Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst who focuses on the American giant Apple, has revealed that Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with numeric keypads in the second quarter of 2020. Kuo did not comment on the size of the new MacBook Pro, but he is likely referring to the 14-inch model he recently mentioned, given that the 16-inch MacBook Pro was released just four months ago. The new 14-inch model is expected to replace the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which will be discontinued.
Additionally, Kuo predicts that the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models will have various cost, but users will not notice any difference. The 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air currently on sale still have “butterfly” keyboards, which are very prone to problems. For example, the keys can “stick” or become unresponsive to the press after prolonged use. This led Apple to launch a free repair program worldwide in 2018. Apple eventually solved this problem by returning to the “scissor mechanism” with the new Magic Keyboard in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has proven to be much more reliable.
Kuo praised the 16-inch MacBook Pro, noting that customer response to the laptop has been better than expected.
Regarding the COVID -19 pandemic, Kuo estimates that MacBook-related supplier activities will improve significantly from the end of March, thus paving the way for mass production of the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models.
If this information proves accurate, then Apple's entire lineup of laptops should be equipped with numeric keypads by the end of 2020.
