Such is the state of the current situation that yesterday Apple released an update to the 13-inch Macbook Pro and I didn’t find out about it until this morning. Without the ability to gather into fancy auditoriums to launch products - replete with a live video of course, these silent releases from Apple get lost with all the other more pressing news that’s going on right now. Maybe this isn’t the time to get excited about a refreshed laptop when a fifth of the country is unemployed, and the economic outlook is massively uncertain.
Personally, I am not looking to spend money on anything that isn’t essential. This is not meant as criticism towards those of you who are lucky to still be employed, and the dreariness of being stuck at home every single day is best interrupted by a few joyful online shopping sessions. I’ve heard from a podcast that distributors of aftermarket automotive parts are having their best month, because the bored enthusiasts with money are finally getting around to their respective car projects.
If only I had a garage.
Anyways, the newly updated 13-inch Macbook Pro signals the final phase-out of the much-maligned ‘butterfly’ keyboard. Every single new laptop Apple now sells has the revised ‘scissor’ keyboard mechanism that promises to not commit seppuku at the first hint of a bread crumb. As an owner of a 2019 15-inch Macbook Pro, I have to say I dearly love the typing feel of the butterfly mechanism, though indeed I have to clean the deck religiously because I don’t want it to fail. Like an Italian sports car, when it works, it performs beautifully, but more often than not it’s going to be in the shop for repairs.
But car enthusiasts love Italian sports cars; I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who loves the butterfly keyboard - its terrible reliability be damned, and am sad to see it sunset into the annals of Apple’s audacious failures. I’m certainly going to enjoy typing on my Apple laptop for many more years to come; now is not the time to upgrade to the latest and greatest simply because I have the money.
Fancy seeing out these British exports in Guangzhou.