2020 MBA keyboard is truly godawful !

[synicalx1]

ok, so I must be the only one with this problem. Never mind.

Not at all! Keyboard preferences are highly subjective, just look at the number of different kinds of switches you can get for mechanical keyboards - no one size fits all.

Personally I actually loved the previous "butterfly" keyboards that broke all the time and were almost universally hated, and I'm not a huge fan of the newer (far more reliable) keyboards. The butterflies to me just felt very satisfying to type on and the new ones just feel mushy by comparison.

 

[ghanwani]

The butterflies to me just felt very satisfying to type on and the new ones just feel mushy by comparison.

Now that you mention it, the clicking noise when typing reminds me of the IBM keyboards. The big difference is that those clicky IBM keyboards were virtually indestructible and lasted forever.

 

[synicalx1]

Now that you mention it, the clicking noise when typing reminds me of the IBM keyboards. The big difference is that those clicky IBM keyboards were virtually indestructible and lasted forever.

As opposed to the butterflies which will immediately cease working if you eat food within 3 feet of them!

But yeah the tactile/sound was really nice to type on IMO. I use a mechanical keyboard 90% of the time and this was the closest I've had to a mechanical on a laptop.

 

[A Happening in Hades]

Perhaps the solidity of the 16” MBP contributes to the superior typing experience?

 

[Spacegray]

Lump me in here with those that have had an inconsistent experience with the M1 MacBook Air keyboards. As some already know, I just had a top case replacement by Apple because one of my shift keys was extremely loose. The new keyboard does not have any keys that are as loose at the shift key was on the previous one, but there are still a few keys that have more wobble than the rest and that make more noise when used. In my brief experiment, I didn't notice this on any of the display models at my local Apple Store. I also did not notice that at all on the M1 MBP that I started off with before deciding to go with a higher spec MBA. In my experience, the M1 MBP has a slightly nicer keyboard feel with better feedback and better uniformity.

I am pretty sure that I am just going to accept it for what it is now. Apple told me before I sent it in that they probably could replace the device for me, if I ended up having the same issue. I just don't have much confidence that the next one will be much different/better. It just seems to be a lottery.

Although the MacBook Air M1 isn't cheap (although I think it's worth the price), we're talking about Apple's entry-level model here. I think that the product does not and is not planned to live up to your expectations of perfection. It doesn't have a high-end keyboard and the lightweight construction and very thin case add to the typing impression.
Maybe you would be happier with the 13"MBP or a 14" MBP probably being released later this year.

 

[smirking]

But yeah the tactile/sound was really nice to type on IMO. I use a mechanical keyboard 90% of the time and this was the closest I've had to a mechanical on a laptop.

+1 for another mechanical keyboard lover who prefers the butterfly keyboard. Having owned a lot of mechanical keyboards probably made me a lot more tolerant of build quality issues as some of my favorite mechanicals were also temperamental.

As for the original topic, I played with different M1 MBA units at the Apple Store a few weeks ago and just with the units in the store, there was one that felt totally different from the others. One of them felt almost like a butterfly keyboard, but it wasn't.

 

[lambertjohn]

I love the keyboard on my M1 Air. It takes no effort to type on it, which translates into speed, at least for me it does. I wonder what the keyboard will be like on the new MB Pros coming out at the end of the year. Same as the current keyboard? Or even better, as in evolved?