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2018 MacBook Pro's 'Quieter' Keyboard Compared to Previous MacBook Pro Keyboard
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Agree about the pricing. The cheapest Apple 15in laptop is $3500 which is crazy. I bought medium spec Powerbook G4 15in for $3000 in 2006 and back then it was really a cut above any windows machine... oh and keyboard, the best keyboard ever to grace a laptop.
I think that it the crux of the problem.
I am probably a heavy handed typer. I can type fast, but my fingers are used to hitting the keys hard, and it's hard to shake old habits.
When I got the 20166 MacBook Pro, I noticed right away that the "feel" of the keyboard was hard and flat and short "throws" of the keys. I figured I would get used to it.
My wife eventually started complaining about the keyboard noise - and that's where I really started noticing the horrible sound as compared to my old MBP.
Later I started noticing some keys were skipping and doubling.
I live on the machine, so I am not usually the guy who wants to bother giving up his machine to a technician for several days. I just bought a new one yesterday, and will sell my 2016 MBP to the used dealer.
My 2016 model is Probably the worst MBP I have ever owned. Never had anything to complain about with all others - they were all excellent machines.
Apple needs to fix this keyboard issue and should be considering re-introducing MagSafe, and maybe even putting back the SD card slot in there too.
I can live with dongles to go from USB-C to all the Firewire and "Thunderbolt" hard drives I have - fine. But I don't want a friggin dongle in case I want to plug a normal USB thing into my Mac! It's stupid! USB stick - oh sure, thanks - OH WAIT - I can't read it because I don't have a USB on my machine. WTF? That has happened to me about 10 times and every time it's like - "How Stupid!"
*browses eBay for 2015 MPBs*
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Someone on this forum put it really well: USB-C may be the port of the future, but we're all still living in the present, and USB-A is everywhere.
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Well, in the absence of any kind of key travel and tactile feedback, the one sure-fire way to know your keypresses are going to register is to bang on the damn thing. Not that that's the only way to make it work, obviously, but we've all got years (if not decades) of training typing on keyboards where the keys, you know, move.
What happened here is that Jony Ive, in the freaky white-walled aseptic world he lives in, decreed that human hands do not need tactile feedback and took it away so he could take 1 millimeter off the thickness of a MacBook. And unlike the last time MacBook keyboards were redesigned, Steve Jobs was not around to put a leash on him.
Remember how nobody had jack to say about the previous generation of Mac laptop keyboards? That's because they fulfilled basic human factors design, provided tactile feedback that people are accustomed to in a keyboard. They were solid and reliable and they were just there. You didn't notice them at all. A keyboard that turns off substantial numbers of users, like the butterfly keyboard does, is a design fail. Sure, some people have gotten used to it. But the fact that a sizable number of people still find it unpleasant to type on is a huge red flag.
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Question is: what happens to that silicone after a year or two of being pressed?
Edit: on second thought, bad joke and was a bit inappropriate. Apologies if anyone was offended by it
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That’s good to know. I tried it in the store when they first released that little MacBook and I hated it immediately. Same with when they released the new wireless keyboard. They had them side-by-side with the old keyboard at Best Buy, and the old keys felt soooooooo much better. I mean it wasn’t even close.
It sounds like the new keys are here to stay though. I guess I’ll just have to give in eventually and get used to it.
Same here. Didn't like it in the store using it for a few minutes. At home, after some use, I realized the force I was using (needed for older keyboards) was too much.
It was pretty easy to adjust. The result is I can now type much faster and more accurately.
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Purchase a couple of six foot USB-C to USB-A 3.1 cables? That's what I did last year, at $10 each. They're less expensive now.
I still don't know why Apple hasn't designed their keyboard to actually be... you know... ergonomic? Human wrists are not designed to be positioned like they are with the current design of straight keyboards. What is the resistance to this obvious idea? Addiction? Fear of change?
