When I saw that Apple recently introduced a patent application for transparent keys Made of glass, possibly for use in future Bluetooth or MacBook desktop keyboards, he was intrigued. This could be Apple’s solution to making a keyboard more durable and reliable, something the company has struggled with over the years.
In his presentation, seen by Apple InsiderApple noted that keyboards are designed so that a person can “physically engage the selected material several hundred thousand times, if not millions of times, over the life of a device. Many visually pleasing solutions lack the durability for a such an extended function. “
“This may be especially true when electronic devices and / or associated input devices become smaller, thinner, or otherwise reduced in size,” the application continues. “The reduced dimensions of the keys, for example, can lead to keys that are less structurally sound and have a shorter lifespan than thicker keys made of the same material.”
But there is a major problem with using glass to make keys: imagine the keys breaking under your fingertips and staining your keyboard with enough blood to be its own crime scene. (Not only me?)
Based on the patent application alone, it’s unclear what type of glass Apple would use on its transparent keyboard, or whether the company would use a different type of glass for a Bluetooth Magic Keyboard instead of a MacBook. There are three main types of glass that Apple could choose from:
- Annealed glass it is glass that has been heat treated and then slowly cooled to relieve any internal stress. It is a smooth glass, which means it breaks easily, and when it breaks, it breaks into long, irregular shards. No one is going to hit their glass keyboard on their desk in a fit of rage when they die in an unreal tournament or hit their fists with the keyboard, I hope, but take it: I once accidentally broke a test tube made of this glass in my hand during the 7th grade science glass, and there was a lot of blood. The keys on a MacBook are 1.5mm thick. The test tube that stabbed my hand? Approximately 1.2mm thick.
- Tempered glass It is annealed glass that has been heat treated, making it harder, stronger, and more expensive. Many of the modern PC cases come with a tempered glass side panel, making it easy to see all those sweet, sweet RGB components. But it will break into a ton of small pieces if you let go, unlike how annealed glass breaks. (You may or may not have had or ordered or ordered a replacement side panel for my PC case in the past.)
- Laminated glass is a type of safety glass made by bonding two pieces of annealed glass together with vinyl. If the glass is broken, the vinyl holds it together, but it is not scratch resistant. I doubt that Apple uses this type of glass for that reason, but it is much safer than the first two.
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But I can’t see any of these types of glass in use. No matter how much any of these glassware would raise the cost of Mac desktops and laptops, the risk of personal injury and breakage is far too high. The keys are plastic for a reason: it is much harder to break
Now Apple uses reinforced glass on the iPhone, so you can decide to use it for your keys. Corning’s Gorilla Glass is an annealed glass that has been chemically treated to increase its resistance, making it six to eight times stronger than normal annealed glass. But anyone who has dropped their iPhone just to smash the screen knows that it is not indestructible. Gorilla Glass is also not a safety glass, and it can break into shards like annealed glass, so the Apple (or AppleCare +) gods will help you if you drop a laptop with Gorilla Glass keys.
Another important thing to note about the Gorilla Glass strengthening process is that it is not heat treated like tempered glass, so it cannot be deformed. According to the Apple patent, the company wants to “define a top surface that provides key definition for curvature, texture, ridges, or other external structural features” for its keys, which could rule out Gorilla Glass.
However, according to the patent Apple filed, the company is looking to make the keycaps out of glass or a “clear polymeric material,” which includes acrylics, resin, and other plastics. That could mean that Apple is really looking to make transparent keys, whatever the material. His patent application is titled “Transparent Key Caps”, and given what we know about the three main types of glass, I highly doubt that Apple will produce transparent glass key caps for future scaling. They could make a few exceptions, as XPG did with its gold plated keyboard at CES 2019, although that cost $ 10,000 (but given Apple’s propensity to overcharge for its products, its all-glass keyboard would probably cost just as much too).
But if Apple produces a keyboard with transparent keys, we can (finally) welcome the company to the wonderful world of custom keys for PC keyboards, where many independent artists have demonstrated their skills for years. A simple Etsy Search It displays beautiful clear resin caps with cherry blossoms, mountains, and even Pokémon inside them. And when you pair them with an RGB keyboard, it makes them that Much cooler. Apple is not inventing anything new here. Invent something new for your Mac line so that they can potentially prevent independent artists from making custom Mac keys? Of course. But, transparent keys They are already one thing.
It’s still cheaper to mass-produce plastic ones, and if you’ve ever bought a $ 200 RGB gaming keyboard, I’m sure you’ll appreciate how cost-effective and durable plastic is. Additionally, Apple’s patent includes a process to include a “light-blocking material that defines a glyph shape” on the keys, meaning that the glyph will be embedded in the key rather than printed on top. Again, welcome to the wonderful world of gaming keyboards, Apple. the Asus ROG Strix Flare The one I’m typing in now has the glyphs embedded in the keys, except for the way part of the patent application is worded, it seems that the glyph itself would be the opaque part rather than allowing the light to shine through. Either way, the embedded glyphs have been and are still being made.
Glass keys sound good, but when you delve into the main types of glass and their main characteristics (transparency, heat resistance, break resistance, etc.) they are not as safe or economically feasible. If the keys have a low enough profile, maybe they would, but again, I’m skeptical that Apple claims that changing the material of its keys will increase the longevity of its keyboards. They are the key switches that you should be concerned with with keyboards, not the keys.
And on that note, well, at least Apple finally walked away from her godawful butterfly keyboards.
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