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Butterfly Keyboard 2.0 is much better than 2016 MacBooks

T

TriApple

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 16, 2011
215
199
Just getting around to using my base 13" new MBP.. have the 2016 MacBook m5... the new keyboard is significantly better. I know it has been said, but you really need to use it know how much better it is than the macbook, even the 2016 one..
 
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Hey dude! That's great to hear about the new keyboard. I'm still trying to get use to it when I played around with one at a store. By the by, do you think 8GB of ram will last a good couple of years?
 
I wouldn't say much better, but it sits right between the feel of the MacBook keyboard and the magic keyboard
 
mattopotamus said:
I wouldn't say much better, but it sits right between the feel of the MacBook keyboard and the magic keyboard
Click to expand...
IMO, it is MUCH better, I got used to the MacBook keyboard, and typing on one and then the other... which I am doing right now... its a noticeable difference
 
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TriApple said:
IMO, it is MUCH better, I got used to the MacBook keyboard, and typing on one and then the other... which I am doing right now... its a noticeable difference
Click to expand...

Absolutely a noticeable difference, but I really think the person that hates the MacBook keyboard will only tolerate the new keyboard.
 
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TriApple said:
Just getting around to using my base 13" new MBP.. have the 2016 MacBook m5... the new keyboard is significantly better. I know it has been said, but you really need to use it know how much better it is than the macbook, even the 2016 one..
Click to expand...

I've used it and I'm not a big fan. And I write for a living. The old keyboard is far superior in my opinion, so much so that I bought a 2015 Macbook Pro refurb a few days ago to replace my aging 2010 Macbook Pro. It wasn't a money thing as much as it was a legacy decision: more useful ports, better keyboard, and more bang for less bucks.
 
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Stockholm Syndrome has set in. Who needs better keyboard, ethernet port, USB-A port? You know things that a PRO might care about?
 
thadoggfather said:
but ethernet boat sailed away with the prior retina pros, and died with classic unibody
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Thing is unless you are super-privileged to work in a super-modern tech campus(Apple, MS, Facebook, Google) wireless networks can be very unreliable and having ethernet access is a MUST. This is 1 reason why corporations will not adopt Macbooks.
 
smoledman said:
Thing is unless you are super-privileged to work in a super-modern tech campus(Apple, MS, Facebook, Google) wireless networks can be very unreliable and having ethernet access is a MUST. This is 1 reason why corporations will not adopt Macbooks.
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Eh they didn't during Ethernet days either. Cost is #1 reason for corporations to not have all their employeees have apple vs dell/hp. Bulk purchase you get significant breaks Never mind the Msrp hike/apple tax
 
thadoggfather said:
Eh they didn't during Ethernet days either. Cost is #1 reason for corporations to not have all their employeees have apple vs dell/hp. Bulk purchase you get significant breaks Never mind the Msrp hike/apple tax
Click to expand...

Yeah many companies don't even purchase, they lease from Dell/HP. You can't do that with Apple. So when I keep seeing people say that Apple is 'winning' enterprise I laugh. Unless of course you count BYOD.
 
mattopotamus said:
Absolutely a noticeable difference, but I really think the person that hates the MacBook keyboard will only tolerate the new keyboard.
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I don't hate the keyboard on the MacBook but I clearly prefer the old one. Do you think someone like me could get used to the new v2 of the butterfly keyboard?

I need a little bit more travel than the one on the MacBook 2015, which is the one I've tried.

Here there are no new MacBook Pros yet to try it, and I have to make a decision whether to buy a 2015 Pro with a great deal right now or wait three weeks to try the new one. My main interest in the new one is only that it's more lighter, and that's a huge plus for me, but I don't want to be stuck with a keyboard I can't work with comfortably.

How big is that difference? Does it have more travel? Is it enough to make it really tolerable?
 
How is the new keyboard vs. the Magic Keyboard 2? I don't mind the short travel of the Magic Keyboard 2 -- almost like it more than the old MBP keyboard.. But, wasn't entirely in love with the MacBook butterfly keyboard -- it wasn't bad when I tried it, but, it felt like there needed to be a bit more travel.
 
like I said earlier it sits right between the rMB and the magic keyboard. If you can try both the travel is smack in the middle of the two.
 
