Apple has transitioned to a glyph-based keyboard design for its US models of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, aligning them with international versions. This notable change affects several key labels, such as tab, return, and delete, which have now been replaced by glyphs, commonly used in keyboard shortcuts.
In addition to these changes, the new MacBook Neo also adopts this glyph style. Exceptions include the Esc and Fn keys, which still feature abbreviated text labels, while other modifier keys now display both text and glyphs.
Users outside the US may find this shift unsurprising, as glyphs have been standard on Apple's keyboards for years. The decision to use glyphs in the US models seems to stem from documentation practices that often reference key names rather than their glyphs, which could be problematic for less tech-savvy users trying to follow verbal instructions.