Apple Says Third-Generation Keyboards Exclusive to 2018 MacBook Pro

[MacRumors]

Last month, Apple initiated a Keyboard Service Program for MacBook and MacBook Pro, after determining that a "small percentage" of the keyboards in 2015-2017 MacBook and 2016-2017 MacBook Pro models may experience keys that feel "sticky," repeat, or do not respond in a consistent manner.

Apple did not identify a cause for the issues, which they call "behaviors," but they're believed to be caused by dust and other particulates becoming stuck in the butterfly switch mechanism underneath keycaps.

Apple has been servicing affected keyboards free of charge, with the process involving the replacement of one or more keys, or the whole keyboard. For the MacBook Pro, the replacements are second-generation keyboards -- often the 2017 variant with slightly different markings on the Control and Option keys.

Then, last week, Apple surprised us with new 2018 MacBook Pro models that feature an "improved third-generation keyboard for quieter typing." These models are not eligible, at least not now, for Apple's service program.

Apple hasn't directly acknowledged whether the quieter, third-generation keyboards dually address the keyboard issues, but iFixit discovered the 2018 MacBook Pro has a thin, silicone barrier underneath each key, which they believe are intended to prevent the dust and crumbs from getting stuck.

iFixit discovered a thin, silicone layer underneath keys on the 2018 MacBook Pro​

For this reason, some customers have been hoping that Apple will start swapping out second-generation keyboards with third-generation keyboards, as part of its service program, but MacRumors has learned that isn't the plan.

When asked if Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will be permitted to replace second-generation keyboards on 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models with the new third-generation keyboards, if necessary, Apple said, no, the third-generation keyboards are exclusive to the 2018 MacBook Pro.

Hopefully, in that case, it means that Apple has quietly tweaked the second-generation keyboard to be more reliable. It wouldn't really make sense for Apple to replace keyboards with ones that are just as prone to break again, especially if the third-generation keyboards offer a fix.

One possibility is that the third-generation keyboards aren't backwards compatible with 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models to begin with. The keyboard is actually one part of a larger component called the "top case," which also has a glued-in battery, and the internal design could be tweaked in 2018 models.

To initiate a repair, head to the Contact Apple Support portal, select Mac -> Mac notebooks -> Hardware Issues -> Keyboard not working as expected -> Bring in for Repair and book an appointment with an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. Remember to back up your Mac before any servicing.

Article Link: Apple Says Third-Generation Keyboards Exclusive to 2018 MacBook Pro

 

[DrJohnnyN]

Awesome! Again, pretty solid update. Went to my local Apple store today. The sound difference is definitely noticeable.

 

[jerry16]

Of course not; that would be admitting they screwed up.

 

[koruki]

Remember kids, a condom makes all the difference.

 

[matthew12]

So basically the non Touch Bar Pros are still screwed. Nice. Another reason to stay clear of the gimped models.

 

[Xardas220]

This isn‘t a fair move from Apple I think. I hope if I swap the keyboard of my MBP 2016 next month or so that they use the 2018-one. :/

 

[DrJohnnyN]

This isn‘t a fair move from Apple I think. I hope if I swap the keyboard of my MBP 2016 next month or so that they use the 2018-one. :/

Unlikely. Why would they?

 

[Xardas220]

Unlikely. Why would they?

As I wrote, I hope so. They do not have to but I realy hope so.

 

[vipergts2207]

Unlikely. Why would they?

I think it’s unlikely as well. As far as why though, to fix the screw up they made with the 2nd gen one.

 

[scrapesleon]

Apple way of saying get the 2018 MacBook all other older versions are obsolete

 

[swingerofbirch]

It wouldn't really make sense, and wouldn't feel very Apple

Not feeling like Apple is how Apple has felt to me since around the time OS X Lion came out.

 

[IbisDoc]

Another version of planned obsolescence.

 

[Brookzy]

It wouldn't really make sense, and wouldn't feel very Apple, for them to continue using replacement keyboards that are just as prone to break as the ones they are replacing.

Most Apple repair programmes I can recall have involved Apple replacing the broken part with an identical part with the same flaw.

 

[MTW]

Gross. Hopefully Apple gets destroyed in court.

 

[CWallace]

It does not benefit Apple from either a PR or a financial standpoint to continue to manufacture 2016 and 2017 series keyboards for repairs if the 2018 model is a "drop in" replacement should it prove to be more resilient and robust.

In such a scenario, it may just be a case that once Apple has exhausted their existing stock of replacement pre-2018 keyboards on repairs, the standard for all three series when it comes to repair will be the 2018 series keyboard.

 

[MrGuder]

It sounds like the revision to the 2018 model will not be retrofitted to the 2016/2017 model.

 

[DVD Plaza]

It wouldn't really make sense, and wouldn't feel very Apple, for them to continue using replacement keyboards that are just as prone to break as the ones they are replacing.

Err, MacRumors you've been around for a few years - you know full well that's exactly the kind of thing Apple does. GPU failures with MacBooks for example - yep, replaced with exactly the same mainboard that suffered the exact same fault several years later.

Your sentence is utterly wrong and misleading.

 

[newdeal]

Screw you Apple, this isn't an isolated incident, I have had one 2016, one 2016 replaced with a supposed new style, and now a 2017 and all of them are crap and prone to sticking keys or in severe cases non-functional or sporadically functional keys...

 

[vipergts2207]

Most Apple repair programmes I can recall have involved Apple replacing the broken part with an identical part with the same flaw.

That’s true, see 2007 and 2011 MBP GPU programs. That being said, the technical hurdles behind trying to drop in a different GPU is relatively steep. In comparison, dropping in the 3rd gen keyboard would seem to be rather plug and play, at least on the surface.

 

[Naraxus]

Of course they are. How else would Apple upsell their customers on something that should have been on the MBP to begin with? Then again this never should have been an issue because there was nothing wrong with the scissor keys on the old keyboards and didn't need Ive's ego screwing it up.

Memo to Apple customers - spend $2k on a new laptop otherwise you S0L with our old keyboards.

 

[robbieleffel]

I bet they are replacing it with the same keyboard. Allegedly, the keyboards in question are such a small number they are probably rolling the dice that there would be a second issue with the machine. It's a business decision.

 

[TimmeyCook]

Another version of planned obsolescence.

In which way?

 

[fcolinares]

Ugh.. After 30 years of owning Apple devices I am really starting to hate Apple... If I only knew they were going to launch these models... but I just got a MacBook Pro 2017 from an online retailer four weeks ago and now I am not elegible for an exchange!

 

[NBAasDOGG]

Remember kids, a condom makes all the difference.

I know some guys at college putting condoms-like protectors on their fingers when using their MacBooks. I guess that’s a way to prevent wear and tear

 

[vipergts2207]

In which way?

Well when the keyboard self-destructs and the notebook computer is no longer useful as a notebook, that would render it rather obsolete, it would seem to me anyway.