Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I couldn’t tell the difference, they were both annoyingly loud compared to the Apple keyboard on my iPad Pro.
 
I wish they could seal the keyboard up so it's crumb and water proof.

Pricing is way out of hand now... whilst I appreciate the latest and greatest hardware comes at a premium, the fact you can't get a 15" MacBook now for less than £2,300 is ridiculous.

The killing of the 2015 MBP with all the ports a lot of people still need without any replacement apart from a bag of dongles is a strange decision IMO.

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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: heffsf
If it's too noisy then don't hit it so hard. Next question?

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!"
 
When it comes to feel, though, reviews have said that the keyboard doesn't feel any different, as it's using the same butterfly switches with the same amount of key travel.

*browses eBay for 2015 MPBs*
[doublepost=1531591159][/doublepost]
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!"
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.
[doublepost=1531591754][/doublepost]
If it's too noisy then don't hit it so hard. Next question?
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.
 
Last edited:
My 2017 MBP keyboard is the best I've ever used. I can type faster and more accurately. Coming from a MBA, here.
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.
 
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.
[doublepost=1531614647][/doublepost]
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.

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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: artfossil
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?
[doublepost=1531627722][/doublepost]
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.

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.
 
Last edited:
Are you crazy?

What about the controversy, the fear, uncertainty, doubt (FUD) that keep this readership coming back, and the "sponsors" coming in?

My "favorite" was when ConsumerReports claimed that the MBP had bad battery life, and all the "pros" on twitter, all the divas, started to "complain" about their MBP's. Then ConsumerReports and Apple found it was a bug, fixed it, and the test ran and came up with 18 hours of battery life (yes, 18), and then every diva SUDDENLY stopped complaining about the batt life.
Hm, that hasn't stopped my macbook pro battery life from being really bad though. Oh and my keyboard broke twice as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marekul
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?

Bluelounge has a product called the Kickflip which lifts up the back of your MBP so the keyboard is at an angle.
 
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.

It's crazy that this is the third version of the keyboard in 4 years, fourth if you count the 2017 MBP as having a second-gen rev 2, which many here claim it to be. Why did they get it so wrong as to need constant revision? This is unlike Apple. Or is it like the new Apple?

It's amazing to me that a company like Apple let the first-gen butterfly keyboard out of the gate. I've no idea how it could've passed their no doubt extensive design, prototyping and testing phases or approval processes. At the very least they must've known that such a significant change to its feel, sound and travel would be controversial and disliked by many who were used to a keyboard that had barely changed in the previous decade. All seemingly in this ongoing and little-demanded pursuit of thinness. I'm astonished if they didn't get a significant amount of negative feedback if they ever did any user-experience testing.

These keyboards have demonstrated Apple is slipping in its commitment to quality. Even if you don't agree with me you can't deny that having to instigate a costly repair program is by no means a measure of success. This is not something Apple would do lightly (even economics aside) because it's basically an admission of guilt. Previous repair programs have often involved parts supplied by third-parties, but this is 100% Apple's design and manufacture. They don't usually get it this wrong.

My first experience with the 2016 MacBook Pro was in an Apple shop and the first thing I noticed (after the comically large trackpad) was that the keys were clearly sticky and had little tactile feeling to them. The spacebar was hard to press, didn't move at all and only worked intermittently. And these were the display units in their own shop, presumably there to make you want to buy them! Needless to say I never did, nor have I since.

I will try out the new model in the shop sometime, but I know I'm never going to be a fan of ultra low-travel keys. I may begrudgingly get used to it if I have to, but I certainly won't like it. If only the keyboards were my only complaint with these laptops.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MrGuder
This is the MBP keyboard version of 'here is a bumper for your iPhone to fix the problem we won't admit exists because there is no problem, you're just holding it wrong'.
 
If they add it to the touchbar-less Pro or the Macbook I can finally upgrade from this 2010 Air!
 
Honestly I'm quite happy with my 2016 MBP, I've yet to have a single issue with the keyboard.
 
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.
 
They replace the battery as well????? Wow.... That's a $129 alone usually. I'm going to see if I can get this done.

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.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 826317
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.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.