Apple Says Third-Generation Keyboards Exclusive to 2018 MacBook Pro

[Jarrodbcall]

I have mine on Craigslist too, someone offered me yesterday 800 bucks for it(I have it for 1100) I guess considering I bought the laptop for 1150 at best buy(Sale plus student coupon discount) I guess its Ok but will still wait to see what Apple does..would be a real shame if I sell the macbook then find out after wards Apple would have given me more for it
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Apple trade in unfortunately does NOT include the 2017 models

I think that is a good idea. I bet if you wait a bit you will get something higher in CL as well. There are a lot of laptops going up there now. Also, if you were open to getting a used or refurbished 2018 I bet you could find one for quite a bit cheaper in a few months.

 

[vipergts2207]

Which evidence?

You’re on here enough to have seen the evidence laid out multiple times at this point. If you’ve forgotten it already, I’ll leave you to go find it. I myself, won’t be repeating it again. Besides, we already know Apple is 100% perfect and infallible through your rose-colored glasses.

 

[AngstyKylo]

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.

yes, had 3 replacements for my 2008 MBP with the nvidia debacle. Just replaced with the exact same motherboard each time. Same in 2004 with an iBook that had documented motherboard issues. It seemed stupid to me but it must be cheaper for them to do that than give out a revised model.

 

[koruki]

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

lol yeah they still do that when you work in clean rooms. You can find a video of them using it when assembling high end camera lenses

 

[Val-kyrie]

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

As well as all 2015-2017 MBs and 2016-2017 Touch Bar MBPs.

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. :/

And if they don't...?

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

Maybe enough of you will get angry enough to stop giving Apple your money for bad hardware.

Stop hoping; start acting. If my MBA stopped working tomorrow, I would not be buying a Mac to replace it. Not yet anyway.

 

[Exile714]

I hope when I start eating sugar donuts to get a new battery in my 2016, all they have left are 2018 keyboards.

 

[code-m]

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.

Loyal Apple customers were waving pitchforks outside Apple HQ demanding for balanced keys on the MBP, that is why Apple had no choice other than engineer the perfect butterfly keys. All the complaints would have ruined Apples reputation if it did not redesign the scissor keys.

 

[Randall2018]

Being quieter is not an upgrade. All it means is...it's quieter.

But it’s an improvement. Going by that logic you could say that a computer getting a new processor just means it is faster and isn’t an upgrade.

 

[kjvmartin]

The Apple Store employee who processed my most recent (of 4) keyboard replacement, 2 weeks ago, assured me it was a new design which should preclude any further keyboard failures.

I am frustrated by the lack of information, conflicting reports, and uncertainty about my computer. It' also a bit disconcerting to think that in the middle of something important my keyboard could start failing and I'll be without my device for another week.

 

[Val-kyrie]

I don’t see why it isn’t fair to swap a defective one for the same thing you originally paid for instead of giving a free upgrade.

Because the design is defective.

I hope they change there mind. Replacing defective keyboards with defective ones is not reasonable.

But it is what Apple has been doing since at least 2011.

Not all of them are defective so I would expect them to swap it for a non defective keyboard of the same design rather than giving out a free upgrade.

I would argue the design is defective but is prone to failure moreso under certain conditions, which are normal but which might not occur in every use case--e.g. think of a person whose work constantly puts the GPU under higher loads vs a person who rarely does so. Thermals will be different and I would argue also failure rates.

I'm surprised this update took everyone by surprise. I can't think of a single rumor about an imminent release of a new MBP.

Actually, WCCFTech posted an article the day before the refresh with anticipated updates for 2018, the phasing out of the non-Touch Bar model, and a recommendation to not buy until the refresh happened. They correctly called the update to 4 and 6 cores for the 13" and 15" MBP respectively.

If that was the case then maybe, but I haven’t seen any evidence that there are higher rates of failures on these keyboards than on other versions.

Authorized Apple repair shops say differently.

 

[69Mustang]

Why would you buy a laptop that’s 400 days old? You are on a rumors website... they have been talking about updated MacBooks coming for months.

The vast, vast, vast majority of people don't buy computers on a manufacturers update schedule. That's just not how it happens in real life. Apple wouldn't be selling roughly 5MM computers a quarter if people bought on Apple's update schedule.
There's a really easy "low hanging fruit" joke (pun intended as well) about Apple updating their computers in a less than timely manner. Too easy, but it does illustrate my point about real world purchases aren't based on Apple's update schedule.

 

[macintoshmac]

Nobody ever proved Ford Pinto to be a bad car - it was just slightly inflammable (for a very minor number of users...)

Comparing anything inflammable (meaning risk to life) with a keyboard that can have sticky/ repetitive/ failing keys (meaning risk to productivity, not life) is not quite right.

 

[rmbpuser]

I don’t see why it isn’t fair to swap a defective one for the same thing you originally paid for instead of giving a free upgrade.

A functional keyboard is an “upgrade”. Okay.

 

[macintoshmac]

OK, but what makes it an upgrade?

Probably protection from dust and debris. Incremental update to the design that might qualify as an upgrade.

 

[69Mustang]

Not all of them are defective so I would expect them to swap it for a non defective keyboard of the same design rather than giving out a free upgrade.

