Apple to launch MacBooks with better keyboards soon, report says

Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro, launched in Nov. 2019, has a much-improved keyboard over its 15-inch predecessor, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air still sport the old, butterfly design which, in the simplest of terms, sucks. 

But according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), Apple will launch new versions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in the second quarter of 2020, and these new laptops will sport the improved, scissor keyboard mechanism we’ve seen on the 16-inch Pro. 

Kuo doesn’t specify the size of this upcoming MacBook Pro, but it’s likely the 14.1-inch successor to the current 13-inch model, which he outlined a few weeks ago. 

The news might seem odd, given that it was just yesterday we’ve heard that Apple is likely to postpone its March event, where it was rumored to launch a new, affordable iPhone. This is due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has significantly delayed manufacturing in China, as well as a mass gatherings ban in Santa Clara County, where Apple’s headquarters are. 

But Kuo claims that the Apple’s MacBook-related suppliers should be able to increase their output in late March, meaning that mass production of MacBook Pro and Air could start in late March. 

Kuo shared some other MacBook-related news yesterday. He believes Apple will launch MacBook devices with Apple-made, custom processor, in the fourth quarter of 2020, or in the first quarter of 2021. He shared no details about these new devices. 

Finally, he said Apple plans to launch significantly redesigned MacBook laptops in the second or the third quarter of 2021. Again, he shared no details about these.