My 2011 mba is still going strong, keyboard works like new, lets see if your 2018 mba lasts that long
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Has anyone had any keyboard issues with the MacBook Air 2018?
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Almost 2 months since my first post in this thread; still no issues. This doesn't rule out problems later on, but...
There’s a chance it could. This issue doesn’t affect everyoneMy 2011 mba is still going strong, keyboard works like new, lets see if your 2018 mba lasts that long
This is why i’m a little concerned about getting the new MacBook Air, I really want to sell my Surface Pro 6 and get the new Air but these keyboard issues sound worrying
Does anyone recommend getting Apple Care or are the keyboard issues fixed by Apple without it?
Does anyone recommend getting Apple Care or are the keyboard issues fixed by Apple without it?
As far as I know, the keyboard program is only for 2016 and 2017 MacBook pros. But if you buy now you’ll get the 1 year warranty which will cover it and I suspect if it’s still a problem, apple will update the program to include the new airsThis is why i’m a little concerned about getting the new MacBook Air, I really want to sell my Surface Pro 6 and get the new Air but these keyboard issues sound worrying
Does anyone recommend getting Apple Care or are the keyboard issues fixed by Apple without it?
Well in the end it will affect everyone, they all use the same extremely low travel mechanism. It's not a matter of if, but when I'm afraid.
The keyboard repair program also cover some MacBooks.
Eligible Models
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-macbook-and-macbook-pro/
You are right, no coverage for MBA's yet.
So, on my 2018 Air, I've noticed a few of the keys on the left hand side of the keyboard have "noticeably" less travel than they did. The TAB, CAPS LOCK, SHIFT and ` all seem to be affected. Is that even a thing?
Its strange because there's not much travel in the keyboard to start with, but I can really feel the difference in these keys and its leading to mistyping as the feel is off compared to the rest.
Its strange because there's not much travel in the keyboard to start with, but I can really feel the difference in these keys and its leading to mistyping as the feel is off compared to the rest.
What do you mean by less travel? Like the key physically feels harder to press (almost smooshy like there's butter under it)? If so, I had similar issues with my MacBook pro's shift key which I had to get replaced multiple times at the apple store and the problem kept coming back. For my MacBook Air 2018 I have had no problems except that the 'v' was kind of sticking in the way mentioned above... I turned the laptop over and hit it a few times (gently) and it eventually went away and hasn't come back since.
No, not physically harder to press, but like there's less travel - almost like the key is stuck down slightly. Obviously not enough to make the key repeat, but they feel like the key is already depressed slightly. We're talking about really small margins here, but the end result is that the keys feel different compared to all the others and its throwing my typing off.
I'll try your method first!
Are you sure that that is really the case? Maybe Apple said that it is your fault if you get some kind of dirt under your key cabs....
Maybe it will take them a couple of lawsuits to acknowledge it (as was the case with the Macbook pro 2017s)
Maybe it will take them a couple of lawsuits to acknowledge it (as was the case with the Macbook pro 2017s)
That sends a simple message to me: Don’t buy this peace of junk.....
Maybe it will take them a couple of lawsuits to acknowledge it (as was the case with the Macbook pro 2017s)
Presumably they’re just waiting to see if the changes to the third gen keyboard used in the 2018 machines have resolved the problems or not. If not, I’m sure the repair programme will be extended.
It’s a real mess though because if they debut a new keyboard design in the next MBP, does the 2018 Air get left with the butterfly one which is prone to the failures?
I’m so glad I returned mine before I had any serious problems. I feel like I dodged a bullet!
The 2018 MBA just doesn't seem worth it for the money, my keyboard was fine but I had to feel careful typing on it because I was afraid I was going to break it (especially the Spacebar which normally gets pressed hard and often). The anti-reflective coating also started coming off my screen after DAY 1, which is ridiculous. My 2013 MBA that I used to have I didn't have to baby like that.
Returned that thing and got an Apple refurb 2017 MBA, couldn't be happier. Typing this post on that real keyboard right now!
Returned that thing and got an Apple refurb 2017 MBA, couldn't be happier. Typing this post on that real keyboard right now!
I would still like to point out that the MacBook Air 2018 is still a great computer. It's got GREAT battery life (I get 10-12 hours) and its very small and lightweight. I've had no other problems with it. I also have a MacBook Pro 2017 with the second gen keyboard and I definitely do see a huge improvement with the third gen keyboard (even though it seems that there are still problems, but perhaps less so...).
The 2018 MBA is definitely a great computer, I agree. If it didn't have the butterfly keyboard it would be great! Also the one I returned was 16GB/512GB, and my 2017 is only 8GB/512GB, I wish I was able to get the 16GB RAM. Also I could do without the anti-reflective coating, seriously I don't want to worry about some extremely weak coating just to prevent some glare. I'd rather take the glare.
Overall it has its shortcomings but I prefer having the 2017 and the old reliable MBA body. Plus I have an i7, why Apple didn't make the i7 an option in the 2018 I have no idea. Yeah the performance boost isn't huge, but it does help once in awhile.
I was at a local apple store yesterday to get an iphone xs max, and I played w/ the on-display 2018 mba's. Out of a couple of them, one of them had the space bar double registering intermittently. It was not obvious at first but I opened pages app and alternated space bar and 'm' keys and space bar introduced double spaces in an inconsistent manner. The problem was reproducible.
I performed the same test on another mba sitting next to it and it was fine. I'm inclined to say that people may have their machines affected by keyboard failures but due to its intermittent nature and some people using their macs in a clam-shell mode almost exclusively w/ external keyboards, the problem may not dawn on them in a conspicuous way.
I recently made an bto order on a 2018 v20 mbp 15", so I will be doing some stress tests on the keyboard once I get it. I'm hoping to break the keyboard within the 2-week period. We will see.
I performed the same test on another mba sitting next to it and it was fine. I'm inclined to say that people may have their machines affected by keyboard failures but due to its intermittent nature and some people using their macs in a clam-shell mode almost exclusively w/ external keyboards, the problem may not dawn on them in a conspicuous way.
I recently made an bto order on a 2018 v20 mbp 15", so I will be doing some stress tests on the keyboard once I get it. I'm hoping to break the keyboard within the 2-week period. We will see.
Even tough I have had problems with the keyboard I am happy they are resolved now and hope they will stay for the foreseeable future (will at some point invest in Apple care). This machine is beautiful and would not trade it for inferior version which is the old Air ( I have one in the household) just because it will at some point start to show it's age. And don't bring the hate on me for saying this but I am fond of the new keyboard and it's more minimalist design, the old one in comparison looks too bright because of light leaking trough the keys out (depending on set key brightness). In the end it all depends on personal preference but I can agree that Apple lately has been real ****** with their QA regarding their products ranging from 2017 PRO with current issue people have been experiencing with displays just right after all the keyboard woes ...
I'll join you in the minority of people that like the new keyboard way better than the old one. I expected from what everyone said for it to just be a terrible typing experience that would break my fingers. What I got was a clicky keyboard that feels more precise than the old one that I enjoy typing on more.