Genuinely curious. How would the Apple employees go about picking the non-defective keyboard? Ouija board Exorcism If the Apple employee could pick out the good keyboards vs the defective keyboards, why would defective keyboards still be in the replacement stock?

As many others have noted. Apple has a history of replacing defective parts with the same defective parts... probably based on some analysis by a red stapler wonk that says law of large numbers dictates that hlaglja eouanljadg oieflavdija ieljhaldfj {falls asleep listening to the accountant's justification}

tl;dr Apple basically hopes lightning won't strike twice with the same customer so giving them another defective keyboard is just a better than average gamble.

 

[Randall2018]

Genuinely curious. How would the Apple employees go about picking the non-defective keyboard? Ouija board Exorcism If the Apple employee could pick out the good keyboards vs the defective keyboards, why would defective keyboards still be in the replacement stock?

There’s obviously always a chance that there could be another defect, but it is unlikely as long as the replacement has passed quality control. And if the replacement fails again then Apple replaces it again.

 

[Kingds5]

I’ve learn to never buy a first year new Apple designed product and always wait at least three years as they fix all the bugs and stupid glitches. I’m so disappointed to have the 2016 15inch MacBook Pro and having spent so much money to have this sort of service and problems hardware and software. It’s not fair actually and Apple should make up for their customers!

 

[its93rc]

I don’t see why it isn’t fair to swap a defective one for the same thing you originally paid for instead of giving a free upgrade.

Because it's defective and they know it is. Why fix something broken with something that's equally crap?

 

[PickUrPoison]

The article says “MacRumors has learned that isn't the plan” but doesn’t elaborate on how the information came to be known.

Just wondering if it was an inside source, or an official Apple statement made by an authorized representative.

 

[69Mustang]

There’s obviously always a chance that there could be another defect, but it is unlikely as long as the replacement has passed quality control.

I'm getting the distinct impression you don't understand what defect means and how it relates to this issue. All the keyboards passed QC. They are always going to pass QC. In my opinion, the defect is in the design. All the replacements are just as defective as the keyboards they're replacing.

And if the replacement fails again then Apple replaces it again.

So your suggestion is to keep kicking the rock down the road instead of remedying the problem? Why not solve the issue once and be done with it? Especially since you essentially sold a defective product to begin with.

 

[TimmeyCook]

You’re on here enough to have seen the evidence laid out multiple times at this point. If you’ve forgotten it already, I’ll leave you to go find it. I myself, won’t be repeating it again. Besides, we already know Apple is 100% perfect and infallible through your rose-colored glasses.

I'm not trolling, where is the "evidence" besides some high-profile divas speaking for the millions of users?

Why does this "problem" only happens to the famous people, because I never seen this problem IRL. And I have a lot of contact with these machines, much more than most people (my office is full with Apple stuff, including these laptops), so...

 

[MobiusStrip]

"QUIETER?" SERIOUSLY? As if ANY Apple keyboard in the last 20 years has been "too loud."

How hard can Apple try to shed all respect? After all, for years they've been degrading their products with the excuse that someone, somewhere is complaining that they're "too thick."

Apple needs to fire Jony Ive. This guy is a pompous hack with no plan for improvement or advancement, only destruction and removal. He's the Trump of product design: With no ideas of his own, he seeks to destroy the accomplishments of generations of achievers that came before him.

Get rid of this jagoff.

 

[Martius]

This "we are not aware of any flaws" Apple game is getting ridiculous. I know they are running the keyboard replacement program, but it seems like they launched it just because the lawsuits...

I think it's been enough...! One day I will be the CEO of Apple and give you guys the best computers you can imagine. Mark my words!

 

[gavroche]

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

Or you could just get any issue repaired under their repair program. I suppose if your 2016 Ford Mustang had a problem with the engine... one they happily will repair under warranty... you scream outrage and demand an engine from the 2018 Ford Mustang.

On a serious note... Do we even know if the new ones would physically even fit properly in the old chassis? Seems to me that there could very well be a lot of chassis and internals changes that make it not possible to put it in.
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This "we are not aware of any flaws" Apple game is getting ridiculous. I know they are running the keyboard replacement program, but it seems like they launched it just because the lawsuits...

I think it's been enough...! One day I will be the CEO of Apple and give you guys the best computers you can imagine. Mark my words!

I've dealt with Apple for many many years.. and have always, and I really mean always, found them to have one of the best warranty coverage programs of any company I've ever dealt with. I've never had any other product that I could so easily walk into their store and get it repaired in a couple hours, while I go shopping in the mall. This includes them having a pretty well known history of allowing their techs enough leeway to authorize repairs for problems that are either out of the warranty period, or for damage they know was caused by the user (such as water damage).
Since you suggest otherwise, I'd be curious to know what other company has a better program. And I'm not saying that to be snarky. I just wonder if people that complain on here either have a short history with Apple, or have not had occasion to need repairs done by them. Because I've never known anyone that had any problems.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

The 2016 and 2017 MacBook "Pro" models were crap, you knew that, and you bought them anyway.

Sorry not sorry, we told you not to do that. When the 2017 model is inferior to the 2012 model, it's probably not a good idea to buy it.