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Workerbee Redux

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2016
155
189
California
From https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/572ds6/video_tip_of_apples_new_smart_macbook_and_smart/

I work on Tsinghua university campus, it is like the Chinese MIT. It hosted a Foxconn event where I saw the new Macbook keyboard module design and Apple's 2018 E Ink Magic Keyboard that's a DFT model. (DFT is design for testing).

Foxconn hosted the demo day on campus at their Innoconn Incubator with startups they have invested in. It is the same science park as Apple's new 300m R&D center.

They had an Australian startup which I recognised from a Wired Germany magazine (https://www.wired.de/collection/gad...st-sich-dank-elektronischem-papier-dem-nutzer) from last year. The startup Sonder (https://www.sonderdesign.com/) makes a smart keyboard module, it has a new magnetic mechanical mechanism and a lit E Ink display which allows for swapping shortcuts and languages etc. I saw it swap between a few programs and languages (English, Japanese, Taiwanese layouts etc).

The Foxconn Innoconn Executive said Apple's PBO (Procurement board office) was closing an acquisition for the startup company that is now registered in Hong Kong for a big return of investment for Foxconn International Holdings and E Ink Holdings.

**Video**

I signed up to Sonder's mailing list and they included a closed community video (
) of early demo unit.

It's a short demonstration of an Apple's DTF model that we saw - I couldn't film the macbook or magic keyboard test units at the event. The final design for Macbooks was similar but has every key as a screen and had a lighting panel. The executive said is made at Foxconn's 深圳市 (Shenzhen) campus and the laptop modules in 成都市 (Chengdu) campus which is where most of the worlds laptops and ipads are made apparently.​
 
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