It is a completely different design. The old one was basically a dimpled rubber sheet with some plastic-scissor-stabilized keycaps over the top. The new one is

It is a completely different design. The old one was basically a dimpled rubber sheet with some plastic-scissor-stabilized keycaps over the top. The new one is made of little buckling metal parts. They mainly changed designs so that they could make the keyboard thinner – the new one is something like half the depth, or less. Since key travel is reduced, they needed a snappier mechanism to keep enough tactile feel. The feel of the new keyboards is actually impressively okay for something with so little key travel. (Personally I would prefer something with the snap of the new keyboard and at least as much travel as the old keyboard.) The problem is that the little metal pieces get easily slightly bent and stop snapping as much as they should, and also dust gets into the contact mechanism and stops keys from registering.