Apple has quietly updated the keyboards in its US MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Neo, switching from text labels to glyphs for most modifier keys. Previously, the US market used text labels for keys like tab, return, shift, and delete, while the rest of the world used glyphs. The change brings the US in line with global standards, though some exceptions remain. MacBook Pro and MacBook Neo keyboards now feature glyphs for tab, caps lock, return, shift, and delete, replacing their former text labels.

The MacBook Air received a similar update. However, keys like Esc and Fn retain their text labels, and both Control and Option keys now display both glyphs and text labels. Apple likely made this change to align with international designs and simplify documentation, as key names are more commonly used in instructions than glyphs.