You no longer have to swap out the entire top half of the laptop’s case just to fix the keys.
The MacBook Neo is a game-changer for Apple, and likely the PC market at large. The cheaper MacBook model also takes a major step forward in repairability, with Apple making its keyboard easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly to replace.
Spotted by MacRumors, Apple’s repair manual confirms you no longer need to replace the Top Case to install a new keyboard. Top Case is Apple’s terminology for the upper half of the aluminum shell that surrounds the keyboard on all MacBooks.
Previous models, including the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, require you to replace the Top Case to install a new keyboard. Doing so can be wasteful if you’re just looking to replace the keys on your laptop rather than the whole housing.
The process remains complicated; MacRumors notes that you need to work with at least 40 screws to replace a keyboard on the MacBook Neo. However, it’s less wasteful and likely cheaper than before, although Apple has yet to share exact prices.
Apple plans to sell two keyboards: one for the 256GB model and another for the 512GB model with a built-in Touch ID fingerprint scanner, plus a separate Top Case part. Apple hasn’t yet shared when these will go on sale. The MacBook Neo launched yesterday, with many preorders arriving in customers’ hands over the last couple of days.
Repairability isn’t the only change on the MacBook Neo’s keyboard: Apple has removed the wording from the left- and right-hand keys, matching its MacBook models sold in Europe. It means that buttons such as Tab, Caps Lock, Shift, and other keys now display symbols rather than text.
It’s not clear why Apple chose now to make this change, and whether it’ll also change on future models. PCMag’s review of the MacBook Neo called the keyboard “slight-yet-punchy,” praising how the keys are colored to match the laptop’s color palette.
