The matte coating wears off eventually due to friction and skin oils. I can't say I've seen this type of key flaking before. Actually, I'm more surprised Apple doesn't use a dual mold injection design to use black plastic with a white-clear lettering to allow light to come through. Clear keys painted in black matte is a bit weird even for Apple.
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First key of Macbook Pro 2018 is already chipping off
- Thread starter appleino
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You got lucky? You shouldn't have had this problem in the first place.
I've never had that issue either (been using MacBooks/iBooks for almost 20 years), until this last one I have (2016 13" MacBook Pro). I'm super careful with my computers, it's on my desk 95% of the time. Very disappointed.
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Here are pictures of two of the keys that have started flaking.
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This is happening to the filling in my D key, was wiping the keyboard down with a microfiber and a bit of iKlear and looked down and noticed it gone. Think I'll fill it with a bit of nail polish or sharpie for now, not worth a repair — I'll wait for something else to break, and glad to have AppleCare for the first time ever with this (expensive) MBP!
Not the biggest deal in the world but I do not recall this happening with a single other MBP/PowerBook in the past 15 years...
Not the biggest deal in the world but I do not recall this happening with a single other MBP/PowerBook in the past 15 years...
FYI - I have two Macs - a MacBook Pro at work and a MacBook Air for home. Both are less than a year old and both of them have the exact same problem (and on the same key). Was thinking of sending back for repair, however, it appears too risky. I've attached an image of the MacBook Air Command Key. (and from MacBook Pro)
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Wow. That key looks terrible in general. Aside from the chip, it looks all wrinkly as though the paint hadn't adhered properly. Or to paraphrase Weasel from Dead Pool, it looks like an avocado had sex with an older avocado.
Ugh, this just happened to mine. Really hope they'll replace it
Had too many issues with the 2018 model. Already had to have it replaced once
Had too many issues with the 2018 model. Already had to have it replaced once
I have two keys that are beginning to chip on my 6 mo old 2018 MBP now. The “A” and the “E” keys. I am on #5 of the 2018’s, but this one I unfortunately had well beyond the return date before problems began to surface
A Deadpool reference! NICE!
Yeah, it looks like the paint never settled --- I look at the keys on my 2017 MBP and it looks like a solid black with no wave. The black looks like it is on TOP not from under? weird.
Yeah, that’s really weird about how that wrinkled in his. It does look like the paint never settled.
Mine is just starting to miss bits of paint. Sad thing is I have no fingernails to speak of, so it isn’t nails doing the damage. Just really thin paint I think?
To me it looks like heat melting away at the coating. Weird how the letters are still there. The one posted up on this page ^ look like heat burning through the center of the key.
For someone that uses their keyboard 10% of the time I think the op said there’s no way it’s just flaking off from barely any touching
For someone that uses their keyboard 10% of the time I think the op said there’s no way it’s just flaking off from barely any touching
Mine looks like this. Not bad *yet*, but still disappointing for 6 months old. I have a number of other laptops far older, including a couple of Dell garage machines that are about 12 years old, that look better
I have a theory (crazy but might be true) that it might be due to hair wax. I use a bit on my hair and when I'm thinking I guess that I might scratch my head and then touch the keyboard. If the wax is petroleum based and the keys are petroleum based maybe there is some chemical interaction between the different elements. This would explain why two of my computers have the exact same issue on the same key. Can't think of any other reason.
It is just bad quality in material and process used, that is all to it.
My mechanical keyboards have replaceable keys. I don't know if you can order a single key for replacement. They did come with a few blank keys.
I began acclimating myself to using a thin (thinnest I could find) keyboard cover to protect the keys after having a bad experience with AppleCare support. I really disliked it at first, but am pretty used to it now and even happier I don't have to worry about the paint flaking off. Instead of Apple's push to become Big Nanny (let parents of children monitor their own screen time, steps, App purchases, etc.), please spend more time in hardware development and quality control. That is mainly what brought us to Apple and will keep us there.
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I'd heard of this happening before but could never understand how the paint could be chipped off unless you were hitting it with something sharp. Well, I just looked down at the keyboard of my 2018 MacBook Pro and noticed there's a chunk of paint missing on the left Command key. Picture attached.
