Official filing suggests an Apple MacBook Pro 13in with Magic Keyboard is imminent
Apple's Magic Keyboard was introduced with the 16in MacBook Pro and swapped the butterfly mechanism with scissor switches
A recent filing spotted on the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database suggests that a new MacBook Pro is in the works, complete with the Magic Keyboard and “scissor switches” introduced at the end of last year.
Apple’s Magic Keyboard, the design of which Apple says is inspired by the iMac Pro accessory with the same name, was introduced with the launch of the 16in MacBook Pro.
It replaced the low-profile butterfly switches seen on previous models with more traditional scissor mechanisms found in other, rival keyboards.
In our MacBook Pro 16in review, Reviews Editor Jon Bray described the keyboard as “excellent,” adding that the “keys don’t quite have the same amount of travel as they did in the pre-butterfly switch days, but typing does feel more comfortable than it does on the current MacBook Pro 13in and MacBook Air.”
The recent EEC filing, submitted by Apple and uncovered by 9to5 Mac, details a product under the model number A2289, described as a “portable personal computer” running macOS 10.15.
While no explicit mention was made about the Magic Keyboard, the rumours stem from predictions made by renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
He predicted back in the summer that a 16in MacBook Pro would be released by the end of 2019 and that it would be the first of Apple’s notebooks to see an updated, scissor-switch keyboard.
And as part of this note, he predicted Apple would then launch the scissor-switch keyboard on a 13in MacBook Pro and MacBook Air in 2020.
It is a slight leap to connect the filing and the prediction together, and as with all rumours, it’s worth taking it with a pinch of salt.
However, evidence of an EEC filing does confirm that Apple is working on a new laptop and that it’s likely just months away. We’ll update you as we learn more.