Full-size function keys are expected to appear on new MacBook Pro models

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Apple’s new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will feature a row of redesigned function keys that replace the Touch Bar, and each adjustment key will have the same width and height as the alphanumeric keys on the rest of the keyboard, according to leaked rumors and schematics seen by MacRumors.

Full-size function keys and the Touch ID button on the iMac Magic keyboard It’s been a hectic few days for the rumor maker Apple, which has seen multiple last-minute MacBook Pro leaks regarding a possible notch at the top of the screen. We don’t yet know if the notch rumor will turn out to be true, but what we have high confidence in, and what some may still be overlooking, is the redesigned keyboard layout.

Before Apple introduced the Touch Bar in October 2016, the MacBook Pro featured a narrow row of function keys that individually had a smaller profile than the alphanumeric keys. However, in place of the Touch Bar, the new MacBook Pro models are expected to have a complementary full-size row of function keys, similar to Apple’s Magic Keyboard that comes with the 24-inch iMac.

The first suggestion that function keys would return to the MacBook Pro came from trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in January, when he reported that Apple was working on two new MacBook Pro models that feature major design changes. Since then, Bloomberg’s Mark Gorman has consistently stopped short of saying that the Touch Bar will be removed this year. Instead, Gurman stated that Apple has “tested” versions of the MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar, which means it may choose to remove them. Given the accumulation of evidence, summarized below, we’re almost certain that the OLED touchscreen bar above the keyboard won’t come back.

The first real evidence of the change emerged in April, when blueprints for an unreleased MacBook Pro were stolen from Apple’s Taiwanese supplier Quanta Computer by a ransomware group known as REvil. Despite claiming payment to keep information private, some schemas are still leaking on the dark web, thus confirming the absence of the Touch Bar, the return of the HDMI port, SD card slot, MagSafe, and, in hindsight, a likely Jagged display.

The charts showed an entire keyboard layout, including the top row of function keys and the Touch ID ‌ button, all individually laid out with the same height and width as the alphanumeric keys, and as a result of the larger keyboard area, a smaller trackpad underneath.

One month after the REvil leak, the new keyboard layout was also seen in renderings, presumably based on leaked images of Apple’s next MacBook Air, courtesy of Jon Prosser. As in the stolen schematics, it was found that the larger function keys pushed the entire keyboard down, thereby reducing the size of the trackpad.

The latest rumor about the new MacBook Pro keyboard is that the area around the keys is black, and not just the keys themselves, in what “may be the biggest visible change to the keyboard since the Unibody redesign over a decade ago,” according to details leaked by a Weibo account last week.

The Touch Bar was a divisive feature among users, with some denouncing the lack of physical controls for functions such as volume or brightness. Apple made a slight concession when it reintroduced the physical Escape key on the latest 13-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, after users complained about the default Escape key on the Touch Bar on previous models.

The return of the function keys, in full-size implementation, seems to be just one indication that after some perceived missteps in recent years, Apple is making the MacBook Pro a true professional machine once again. We’ll know for sure in a few hours.

The new MacBook Pro models are widely expected to be announced later Monday, October 18 at Apple’s “Unleashed” event. Apple will broadcast the event live on its website and on YouTube. For those unable to watch, MacRumors will have live coverage of the event both on MacRumors.com and via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account. Make sure to stay tuned.

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