Search

Apple Working on New Keyboard With Dynamic Key Functions; Patent Suggests Keys Could Display Animation, Video

Apple’s earlier series of Butterfly Keyboards were much-maligned for regular malfunctions and lingering issues.

Advertisement
Highlights
  • Apple currently uses its Magic Keyboard on MacBooks
  • Keys on existing backlit keyboards support limited functions
  • Apple’s future keyboard keys could be partially made from aluminium
Apple Working on New Keyboard With Dynamic Key Functions; Patent Suggests Keys Could Display Animation, Video

Apple updated its MacBooks with the Magic Keyboard in 2020 to replace the infamous Butterfly Keyboard

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple could be working on a dynamic backlit keyboard technology that allows keys to perform several functions instead of being bound to one. A new patent filed by the Cupertino, California-based tech giant hints at a future MacBook that might feature a keyboard with changing key functions that illuminate based on the context. The underlying LEDs could reportedly even show animation and video on top of the keys. Existing backlight technology in keyboards only serves to light up the intended key function.

According to a report in Patently Apple, the US Patent & Trademark Office published an Apple patent on Thursday that particularly deals with keyboard mechanism. The patent mentions that the keys would be partially made of aluminium and would feature dynamic lettering, or “glyphs", that will light up according to the corresponding function.

“More particularly, the present embodiments relate to keycaps having illuminable glyphs that are selectively visible or invisible to an unaided human eye,” the report said. The patent mentions that the future Apple keyboard could have perforations on keycaps through which an array of LED lights could illuminate changing symbols, numbers, and letters by selectively lighting up specific perforations.

Such a dynamic keyboard could also allow users to change keyboard layouts completely or even switch to a different language. Additionally, the report said that the key LEDs could be controlled to show animations, information, or even video on one specific key or a group of keys.

Apple noted in their patent application that their keyboard would represent several advantages over existing backlit keyboards. Current keys are mostly made of plastic and usually have letters or symbols painted or coated on them. Repeated use of the keyboard leads to the coat fading away over time. An aluminium key would represent much higher quality, while changing LED glyphs would eliminate the problem of key symbols getting rubbed off.

Apple had been using its much-maligned Butterfly Keyboard on MacBooks from 2015 to 2019. Earlier this year, the company paid $50 million (roughly Rs 414 crore) to settle a class-action lawsuit over its defective MacBook keyboards. The company now offers the Magic Keyboard on its MacBooks.


Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company's latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Apple, Keyboard, Apple Keyboard, MacBook
 
Show Full Article
Please wait...
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Samsung Galaxy A07 Design, Specifications Spotted on Google Play Console
  1. Oppo Reno 14FS 5G Price, Design and Specifications Leaked Ahead of Anticipated Debut
  2. Samsung Galaxy A07 Listed on Google Play Console With Design, Key Specifications: Report
  3. Microsoft SharePoint Hack: Probe on Whether Chinese Hackers Found Flaw via Alert
  4. Samsung Reportedly in Talks With OpenAI, Perplexity to Offer Gemini AI Alternatives on Galaxy S26 Series
  5. Redmi 15 Design Renders, Specifications Leaked; Tipped to Arrive in Three Colourways
  6. Google Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL Spotted in Moonstone Colourway Alongside Pixel Buds 2a and Pixel Watch 4
  7. Meta Names ChatGPT Co-Creator Shengjia Zhao as Chief Scientist of Superintelligence Lab
  8. Who-Fi: An AI-Powered Wi-Fi Technology That Can Identify and Track Individuals Without Cameras
  9. NASA’s X-59 Moves Closer to First Flight with Advanced Taxi Tests and Augmented Vision
  10. Unusual Plasma Waves Above Jupiter’s North Pole Can Possibly Be Explained
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
App Store App Store
Available in Hindi
App Store
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »