For a few years, Apple turned its attention completely towards the iPhone and the iPad. Of course, it makes sense as the company had suggested that in the post PC era, the iPad would be an important tool.
However, the transition from classic desktop computers to large screen tablets did not happen the way it was imagined. A lot of people still prefer using their actual laptops compared to tablets or hybrids because they have better keyboards, are cheaper, and reliable.
To make the Mac more interesting, in 2016, Apple introduced the TouchBar on the MacBook Pro and also made the keyboard thinner to make it more accessible – bringing it closer to the iPad. However, the plan backfired as the TouchBar turned out to be an expensive tool which is barely (actually) useful or improves workflow and the thinner keyboard brought new issues to the laptop.
After years of criticism from the tech community and Apple fans, Apple introduced the 16” MacBook Pro which uses a traditional scissor switch keyboard replacing the butterfly keyboard. The butterfly keyboard used keys which had very less travel and as a result, dust particles would get stuck beneath the keys, causing the keyboard to stop working.
However, Apple did not ditch the TouchBar even though it has been criticized a lot since its inception. Will the company ever ditch the TouchBar? It’s very difficult to say but it’s pretty clear that the majority of MacBook users prefer the traditional keys over the TouchBar.
Apple did update the 15” MacBook Pro last year by replacing it with a new 16” MacBook Pro. However, the 13” MacBook Pro has not received any update last year and multiple sources have reported that Apple is planning to release a new 13” MacBook Pro in March of 2020. The new 13” MacBook Pro will also very likely get the traditional scissor switch keyboard.