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Portables (Apple) Hardware Apple

The New and Improved MacBook Keyboards Have the Same Old Problems (theoutline.com) 99

Casey Johnston, writing for The Outline: Apple never actually caved to user complaints that its top-of-the-line computers developed sticky or dead keyboards very easily, despite having now been served with several keyboard-related class action lawsuits. In June, the company offered to repair computers with these keyboards for free for four years following the date of purchase (the cost of being without their computer notwithstanding). It claimed only a "small percentage" of users were affected. I was one of them, several times, and there were many, many others. Compared to this time last year, its computer sales are down ten percent, and not a few people have been holding off on purchasing any computer from its line in fear of getting stuck with a keyboard that doesn't work.

In July, Apple slightly redesigned the very low profile butterfly keyboard on its MacBooks and MacBook Pros, not because "a small percentage" of the previous version was rendered useless by a speck of dust, the company said, but to make it quieter; it even invited the tech press to try it out. iFixit teardowns of the hardware revealed that, in fact, Apple had added a silicone membrane under the keys that looks quite a bit like it's meant to keep dust and debris from lodging under the key and locking it up. Was that the idea? No, Apple unequivocally said. [...] But checking around online, it appears the new keyboards have the same old issues. They may be delayed, but they happen nonetheless. The MacRumors forum has a long thread about the the "gen 3 butterfly keyboard" where users have been sharing their experiences since Apple updated the design.

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The New and Improved MacBook Keyboards Have the Same Old Problems

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  • by Anonymous Coward

    If the keyboard isn't working then just use the touch screen.

  • You wouldn't get a keyboard at all.
    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • by xlsior ( 524145 )
        I'm sure they are just testing the waters replacing the function keys with that touch bar thing -- It would honestly surprise me if they don't replace their entire keyboard with a touchscreen at some point within the next 5 years, tactile feedback be damned.
  • by Anonymous Coward

    Ever since Cherry [wikipedia.org] has been making keyboard switches, there is no reason to use anything else.

    Buy one. I recommend Blue. Plug into your computer. Throw away old keyboard, whatever it was.

    Problem solved.

    • Since we're talking about laptops, it must be mentioned that some models (not all) in MSI's GT series use mechanical keyboards.

      Also, Cherry is not the only game in town. There's also Matias (Alps-like), Topre (capacitive), Unicomp (buckling springs), and so on.

    • by antdude ( 79039 )

      That's annoying to take with you with the lappy when travelling a lot.

    • Cherry switches are indeed fantastic (I too prefer blue).

      However they are no longer the only game in town. Razer now do their own line of mechanical switches, and I've found them to be just as good. Razer Blackwidow keyboards with green switches are truly beautiful for typing.

    • by Misagon ( 1135 )

      Cherry has been making keyboard switches since the 1960's.
      The Cherry MX key switch was introduced in 1983 already.

      It would be more fair to say that there has been a revival in mechanical keyboards in the last eight years or so.
      Back in the '90s and early naughties, Cherry made the switches mostly for special-purpose keyboards such as point-of-sale, military etc.

  • by humptheElephant ( 4055441 ) on Monday October 15, 2018 @06:20PM (#57483082)
    Louis Rossmann at https://www.rossmanngroup.com/ [rossmanngroup.com] is an unauthorized repairman for Macbooks and has some very interesting comments about them. He also has many youtube videos on the subject and anyone who if planning on buying a Macbook might want to visit his site for some very informative comments.
  • by kimgkimg ( 957949 ) on Monday October 15, 2018 @06:24PM (#57483102)
    Baffles me why people put up with these overpriced Apple issues.
    • by Anonymous Coward

      They aren't. What you're seeing is Apple fans complaining to Apple and being ignored. A lot of Apple people are looking to move outside the Apple ecosystem because there's quite a lot of worry about the future of Macs and macOS in general. These articles complaining about the keyboards and the lack of refreshes of macOS desktop hardware are people trying to get the message to Apple to please fix their shit.

      People are also complaining about the iPhone's high prices, and the iPhone XR was possibly a reaction

  • by msauve ( 701917 ) on Monday October 15, 2018 @06:30PM (#57483138)
    The original Apple ][ used Alps keyswitches, which were even better than Cherry's at the time. And they were individually replaceable. Unfortunately, they're taller than most of today's laptops. Heck, just the movement on a good keyboard is a significant part of a laptop's thickness.

    Form over function rules these days, it seems.
    • I'm old enough to remember when chiclet keyboards were a thing on low-budget computers, and how much people hated them. When laptops started using them almost exclusively, lots of people I know cursed them. Personally, I still can't use a laptop keyboard. They SUCK.

      Only Apple could think the design was so great, that they made them standard even on their ultra-expensive desktop computers, where thin profiles and limited key travel isn't desirable in the slightest.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Have you tried a Thinkpad ultrabook keyboard? They are very thin, maybe a millimetre or two more than a Macbook, but the keyboard are excellent. Decent amount of travel and feel, usual Lenovo quality and robustness, and very easy to replace if you spill something on them.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    The first step in Reparative Therapy is to get rid of all Apple devices. Only then can the repairing truly begin.

  • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I agree with almost everything you wrote, except that I don't consider Cherry MX imitation of a buckling spring keyboard. They are different switches. I use both -- Cherry MX (blue) for coding, buckling springs for writing (for some reason, that's the way I'm most productive). As for Apple keyboards, they are overpriced and overrated junk.
  • I own and use a 12" MacBook and a 15" MacBook Pro. Both have intermittent sticky key issues. On the 12" the comma stayed down for a couple of months and Apple refused to recognize this, because when they inspected it the key magically went back up. Not sure I have the patience to go fix it if they replace the keyboard and the same problem repeats. Will wait for a better fix.
    Using external keyboards for now.

  • I always read about those apple problems, issues etc. And only had a defective battery one time in an iPhone, while I have and have used many apple devices, including the laptops with those key problems. Cross fingers, should go to the casino.
  • ... wish even more Jobs was still alive. Cook can't kick ass like Jobs did and never will be able to fire the lousy management that decided crappy is good enough for today's high end Apple hardware just because it's cheaper. We will sadly witness the slow demise of Apple ....

  • With the serious keyboard quality problem in the current Apple laptops, the resale value will plummet to near zero on these models. Who wants to spend much to take on some other user's problem?

  • It's still a valid complaint.

    I work for an employer who bought dozens of these new Macbook Pro 13" models to deploy to our creative professionals. So far? I've only had one person complain about keyboard issues, and he was one of our I.T. guys. (To be honest, he's kind of rough on his gear anyway. His Windows laptops he's had in the past are always scratched and dented up and covered with stickers, etc.)

    I have one of these new Macbook Pros too, and although I don't use it as my primary machine, I do take

  • not a few people have been holding off on purchasing any computer from its line in fear of getting stuck with a keyboard that doesn't work

    Alternatively, not a few people have decided that overpaying for average-at-best and generation-old-at-worst hardware isn't necessary. I'm not saying they've finally realized that Apple treats non-mobile users as second-class customers, they just have no real reason to upgrade until some arbitrary OS update isn't available for their computer because the sales guys w
  • Really easy fix - just tell the user not to treat their laptop like a fucking place mat in a greasy spoon diner. I've had at least a dozen personal Apple laptops over the years and tested and worked on thousands more. Never had a key go bad on any of mine, and any time I've ever seen a problem with a user's keyboard, they were 99% of the time a slob who spilled food crumbs and who-knows-what-else into their keyboard and track pad. If you insist on treating your precious technology like a baby's bib, then ge

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