crwdns2933803:011crwdne2933803:0
crwdns2933797:0Taylor Dixoncrwdnd2933797:0crwdne2933797:0
crwdns2936043:0crwdne2936043:0 crwdns2933505:0crwdne2933505:0 Taylor Dixon
- crwdns2933769:0crwdne2933769:0
- crwdns2933771:0crwdne2933771:0
- crwdns2933801:0crwdne2933801:0
crwdns2933807:0crwdne2933807:0
| [* black] We slowly peel away the keyboard backlight, hoping to find Magic underneath. | |
| [* black] The backlight assembly consists of a flexible diffuser, which carries light from LEDs along the edges. Flexible diffusers are common, but this one looks [https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/oKmCffIZrHPIUKpQ.full|specially etched|new_window=true], possibly to maximize brightness and evenness. | |
| [* black] Underneath the backlight, we spot some Pentalobe P2 screws along the edges of the metal keyboard frame. Could it be? Can we unscrew this thing to swap a busted key after a Dorito-fueled type-a-thon? | |
| [* black] ***[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIAYtHiCjN8|Nooooo|new_window=true]! ***[guide|111509|Once again|stepid=213439|new_window=true], the keyboard assembly is riveted down. Though the switches are likely less vulnerable to crumbly assailants, the keyboard itself isn't any more repairable than the Butterfly boards. | |
| [* black] It's basically 2016 all over again: we've got a new keyboard married to a non-serviceable design, with only Apple's word that it "won't break." And this one isn't even a part of the [https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks|Keyboard Service Program], so ... : / | |
| [* black] The one glimmer of hope is that this new keyboard design is extremely similar to past Apple keyboards that have mostly withstood the test of time. | |
| - | [* black] Refusing to leave this keyboard interaction empty-handed, we pry up the keyboard as much as we can to |
| + | [* black] Refusing to leave this keyboard interaction empty-handed, we pry up the keyboard as much as we can to get a glimpse at what makes it click. We are rewarded with a look at the flexible PCB layer sandwiched between the key and the metal backplate where the button presses happen ... but no magic. |