Went to my local apple store yesterday to test the non touch bar '13 (to get a better idea of my preorder, a touch bar 13) and i must say the new keyboard was better than expected.
 
CreativeC said:
It's between garbage and unusable. I wouldn't say it's "much better"
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Coming from a programmer who has been on the Macbook pro for (maybe?) 10 years and gotten used to that keyboard, I was DREADING the new butterfly keyboard. I tried the gen 1 out a few months ago and wasn't completely horrified but I could definitely see where touch typing would be more difficult with such low key travel.

I just tried the gen 2 keyboard in store yesterday, and it is a huge difference in terms of tactile feedback. Travel remains the same but the keys are clickier, offering that much-needed haptic feedback that allows for fast typing.

Here's the thing: I found that I was actually able to type FASTER on the new keyboard than on mine, and that's without any adjustment time. Frankly, I'm not worried at all about the keyboard. That escape key, on the other hand...
 
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drvelocity said:
Coming from a programmer who has been on the Macbook pro for (maybe?) 10 years and gotten used to that keyboard, I was DREADING the new butterfly keyboard. I tried the gen 1 out a few months ago and wasn't completely horrified but I could definitely see where touch typing would be more difficult with such low key travel.

I just tried the gen 2 keyboard in store yesterday, and it is a huge difference in terms of tactile feedback. Travel remains the same but the keys are clickier, offering that much-needed haptic feedback that allows for fast typing.

Here's the thing: I found that I was actually able to type FASTER on the new keyboard than on mine, and that's without any adjustment time. Frankly, I'm not worried at all about the keyboard. That escape key, on the other hand...
Click to expand...
Really glad to hear that. I had the same first perception of the rMB's keyboard. Hopefully GEN 2 for me should be perfect.
 
Tried it for 10 minutes and couldn't stand it. But clearly you'd need at least 2 weeks to get used to ANY new keyboard in earnest.

It will be interesting to see what real users think in 2017.
 
smoledman said:
Thing is unless you are super-privileged to work in a super-modern tech campus(Apple, MS, Facebook, Google) wireless networks can be very unreliable and having ethernet access is a MUST. This is 1 reason why corporations will not adopt Macbooks.
Click to expand...
Corporations will adopt MacBooks and use them on Ethernet networks just fine.
 
drvelocity said:
Coming from a programmer who has been on the Macbook pro for (maybe?) 10 years and gotten used to that keyboard, I was DREADING the new butterfly keyboard. I tried the gen 1 out a few months ago and wasn't completely horrified but I could definitely see where touch typing would be more difficult with such low key travel.

I just tried the gen 2 keyboard in store yesterday, and it is a huge difference in terms of tactile feedback. Travel remains the same but the keys are clickier, offering that much-needed haptic feedback that allows for fast typing.

Here's the thing: I found that I was actually able to type FASTER on the new keyboard than on mine, and that's without any adjustment time. Frankly, I'm not worried at all about the keyboard. That escape key, on the other hand...
Click to expand...
I have already binded my caps lock to function as the esc key. It's a lot better than the normal position for esc and it's easy to configure with newest version of Sierra.
 
drvelocity said:
Coming from a programmer who has been on the Macbook pro for (maybe?) 10 years and gotten used to that keyboard, I was DREADING the new butterfly keyboard. I tried the gen 1 out a few months ago and wasn't completely horrified but I could definitely see where touch typing would be more difficult with such low key travel.

I just tried the gen 2 keyboard in store yesterday, and it is a huge difference in terms of tactile feedback. Travel remains the same but the keys are clickier, offering that much-needed haptic feedback that allows for fast typing.

Here's the thing: I found that I was actually able to type FASTER on the new keyboard than on mine, and that's without any adjustment time. Frankly, I'm not worried at all about the keyboard. That escape key, on the other hand...
Click to expand...

I'm a heavy vi user and plan to get the non-TB version for that reason. Glad you found the new keyboard satisfactory.
 
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