Apple redesigned the MacBook keyboard, but is it any better? (The Daily Charge, 11/13/2019)

[MUSIC] New Mac Apple Pro the brand new keyboard. We're gonna break down whether it's worth your time. Stay tuned for your Daily charge. [MUSIC] Welcome to Daily Charge it's Wednesday November 13th I'm Roger Cheng. and I'm Scott Stein. Today we're talking MacBook keyboard. Apple's yet. Another product up its sleeve announcing a 16 inch MacBook Pro the new notebook which starts at 2399 actually replaces the 15 inch version and most notably it comes with a redesign keyboard using scissors switches. Which Apple is hoping will address the criticism of God for its more shallow butterflies which is Scott before we get down to the MacBook Pro 16 let's break down this whole controversy. What Why is everyone talking about these keyboards. Yeah, I've got the MacBook Pro 16 right here. Apple introduced butterfly switches with the 12 inch MacBook. And these keys which were flat are meant to compress The key traveled fit into thinner laptops and supposedly be more reliable and better. Had a totally different feel that turned people off. But more than that, they've had a lot of failure problems. A lot of recorded complaints Apple extended its replacement program. Phil Showler admitted that they've been addressing these issues, so not great. Everything for a PD keys to things getting stuck under them to try to change the membrane. So now, what happens? Well The MacBook Pro has a new keyboard and it's a throwback keyboard. This is the magic keyboard that was on IMAX. Right we should the standalone keyboard standalone keyboard has been around for a while and it's a good keyboard. This has been incorporated or adjusted and engineered into this 16 inch Pro, which I guess based on gleaning from Shoulders comments, the story, you know, this is for you meant for what? What prompted requests? And I think everyone's been requesting. Yeah, yeah. But the question of when this actually makes it in other laptops is unclear. It sounds like it will need extra engineering work. And I'm not sure what that timeframe would be. Yeah, well, and when I talked to Schiller, I mean, he sort of made it clear that Right now they sort of see it as parallel paths. They're still working on making the butterfly keyboard which is on its third generation now. Better but at the same time now that they've got this sort of sister version, he sort of sees it as kind of a pro tier feature right now. I really do hope it trickles down some of the lower end MacBooks though. Yeah, I don't think it's a pro tier feature. I think it's an improved keyboard. I think this feels like my favorite one. It's a happy medium where it's It's still, for those who want a lot of key travel, it's not as much as the older MacBooks Right. like the older, older MacBooks. Yep. But compared to about the 15 incher and the 16-inch using them side by side and I work on that MacBook here with the Butterfly one, it feels Like its more satisfying. And also apprently the keys can be removed, the key caps can be removed. Nice. So that may be that means better repairibilty we don't really know that yet. I do know a little more space between the keys, a little more space between the keys and the touch bar as well. Yeah. So nomore space there. Also there is- Also the physical space key. Right which Apple was really happy about it, you know Even if it's a difficult or you know, not going away, the customer may want as long as we're clear, transparent, they understand what we're doing next. All of our surveys say that experience is better and we know by our customer interactions is better. So it's key that we are transparent and having the effective communications with our customers all the way through the process. Okay. Yeah, I'm not allowed about Touch Bar. The other subtle thing the arrow keys it's an inverted T as opposed to the kind of boxy formation that the newer Mac books have. Well, so now you can go back to feeling for it again. Yes. Feels a little more know look intuitive. Which is not the way I feel about Touch Bar. That's probably the Touch Bar to me Is that you can't feel for it. The locations of controls shifts. Yeah. And so any muscle memory you have about that gets really frsutrating. Maybe some people love it, I don't know. All right, in addition, Apple said the Mac Pro, its $5,000 desktop computer, will launch in December. That's later than the fall launch date it gave back at WWDC. Scott, I mean, what do you think about this thing? Is this enough to win traders back, to kinda get them back in the fold? I mean, it's not for me, it's for people who wanted to spend that much and get that much performance. > > And the $5,000 display that comes with it, the accessory. Yeah, all the stuff you added to the equation that you It is a lot. We'll have to see mean apples claims but what it can do for performance, if you could afford putting a rack of them together. Yeah. Or you're doing AK videos or wherever else I'm sure there are a lot of people that are gonna be interested Who have the budgets to pay for this and at least it's addressing the the promarket more but the high end promarket. Absolutely these are folks in video production and graphics special. Special Effects graphic. Just like ILM. Yeah Exactly, exactly. Disney, are people that like can afford big rigs. This is not like I don't know about home pro unless you. Depends how much money you're making and what what your situation is. Who doesn't have $5,000 to spend on a new computer. It's worth it. I mean everything cost me a pro gear is expensive across the board, but I don't know I mean, that all depends on how it performs review and that we don't have one yet so I can see that. The question of whether this MacBook Pro is worth it for people depends. I feel like A lot of these specs are much more iterative compared to 15 inch, though does have new graphics and stuff. The Daily Charger about to change. And I'm the super congested Scott style. [LAUGH] Thanks for joining us. Can't get enough check out the daily supercharge. Our extended post show with special features audience Q&A and in depth reviews. Available now, wherever you get your podcasts,