For many years, the United States was the exception regarding Apple keyboards, using words for keys such as tab, return and delete. The company traditionally used symbols instead of text on its keyboards in the rest of the world.
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This has now changed, as Apple is moving from words to symbols in the latest releases of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro in the US, as well as in the new MacBook Neo. However, there are some exceptions.
Dan Moren noted the change in his MacBook Air review at Six Colors.
In this generation, including the new MacBook Pro, the word labels on many keys have been replaced by symbols, which have been used for a long time for keyboard shortcuts in pop‑up menus. The US has been the exception until now.
Quite a few keys have made a full transition from words to symbols, while two keys have retained their word labels in a shortened form. The remaining modifier keys now match the rest of the world, offering both symbols and words.
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The explanation suggested by John Gruber seems likely. Documentation, including Apple's own, often uses names for these keys (Option-Shift-Command-K) instead of the symbols (⌥⇧⌘K). It's only in recent years that Apple has started including the symbols for Control (⌃) and Option (⌥). Before that, these keys were labeled only by their names.
Text labels are also useful when verbally explaining to someone who is not familiar with technology what to do. Without text labels, they may not know which key to press when asked to do something like “Command-R.” This is less of a problem with the more familiar typewriter-style keys, as most people can easily understand instructions to press the Shift or Tab key.
This change by Apple shows an effort to unify its keyboards worldwide, offering a more consistent user experience regardless of geographic location. At the same time, the use of symbols can facilitate the recognition of keys by users who do not speak English, making Apple products more accessible to an international audience. However, this transition may cause confusion for users who are accustomed to traditional text labels, especially in cases where instructions are given orally or in writing without visual reference to the symbols.
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Apple's decision to keep some text labels in a shortened form can be seen as an effort to strike a balance between innovation and maintaining usability for users who are accustomed to the old system. This development is part of Apple's ongoing effort to improve the user experience and adapt to the needs of an ever‑changing technological landscape.
