I Use a Butterfly Keyboard Daily. I Love it.
Apple’s most controversial keyboard also happens to be my favorite
I have a 2017 15” MacBook Pro. One of the models with a Butterfly Keyboard.
And I love it.
The story behind the Butterfly Keyboard
Originally introduced in 2015 in the MacBook, the Butterfly Keyboard went on to become one of the most controversial hardware changes Apple has ever made.
Apple’s reason for changing the keyboard design was that a regular scissor-switch keyboard was too thick to fit in the frame of the ultra-portable MacBook. According to Apple, the Butterfly Keyboard was 34% thinner and four times more stable than a typical scissor-switch keyboard.
Most people said the design was terrible.
Almost immediately after the MacBook’s release, people started complaining about stuck or unresponsive keys. The problem was that debris would easily get stuck under a key, and it was difficult to get out again.
In addition to that, the keys had less travel, resulting in a keyboard that many claimed was less responsive than the old scissor-switch design.
I like the Butterfly Keyboard better than the old scissor-switch keyboards
Mine is definitely the unpopular opinion, but I like the Butterfly Keyboard better than the scissor switches of old.
I’ve only had a butterfly key fail once.
The only time my keyboard ever had any problems was with the H key, which required an unusual amount of pressure to trigger.
But I managed to fix that problem by just blowing into the keyboard. Literally.
Since I’ve had no mechanical problems with my keyboard, I don’t have any complaints about it. In fact, I’ve grown to enjoy it more than the old scissor switches, as those keys took much more pressure to trigger.
In fact, I find it harder to type on the old scissor switch keyboard than my Butterfly Keyboard.
But what about the new Magic Keyboard?
Apple has recently overhauled its entire Mac lineup to use a new scissor-switch design based off of the company’s Magic Keyboard.
This design improves travel and reliability, two areas the Butterfly Keyboard was especially weak in.
So far, the reviews for the Magic Keyboard have praised the new design.
The Magic Keyboard is undoubtedly an improvement over the Butterfly Keyboard. I think that the level of travel and resistance for each key is a perfect balance.
But for now, I still love my Butterfly Keyboard. I like the feel of the Magic Keyboard, but I’ve grown so accustomed to the feeling of typing on my Butterfly Keyboard that switching to the Magic Keyboard could be a jarring experience at first.
I will definitely use the Magic Keyboard as my primary keyboard eventually. In fact, I’m sure I’ll end up using one every day. But for now, I love my Butterfly Keyboard, and I’ll keep using it.
Thanks for reading!
