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Butterfly Keyboard is better than new MacBook Pro
- Thread starter dan9700
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butterfly travel is complete crap, only way i use mine is when i plug in external keyboard on my 16 and 18 15inch.
To me the best case scenario is that both keyboards are reliable and serve the needs of their users. It doesn't need to be one or the other, it is possible for both to be good and appropriate for their application. The scissor mechanism may be the perfect solution for the 16 in MBP. And, with the latest iteration and improved reliability, the butterfly mechanism is the perfect keyboard for slimmer and smaller MacBooks (e.g MBA). These two scenarios are not mutually exclusive.
Finally, who knows if Apple will release an ultra slim 12in ARM MacBook that is designed to work seamlessly with iPad Apps and MacOS. Then, we might be very happy Apple continued to pursue development of the butterfly mechanism.
Finally, who knows if Apple will release an ultra slim 12in ARM MacBook that is designed to work seamlessly with iPad Apps and MacOS. Then, we might be very happy Apple continued to pursue development of the butterfly mechanism.
Please help!
I have 2 MPBs 15" 2017 and love everything about the keyboard, except that it's loud!
I don't type all day long, just emails, docs, presentations, and some light coding.
2015 keyboard: never liked it.
Tried MBP 15" 2019 and did NOT like the keyboard.
Tried the 16" today and did not fall in love with it, it felt OK.
Is there anybody else like me, who prefers the 2017 keyboard? Are you gonna give the 16" a try or ignore?
I have 2 MPBs 15" 2017 and love everything about the keyboard, except that it's loud!
I don't type all day long, just emails, docs, presentations, and some light coding.
2015 keyboard: never liked it.
Tried MBP 15" 2019 and did NOT like the keyboard.
Tried the 16" today and did not fall in love with it, it felt OK.
Is there anybody else like me, who prefers the 2017 keyboard? Are you gonna give the 16" a try or ignore?
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If the OP is typing his comments on the butterfly keyboard, it’s not serving him well: his posts are a bit difficult to parse.
The first thing I've noticed on this new keyboard... ITS SO MUCH QUIETER! I absolutely missed the non-butterfly so much and I'm so happy that its back. So nice to type on.
Exactly my point from the the gripes there is ,,, hearing a lot of positive about the new keyboard . But only time and more review will actually unveils how good its going to be .
To put it into perspective this time around Apple makes quite launch no bells and whistles about them changing the keyboard technology.
I have to agree with OP (and have spoken to some other 2016-2019 MBP owners who agree) that the new 16-inch MBP's keyboard is a huge backward step, after I had the chance to try it yesterday.
While it does not feel quite as wobbly as pre-2015 keyboards, it's just lacking in clickiness and defined response compared to the butterfly keyboards (especially 2017 and up). It's not as fast to type on, and certainly not as fun.
I've really enjoyed the typing experience on my 2016 MBP for the past three years, even more so since I've recently had the keyboard replaced with the 2017 iteration, which has a more refined feel to it and a perhaps not quieter, but less harsh sound.
The 2018 and 2019 butterfly keyboards I've tried have felt just as pleasant to type on, if not better, while being much quieter.
Given that, and the reliability improvements made with the latest iteration (which doesn't seem to have a failure rate even worth mentioning), I must say the 2019 butterfly keyboard has to be the best keyboard Apple ever shipped.
I'd much rather have them strike more of a balance of what people appreciate about previous butterfly and scissor keyboards with that new MBP. It almost seems like they bowed to a very vocal minority, your average user has probably been fine with recent MBP keyboards.
While it does not feel quite as wobbly as pre-2015 keyboards, it's just lacking in clickiness and defined response compared to the butterfly keyboards (especially 2017 and up). It's not as fast to type on, and certainly not as fun.
I've really enjoyed the typing experience on my 2016 MBP for the past three years, even more so since I've recently had the keyboard replaced with the 2017 iteration, which has a more refined feel to it and a perhaps not quieter, but less harsh sound.
The 2018 and 2019 butterfly keyboards I've tried have felt just as pleasant to type on, if not better, while being much quieter.
Given that, and the reliability improvements made with the latest iteration (which doesn't seem to have a failure rate even worth mentioning), I must say the 2019 butterfly keyboard has to be the best keyboard Apple ever shipped.
I'd much rather have them strike more of a balance of what people appreciate about previous butterfly and scissor keyboards with that new MBP. It almost seems like they bowed to a very vocal minority, your average user has probably been fine with recent MBP keyboards.
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I will say that of all the butterfly keyboards, the 2017 version was my favorite one. Its hard to pinpoint, but that keyboard just feels better to type on than the other models.
I also feel that the new MacBook Air keyboards are nice to type on. My wife has one and when I've used it I've really enjoyed typing on it.
With that being said, the 16" model keyboard is my favorite of all of them now. Apple really did a nice job here of taking away the mushiness of the 2015 keyboard and giving much more satisfying travel now when typing. Its so much quieter and its almost a relief to have a keyboard like this to work on again.
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Not because of the keyboard, but because of the specs.
16" has a bigger screen in a very similar footprint, much better performance due to improved cooling, and the entry level GPU 5300 runs circles around the 5y old obsolete 555X, while costing -the same-.
13" with 512GB/16GB RAM costs 2199$. Unless you specifically want a small laptop, shelling 200$ more for a 16" is a nobrainer, you get so much more of a computer for 10% cash difference it's crazy.
