Apple patents show three possible futures for the MacBook keyboard

Apple’s Touch Bar was a big feature of the 2016 MacBook Pro, but, judging from the lack of software support or imitators, it hasn’t moved the needle in the way Apple wanted it to.

However, the Touch Bar still might end up being just a small peek into Apple’s plans for the future of the MacBook keyboard. Three recently filed Apple patents show an expansion of the Touch Bar idea, including a fully customizable virtual keyboard, touch surfaces on the sides of a traditional keyboard, and more. Fair warning, though: As with all patents, these could just be ideas and might not ever be a real product or feature.

While a traditional clamshell laptop has a just one display on the top panel, this patent envisions one on the bottom panel as well, in lieu of a keyboard. This will bring back memories of the Kyocera Echo (a clamshell smartphone with two displays), although we suspect Apple might pull off the concept better. 

Underneath that bottom panel will be sensors for detecting the tapping of the virtual keys. The patent also lists haptics being on-board and those would enable feedback for a keystroke or click. It will also allow for custom inputs, like sliders and wheels that vary for each application — a goal of the Touch Bar that hasn’t really come to fruition.

The second keyboard described doesn’t go entirely virtual, but pairs a traditional one with a touch-sensitive area all around it. Think of this as the Touch Bar getting an expansion, as sliding a finger down the right-hand side could result in scrolling on the screen.

Apple’s third filling is the most interesting one, as it keeps a flat surface by having the keyboard recessed into the surface. Like the iPad Smart Keyboard, it would have a fabric cover that is sealed with a membrane underneath. In this fashion, the physical keys would be underneath, so it retains the tactile function, but removes the risk of anything getting stuck.

Apple states that the third generation butterfly keyboard in the 2018 MacBook Pro is only quieter. Third-party tear-downs reveal an extra membrane layer underneath, though it still has a hole so the keys function as before. It helps with debris buildup as well, which was a complaint that the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro owners had. Apple also has a keyboard service program to fix these sticky keyboards. 

These three patents show Apple is working towards the future of keyboards, some that remove keys entirely and others that modify the current keys-plus-Touch Bar design. All of these new patents call back to older ones, which show earlier takes on the idea of a touch keyboard. Apple’s patents stick in line with a touchscreen laptop not being in the pipeline; the company has been staunchly against developing a touch Mac, arguing that it would put a strain on the user.