Apple To Bring E-Ink Dynamic Keyboards In 2018 Mac Laptops
Apple plans to use a technology that replaces the normal printed keys with dynamic E-Ink displays in future MacBooks, the Wall Street Journal reports. Last week, it was reported that Sonder Design was in talks with Apple to license its futuristic keyboard technology. The WSJ claims that new MacBooks that will feature the special keyboards will launch in 2018,. The keys can automatically adjust to show emojis, international characters, special command functions, as well as the standard QWERTY layout.
The new keyboards would make the bottom half of the Mac laptops as dynamic as the screens. Rather than printed labels, each key would display an E-Ink surface that can update, making the keycap labels dynamic, rather than static.
The Wall Street Journal says this will become a "standard feature" of MacBooks, which implies it will spread across Apple’s lineup.
Next week, Apple will unveil a new MacBook Pro with OLED function key row at an October 27 media event. A glimpse of the new tech will be revealed in the 2016 MacBook Pro, which will substitute the function key row with an OLED touchscreen that can contextually display different commands and controls.
It seems likely that Apple will also announce new MacBook Pros with Touch ID, OLED and thinner body and refreshed MacBook Airs with USB-C.