Apple may be struggling to figure out multiple problems caused by several failure modes acting together. |