Announced Paul’s MBQbook Air is one of the company’s computer collections to receive the M1 chip unveiled today. The favorite laptop looks almost identical from the outside, but if you open it you will notice that the familiar keyboard has changed. Apple traded some of the function keys on its new Mbookbook Air, adding new ones for Spotlight, Not Disturb and Dictation.
The last time the functionality of the Mookbook Air Keyboard was changed was to add a Touch ID to secure passwords and payment details. This change proceeds by removing the brightness keys for the keyboard along with the launchpad key that pulled the springboard-inspired application launcher from the OS KOS.
Bloomberg Mark Gurman noticed the first change and shared a new layout in this tweet:
The keyboard function keys have been updated in the new M BookBook Air, with the addition of spotlight, dictation and not disturbing – changing the launchpad and keyboard brightness. pic.twitter.com/1BM6wTWQZh
– Mark Gurman (MarkGurman) November 10, 2020
All three functions are required to access the keyboard commands or the notification center – this change should make them easier to access. I know I don’t usually adjust the brightness of my keyboard, so it doesn’t seem like much to ask to make that adjustment an extra step away. Likewise, I don’t know anyone who uses the launcher to launch apps, so a dedicated key no longer seems necessary. It’s not as dramatic as a temporary move on a butterfly switch, or that it doesn’t affect the laptop’s actual usability, but future users will have to judge for themselves.
We’ll have a review soon, but if you’re interested in seeing these new keys for yourself, the new MBKbook Air is available for purchase today and will ship next week, starting at 999.
