Keys standalone Magic Keyboard and MacBook Pro 16″ are partly interchangeable

The keys of Apple’s standalone Magic Keyboard from 2015 and the new MacBook Pro 16″ are partly interchangeable. This is apparent from the teardown of iFixit. Apple also calls the keyboard of the new MacBook Magic Keyboard.

During the teardown, iFixit tried to replace the MacBook Pro 16″ Cmd key with that of the standalone Magic Keyboard and it worked. The site notes that not every key is the same size, so it is not possible to replace all keys, and the MacBook Pro’s backlight wouldn’t work with the coating on the keys.

The system of the scissor switches is not exactly the same as that of the Magic Keyboard. The four-year-old standalone keyboard has 1.6mm-thick switches, while the MacBook Pro’s are 1.38mm.

The keyboard itself is no more repairable than the butterfly keyboard that Apple has put on MacBooks in recent years. This makes repairs to keyboard defects time-consuming and expensive. Also, according to iFixit, the processor, memory and storage are soldered to the pcb, which makes upgrades impossible. In addition, the button for Power and Touch ID is attached to the motherboard. On the other hand, the USB ports and speakers are relatively easy to repair and the trackpad is also easily accessible.

Apple announced its MacBook Pro 16″ last week. In addition to an updated keyboard based on the Magic Keyboard, the laptop also features a larger screen than previous MacBook Pros, updated speakers and microphones, and a slightly modified design with a physical Escape button. .