iFixit confirms better Keyboard for 2017 MacBook Pro?

[aevan]

This is a video with a removed key from December MBP 2016 (at the very beginning)

This is a video with a removed key from March MBP 2016 (the video is dated in March, no idea when the MBP was bought)

This is a removed key from iFixit MB 2017 teardown

https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/flHTiXrbQxeP5AFM.medium

They seem the same. The only difference - MAYBE - is the material of that disc part, but it's hard to say if it's a different material or just lighting (judging by the second video it's just the lighting).


So, they pretty much look the same. Now, I don't know. My 2016 does not do that high-pitched thing, even when really heated up. And there are 2017 MBPs that do that high-pitched thing.

There were also rumors that Apple is changing the keys for 2016 models when you bring them in for service. No idea if this is true.

Now, draw your own conclusions. Maybe they did a minor tweak (known to happen). Maybe they didn't. Maybe people who feel the difference with 2017 models feel it because it's there. Maybe they are imagining it. