17-inch Unibody MacBook Pro Keyboard Backlighting

[Tomb01]

I have a 2011 Macbook pro 17inch

this is a replacement from my other macbook pro that I returned due to a blown speaker out of the box. I don't feel like going back and exchanging another macbook for this issue but it's kinda annoying. Yeah the 5% key is very bright compared to all the other keys.

Me, too... And it is at a point where it is starting to bug me. Glancing down at the keyboard it pulls my eyes, to the point where my typing has to slow down to adjust for it. Very annoying.

 

[vnle]

My keyboard's backlight is pretty even across all the keys. You can go and make a genius bar appointment and see if the genius will fix it. Most of the time they'll try.

 

[usasalazar]

Same Here

17" MBP purchased at Apple store on 4-9-11

5 Key was bugging me so much I did a search on the forums to see if I was crazy.

Not something you'd like to see on a 3k computer!

 

[Yellow 13]

this is your eyesight playing tricks to you, as somebody mentioned, more holes in keys= better brightness on this key


remove all keys caps, see if backlit is even.
judge it.
keep it or return

 

[duffmanth]

For those wondering, I took it in and the "genius" said it was within spec. I asked if he could even just replace the one key to see if it would help but he said for this kind of issue, it would take replacing the entire keyboard or something since the key is on a rubber grommet. I was saying that it seems that my 'E' key is slightly off just a hair so that it lets more light through the gap than the others. Again, he said it would take replacing the entire top or something but, as he saw it, it was within spec. I don't doubt it's within spec, just like if someone has one dead pixel -- sure, their rules say one pixel is ok but that's the company line. A customer irritated by one dead pixel would still ideally like that fixed/replaced. So basically, didn't get the service and understanding I was hoping for. I could have escalated the issue but honestly, I went through a hassle with Apple before regarding a different issue and didn't feel like potentially getting into another. Especially when this seems minor in comparison to the last one. I guess I'll just have to live with it. Good luck to others and if it really bothers you that much, escalate it if you can or even visit a different location -- from my experience, it's random but you may get someone more sympathetic to your issue.

My 15" Macbook Pro that I just got has the same issue. When you look at the keyboard at a certain angle or you're sitting at a certain angle, the light leaks through the gap below the E key more than the other keys. I talked to Apple support and they said that this isn't uncommon to some extent on most MBP's. I was gonna exchange it, but I've already sent back a few MBP's for various reasons that should have never made it out of the factory. I don't like it, but I guess I'll have to live with it at this point. Apple needs to take far more care in their manufacturing processes when they're charging premium prices and marketing their computers as the gold standard of the industry. These backlight issues have been going on for at least the last 5 years or so and doesn't seem to be getting any better.

 

[bniu]

one key is brighter than the rest???
bit picky are we, whos to say the replacement wont have the same 'issue'?

when Johnny Ive goes on the videos talking about how he obsesses over the placement of a simple screw on the bottom of the MBP, then I expect to hold Apple to the highest of standards. The 5 key being brighter than the others is indeed a distraction and should be fixed. Now if this were some PC manufacturer, then I wouldn't expect as much quality.

My first one did have the 5 key being brighter, and the graphics on it were DOA, so I managed to swap it out with a new one that is just PRISTINE!

 

[duffmanth]

when Johnny Ive goes on the videos talking about how he obsesses over the placement of a simple screw on the bottom of the MBP, then I expect to hold Apple to the highest of standards. The 5 key being brighter than the others is indeed a distraction and should be fixed. Now if this were some PC manufacturer, then I wouldn't expect as much quality.

My first one did have the 5 key being brighter, and the graphics on it were DOA, so I managed to swap it out with a new one that is just PRISTINE!

All of Apple's talk about their precision machining methods and obsessive attention to detail is a bunch of BS. I sent back 2 MBP's that had warped casing, 1 with an uneven keyboard backlight, and another one with sticky gluey residue crap on the track pad that I couldn't get off. I've accepted the fact that Apple makes great computers for the most part, but they seem to be incapable of delivering a flawless computer.