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It can be tough to adjust to a new keyboard design, but it eventually happens. I remember the keyboard on my old PowerBook. I loved the feel of those keys, like every finger was resting comfortably in its own bed. That keyboard was kept to the newer MacBook Pro, and then I graduated to a 2013 MacBook Air (my current gig), and found the adjustment challenging at first. But I adjusted. I tried the 2017 MacBook Pro keyboard and did not like it. But I'm sure I'll adjust to that, too. I do dislike the huge trackpad, too. But I'm sure I'll adjust. Seems that Apple is making change for change sake, though.
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It can be tough to adjust to a new keyboard design, but it eventually happens. I remember the keyboard on my old PowerBook. I loved the feel of those keys, like every finger was resting comfortably in its own bed. That keyboard was kept to the newer MacBook Pro, and then I graduated to a 2013 MacBook Air (my current gig), and found the adjustment challenging at first. But I adjusted. I tried the 2017 MacBook Pro keyboard and did not like it. But I'm sure I'll adjust to that, too. I do dislike the huge trackpad, too. But I'm sure I'll adjust. Seems that Apple is making change for change sake, though.
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Hm, that hasn't stopped my macbook pro battery life from being really bad though. Oh and my keyboard broke twice as well.
Didn’t read the joke but I think it was funnyEdit: on second thought, bad joke and was a bit inappropriate. Apologies if anyone was offended by it
Bluelounge has a product called the Kickflip which lifts up the back of your MBP so the keyboard is at an angle.
According to forum posts at iFixit, replacement program keyboards are already using the 3rd-gen keys with dust-proof membrane layer. The entire top case gets replaced, including the battery.
https://ifixit.org/blog/10279/apple-macbook-keyboard-cover-up/
They replace the battery as well????? Wow.... That's a $129 alone usually. I'm going to see if I can get this done.
A keyboard that needs cleaning (all keyboards need cleaning, unless you like living in your* own filth!) does not make the most recent MacBooks lacking in quality.
One would think that if you've paid 1,2,3,4,5,6 thousand dollars for a computer, you might avoid using it as a sandwich tray and not mind making sure dirt and debris was as far away from it as possible.
No, we dont all live in 'labs', but how filthy are peoples homes or workspaces that in a few short months they can destroy a keyboard?
I've taken care and kept my MacBook Pro 2017 clean and it is still perfectly fine. Maybe the problem really is the user and their lack of care of their multiple thousand dollar investments.
One would think that if you've paid 1,2,3,4,5,6 thousand dollars for a computer, you might avoid using it as a sandwich tray and not mind making sure dirt and debris was as far away from it as possible.
No, we dont all live in 'labs', but how filthy are peoples homes or workspaces that in a few short months they can destroy a keyboard?
I've taken care and kept my MacBook Pro 2017 clean and it is still perfectly fine. Maybe the problem really is the user and their lack of care of their multiple thousand dollar investments.
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Lol... I just watched and listened to that video. If you ask me both sounded noisy. If only the MacBook Pro came with a keyboard like the one used on the X1 Thinkpad. That is a great keyboard.
Having used both in person, and owning a 2018 version, the new version is a good bit quieter but still audibly clicky. The keys also feel a little bit softer on-press now, which could be psychological or due to the silicone underneath. I like it overall but I've never had a problem with the thinner keyboard.
Yes, the keyboard / top-case / battery is one integrated assembly and not easily separated. So you get a new battery for free.
More recent reports however have suggested that 2016/2017 models may not get the third-generation keyboard under the replacement program. Apparently, if you're replacing a first generation keyboard then you'll get a second-gen, but neither will get a third-gen due to the top case design being a bit different. Still waiting for a definitive confirmation on this.
Thanks for the info. On Apple's website it states that the AASP or Apple themselves will inspect the keyboard and determine what parts need to be repaired.
Is it possible that anything other than a full top case replacement could be done to my laptop if I decide to bring it in? I have about 15 keys that are either sticky sometimes or non-response sometimes.
I'm a heavy user of my laptop and since I bought it in 2016 I've put about 560 cycles on it. So I'd love to get it replaced for free.