The new Apple Magic Keyboard models drop text labels on common keys in favour of icons. The refreshed range launched alongside the new Mac mini and Mac Studio on Tuesday, extending a change Apple first made to its MacBooks in March.
Apple Magic Keyboard: what changed
Tab, Caps Lock, Return, Shift and Delete now carry glyphs instead of words. On the extended model with a numeric keypad, Home, Page Up and Page Down get new icons of their own. Control, Option and Command keep their text labels.
Everything else is unchanged: the same low-profile scissor keys, the same layouts, USB-C throughout. Typing behaviour is identical — the keys work exactly as before, only the printed legend has changed.
9to5Mac has the full rundown, including the US price points. Apple’s March update put identical glyphs on the MacBook Neo, the M5 MacBook Air and the M5 MacBook Pro, so this is the standalone keyboard catching up with the laptops.
The icons are the symbols macOS already uses in its menu shortcuts. They also bring the US keyboard into line with international layouts, which have used icons on these keys for years — and with the on-screen keyboards in iOS and iPadOS, which made the same move some time ago.
Why the change is quieter in the UAE
For UAE buyers, this is close to a non-event. The Arabic and international English layouts sold here already showed icons on Tab, Caps Lock and Shift. The text labels being retired belonged almost entirely to the US layout.
Apple’s UAE store lists the current Magic Keyboards at AED 419, with Touch ID at AED 629 and with Touch ID and a numeric keypad at AED 749 (AED 829 in black). The UAE dirham symbol approved for keyboards arrives separately, in September. The keyboards ship in Arabic and international English layouts from the UAE store.
Which keys changed on the new Apple Magic Keyboard?
Tab, Caps Lock, Return, Shift and Delete now show icon glyphs instead of text labels. On the extended model with a numeric keypad, Home, Page Up and Page Down also have new icons. Control, Option and Command keep their text labels.
Is the new Magic Keyboard the same as the old one?
Apart from the icons, yes. Apple says the refreshed models otherwise appear the same as their predecessors, with the same low-profile keys, the same layouts and USB-C throughout.
Will the key change affect UAE Mac users?
Most will not notice. The Arabic and international English layouts sold in the UAE already used icons on these keys; the text labels being retired were specific to the US layout.
