Apple's new M5 MacBook Air and M5 MacBook Pro models do not offer many new features apart from the chips. However, it has been revealed that a keyboard change has been made in both MacBooks, replacing text labels with symbols.

Apple's New MacBooks Remove Text Labels on Many Common Keys Like Tab, Caps Lock, and More

This week, three new MacBooks have reached users, but apart from the MacBook Neo, Apple's latest products do not look very new. Neither the M5 MacBook Air nor the MacBook Pro that comes with M5 Pro and M5 Max looks different from the outside.

They house new chips inside, but the basic design is the same as their predecessors.

They are only different in one way.

As highlighted in Dan Moren's review of the MacBook Air in Six Colors, the new models make a noticeable change to the keyboard labels.

In this generation (including the new MacBook Pros), the text labels on several keys have disappeared: tab, caps lock, return, shift, and delete. In each case, these have been replaced with symbols used for keyboard shortcuts long used in drop-down menus.

A close look at the new keyboard symbols:

Some readers may be shouting at their devices right now: “These symbols are not new!”

But Moren explains further:

If you are thinking, “Wait, what do you mean—this has always been this way?” congratulations, you are probably outside the United States. The U.S. remains an exception despite Apple using this nearly universally accepted standard for international keyboard layouts. This standardizes this style across Apple’s laptops (and likely soon for standalone keyboards as well) while also making it compatible with iOS and iPadOS keyboards; these keyboards now use the same symbols (and in some cases, have been using them for a long time). However, the labels have not completely disappeared: the Air's keyboard continues to house text on the function, control, option, and command keys, along with the long-used symbols.

9to5Mac's Opinion

Personally, I love the text labels on the keyboard. I don't need them, but it's nice to have them.

Also, it seems like a strange move to remove them right now. The MacBook Neo is expected to be appealing to many PC switchers, and they could all benefit from a little extra guidance during the transition.

However, of course, if users worldwide have adapted to the symbols seamlessly, I am sure that U.S. Mac buyers will not have any issues either.

So, what do you think about the keyboard change in the latest MacBooks? Let us know in the comments.

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