2019 MBA keyboard reliability

[Mainsail]

I have been using my 2019 MBA for a couple of months and everything is working great, including the keyboard.....still early.

I am not seeing many posts about problems with the 4th gen keyboard. Between the 4th gen keyboard and 4 year warranty, I feel like I am covered.

How about other folks? Are you feeling like the worse is behind Apple wrt the keyboard fiasco?

 

[Ghost31]

I can see why you'd be worried about this, but as someone typing on a 2018 air and who has gotten to use pretty much every Mac apple sells for work, I'm not worried one bit about the keyboard. So odd how we aren't seeing threads every single day about people with busted up keyboards right? Probably because like any defect, it happens to a small number of people. And even then, apple has you covered. From what I hear, apple has refined the repair process to get you taken care of as quick as possible too.

So I'd say don't put much thought into it. If it was a huge deal, it would have gone longer than the usual news cycle

 

[Mainsail]

Well, I do think there were problems with the early iterations of the butterfly keyboard. There are threads on MR that are pages and pages long with people complaining about keyboard failures. Also, Apple would not have gone through 3 keyboard revisions and provided an extended warrantee if there were no issues.

That said, between the new keyboard and the 4 year warrantee, it seems like Apple has finally got this thing resolved. I owned a 2014 MBA, and it was my favorite electronic device of all time. I am really getting to like my new 2019 MBA. If the 4th gen keyboard continues to be reliable, I don't see a reason for Apple to move to the scissor mechanism. Besides, I actually like the feel of this new keyboard.

 

[AustinIllini]

My wife has the 1G butterfly keyboard on her MacBook. She only had problems about 3.5 years in and the keyboard was replaced under warranty.

The new ones are supposedly more reliable. I haven't had many problems, but I tend to keep my laptops extremely clean because I'm a lunatic.

 

[JuicelessMango]

I've been using my Air every night since I picked it up a few months ago and haven't had an issue. I'm not to concerned about it though. If it ever does develop an issue it's got a 4 year warranty.

 

[Jimmy James]

I’ve had my MacBook for 11 years. Even if the new keyboard lasts for 4 years I’d be at the tail end of my 3rd machine. That’s thousands of dollars I didn’t have to spend and shouldn’t have to spend because of a keyboard. I realize not everyone keeps their machines this long. But the keyboard shouldn’t be the limiting factor. I don’t have the same confidence in the new design. I doubt anyone does.

 

[ghanwani]

The official name is "updated 3rd gen" not 4th gen. Perhaps Apple was trying to hide the number of iterations it had to go through.

So far so good with my machine too but it's only under a couple of months old.

Most likely I will buy a new machine if it retains the same weight or weighs less than the current MBA if it provides improved graphics or a better typing experience.