Do you know if I'll be able to get this repaired or replaced by Apple? It's obviously within the 12 month warranty (I bought it in December) but I'm travelling at the moment and won't be back home (in a country with an Apple Store) for a couple of months so I guess it'll have to wait. I'll still be in the 12 month window so hopefully I can get it sorted.
It's bad enough having the odd random BridgeOS crash but this is really frustrating and disappointing. I have super short nails so I just can't see how it happened. I wondered if something was trapped when I closed it but there's no marks on the screen so it can't be that. Also, I treat this thing like a piece of jewellery as well.
Do you know if I'll be able to get this repaired or replaced by Apple? It's obviously within the 12 month warranty (I bought it in December) but I'm travelling at the moment and won't be back home (in a country with an Apple Store) for a couple of months so I guess it'll have to wait. I'll still be in the 12 month window so hopefully I can get it sorted.
It's bad enough having the odd random BridgeOS crash but this is really frustrating and disappointing. I have super short nails so I just can't see how it happened. I wondered if something was trapped when I closed it but there's no marks on the screen so it can't be that. Also, I treat this thing like a piece of jewellery as well.
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I'd heard of this happening before but could never understand how the paint could be chipped off unless you were hitting it with something sharp. Well, I just looked down at the keyboard of my 2018 MacBook Pro and noticed there's a chunk of paint missing on the left Command key. Picture attached.
Do you know if I'll be able to get this repaired or replaced by Apple? It's obviously within the 12 month warranty (I bought it in December) but I'm travelling at the moment and won't be back home (in a country with an Apple Store) for a couple of months so I guess it'll have to wait. I'll still be in the 12 month window so hopefully I can get it sorted.
It's bad enough having the odd random BridgeOS crash but this is really frustrating and disappointing. I have super short nails so I just can't see how it happened. I wondered if something was trapped when I closed it but there's no marks on the screen so it can't be that. Also, I treat this thing like a piece of jewellery as well.
YMMV, but generally Apple will consider this type of thing “cosmetic” and will not warrant it.
But it never hurts to ask
I'd heard of this happening before but could never understand how the paint could be chipped off unless you were hitting it with something sharp. Well, I just looked down at the keyboard of my 2018 MacBook Pro and noticed there's a chunk of paint missing on the left Command key. Picture attached.
Do you know if I'll be able to get this repaired or replaced by Apple? It's obviously within the 12 month warranty (I bought it in December) but I'm travelling at the moment and won't be back home (in a country with an Apple Store) for a couple of months so I guess it'll have to wait. I'll still be in the 12 month window so hopefully I can get it sorted.
It's bad enough having the odd random BridgeOS crash but this is really frustrating and disappointing. I have super short nails so I just can't see how it happened. I wondered if something was trapped when I closed it but there's no marks on the screen so it can't be that. Also, I treat this thing like a piece of jewellery as well.
I'm flabbergasted that paint is used as the keyboard surface. I thought that the letters were etched on a piece of plastic. At least for my mechanical keyboard. I've never seen anything like that on my 2014 and 2015 models.
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Could you fix this with a sharpie?
I doubt it would hold up. I haven’t found Sharpies to be very permanent on plastics. I have heard they hold up better if you prepare the surface, sand and then clear coat over it... but you would probably just end up with a result similar to what Apple did in the fiat place
I’m definitely going to try taking it to Apple once I’m home in a couple of months. I know most people will say it’s only cosmetic (and the person at Apple might say the same) but for a 6 month old 3000€ computer I find this completely ridiculous. I’ve been using MacBooks for over 10 years now and have never had this before.
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id do the same. it will only get worse if you have a problem now. id emphasize this to the Genius Bar tech.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Mine is also 6 months old. Apple and others can say it is cosmetic damage all they want, but at $4500 it was a fair investment and nobody can deny it will effect resale value.
Aside from that it just looks like cheap crap and there is no excuse for a premium computer looking like crap after 6 months. I keep my nails extremely short so it isn’t finger nails doing it, nor do I use hair wax or any other product as was suggested in an earlier post about possible causes. The keyboard is just cheaply made to maximize profit at the expense of the owner.
I have already had a couple of email exchanges with Executive Relations about other issues with this laptop. I am going to reach out to them again and see what they say about it.