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MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2019 Teardown

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MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2019 Teardown: crwdns2935265:00crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2019 Teardown: crwdns2935265:00crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 MacBook Pro 15" Touch Bar 2019 Teardown: crwdns2935265:00crwdnd2935265:03crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0
  • What else changed? We think the metal dome switch may have. Let's look closer.

  • The dome is like a really tiny jam lid or Snapple cap—you press down and it springs back up.

  • If anything changes about the dome—if it's cracked or deformed—the key may behave erratically. Likewise, if the prongs break or bend, the key stops working.

  • There are myriad possible reasons for this switch to crack or wear out—manufacturing defects, plain old fatigue, prolonged heat, moisture, outgassing from other components, and corrosion are all common culprits.

  • It's entirely possible that several of these factors are contributing to switch failures, which could explain why Apple is having such a hard time untangling the problem. Fourth time's the charm?

  • These switches are also magnetized from the factory. Best guess as to their composition: ferritic stainless steel, with a thin polymer coating on the bottom. The difference in surface finish from the 2018 version (left) to the 2019 (right) indicates Apple may be using a revised heat treatment, or alloy, or possibly both.

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