Apple’s new MacBook Air with M1 chip has different function keys

Apple’s MacBook Air is one of a collection of the company’s computers to receive the newly announced M1 chip today. The beloved laptop looks almost identical from the outside, but if you open it up you’ll notice that the familiar keyboard has changed. Apple has swapped out some of the function keys on its new MacBook Air, adding new ones for Spotlight, Do Not Disturb, and Dictation.

The last time the MacBook Air’s keyboard functionality changed was the addition of Touch ID to secure passwords and payment details. This change goes further, removing the keyboard brightness keys as well as the Launchpad key that opened macOS’s SpringBoard-inspired app launcher.

Bloomberg Mark Gurman first noticed the change and shared the new layout in this tweet:

All three of these functions required keyboard commands or access to the action center in order to be used – this change should make them easier to access. I know I don’t usually adjust the brightness on my keyboard, so taking that adjustment one step further doesn’t seem like too much of a problem. Likewise, I don’t know of anyone who uses Launchpad to launch apps, so a dedicated key no longer seems necessary. It’s not as drastic a design change as the temporary switch to butterfly switches, and it also shouldn’t affect the actual usability of the laptop, but future users will have to judge for themselves – same.

We’ll have a review soon, but if you’re interested in seeing these new keys for yourself, the new MacBook Air is available for purchase today and will ship next week, starting at $ 999.