It’s an interesting material to use, to be sure. The Apple patent says this will make the keys themselves more durable. But material aside, the actual implementation isn’t as impressive as it sounds. Rather than the standard keycaps that have the opaque coating on the top, this implementation has them at the bottom of the glass keycaps. This means that the characters on each key don’t wear off with use.
Other improvements described in the patent include concave keycaps, which make for more comfortable typing. This would make the keycaps thinner at the centre, but this is likely something that’s made possible thanks to the more durable material. Apple also admits that its keys on the MacBook have traded durability for better aesthetics. The use of glass keycaps may allow the company to have both, and maybe more. But since this is still a patent, it remains to be seen if we will actually see this in any future Apple MacBooks. Admittedly, it would be quite nice if we do. (Source: USPTO via Tom’s Guide)
