Has Apple delayed MacBook Pro 16-inch until 2020 due to keyboard issues?

(Image credit: Future)

Apple will release a new MacBook in 2020 that comes with an improved Scissor switch keyboard, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, with a possible reveal at Apple’s WWDC 2020 event in June.

In a research note for TF International Securities, and spotted by Mac Rumors, Kuo revealed that Wistron, a manufacturer in Taiwan, will be the main supplier of parts for the Scissor switch keyboards in 2020.

The fact that it looks like Apple is finally moving away from its much maligned Butterfly switch keyboards, which have been included in recent MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs, will be welcome news to anyone who has been thinking of buying a new MacBook but been put off by reports of widespread keyboard issues.

16-inch MacBook Pro delayed?

Many users have complained about the Butterfly switch keyboards failing – with Apple even issuing an apology over the failures, however the company has rather stubbornly stuck with Butterfly keyboards for new models of MacBooks, making only a few small improvements to the switches in a bid to stop them from breaking.

So, news that MacBooks in 2020 will start having improved keyboards will be welcome, but if we need to wait until next year to see the first MacBooks with the new Scissor keyboard design, does that mean that the widely-rumored MacBook Pro 16-inch has been delayed?

Rumors, again from Kuo, have suggested that the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be the first MacBook to have the new keyboard, with many of us hoping that we’d see the new larger MacBook Pro at some point in 2019.

However, with 2019 rapidly drawing to a close, and no word from Apple about the MacBook, does that mean the 16-inch MacBook Pro has been delayed to 2020 – if it even exists?

If Apple has indeed delayed the 16-inch MacBook Pro to 2020, the fact that it could come with an improved keyboard that avoids using the problematic Butterfly switches, may be a price worth paying.

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Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

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