The 16" is the best value macbook pro since 2012.
I bought the 13" 2018 in January and when 2019 refresh came round i was "meh", but when the 16" came out I really had a moment of "i should've waited" even tho i specifically went for a 13" because i switched from single'15" setup to mini + super portable.
Can't wait for the 14" 6-cores tho, pretty sure I'm gonna upgrade when they come out
As far as keyboard goes, I actually have no quips with the 3rd gen butterfly, i think it suits the form-factor well, and has been working fine so far. The external Magic keyboard I have definitely feels more "yesterday" and more like the 2012 I had than the butterfly. I actually like the keyboard on my 2018. Feels tight and hi-tech. The Magic keyboard, albeit nice to type on, has a cheaper feeling, keys make a sound when you just move across it with fingers.
im still curious if the butterfly being the last year and 2018's would not hurt value but would gain value being they are discontinued and some people might prefer the keyboard to the 16". We'll see in 6 months if it hurts value or not but I still assume apple will be selling these as refurbs or other places.Not because of the keyboard, but because of the specs.
16" has a bigger screen in a very similar footprint, much better performance due to improved cooling, and the entry level GPU 5300 runs circles around the 5y old obsolete 555X, while costing -the same-.
13" with 512GB/16GB RAM costs 2199$. Unless you specifically want a small laptop, shelling 200$ more for a 16" is a nobrainer, you get so much more of a computer for 10% cash difference it's crazy.
The 16" is the best value macbook pro since 2012.
I bought the 13" 2018 in January and when 2019 refresh came round i was "meh", but when the 16" came out I really had a moment of "i should've waited" even tho i specifically went for a 13" because i switched from single'15" setup to mini + super portable.
Can't wait for the 14" 6-cores tho, pretty sure I'm gonna upgrade when they come out
As far as keyboard goes, I actually have no quips with the 3rd gen butterfly, i think it suits the form-factor well, and has been working fine so far. The external Magic keyboard I have definitely feels more "yesterday" and more like the 2012 I had than the butterfly. I actually like the keyboard on my 2018. Feels tight and hi-tech. The Magic keyboard, albeit nice to type on, has a cheaper feeling, keys make a sound when you just move across it with fingers.
The title of this thread should be:
“I want to purchase a new MacBook Pro but can’t justify selling my earlier model so I’m going to convince myself that the keyboard that most people hated is better than the worlds better keyboard Apple just released.”
“I want to purchase a new MacBook Pro but can’t justify selling my earlier model so I’m going to convince myself that the keyboard that most people hated is better than the worlds better keyboard Apple just released.”
People have widely varying preferences in keyboard. Apple is not going to make everyone happy. But we all want a reliable keyboard. If you truly hate the keyboard on your MacBook Pro, get an external keyboard and use that. My keyboard preferences are not possible on a thin laptop. So I use an external keyboard 95% of the time. My keyboards have 3.5 mm travel - too thick for laptops like the MacBook Pro.
meh, don't think so. I can easily see why someone would prefer the butterfly keyboard.
I wouldn't count on that, unless Intel introduces a 6-core with powerful iGPU in the 28-35 W TDP range.
If Apple decides to introduce a 14something-inch model, that probably won't have a much larger chassis than the current 13-inch so I doubt they'll be able to afford a much higher-power CPU.
Right, Intel still didn't really shrink to 10nm yet and 9th gen all have garbage iGPU.
Wonder what kind of performance we'll see if Apple ever introduces the mythical ARM MacBook
That’s almost all Apple-product-hating whining. Reaching for justifications as you why it’s bad, only to finally be distilled down to not wanting to pay the premium.
We all get it. Yes, Apple is expensive. I’m not sure anyone disagrees. Hell, even I complain about their prices sometimes, but there’s a reason why we still pay it.
To be clear, some product hate is justified, regardless of price. I think most people would agree that the G4 PowerMac Cube was one of those situations.
I look forward to trying it out.
I doubt that they will show up anytime soon at Costco (I go weekly). I don't go to the mall that often where there is an Apple Store but will try to get over there in the next week. I'm already pretty impressed with the reviews - they are overwhelmingly positive. I would be happy if the keyboards are reliable. I really didn't have a problem with Butterfly 1, 2, 3 or 2015 because I seldom use the internal keyboard. But I need it to work when I do use it.
Absolutely not. The G4 Cube is widely considered a design masterpiece and having been ahead of its time.
Like the "trashcan", it wasn't for everyone, but for certain use cases, it was the ideal Mac. Other than with the "trashcan" though, there was still the G4 Tower as an alternative for those who needed something else.
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Not necessarily die completely but there may be likely some or several parts that need to be replaced and they are more or less expensive considering value of the machine is close to nothing after couple of years. Simple things like the battery require the whole top cover assembly replacement including the keyboard etc, so you will be looking few hundred dollar cost for simple battery replacement. Also there are many other things that can fail or deteriorate to point that may need to replace for that (like the ar-coatings, logic board (=mainboard), flex cables, or display having bluish spots and so on). It is more or less the same with other manufacturer machines too but many others still have (pretty easily/cheaply) replaceable batteries which have limited lifespan.
I'm looking forward for hearing your experiences with your 2019 in 2025. Please post your comments then
Correct, but that is glued to the top case, so you will get always new battery and top case too. Not sure if even Touch Bar come with it??
Anyway, considering the fact the battery will need replacement sooner or later in coming years that additional keyboard warranty is actually very nice.
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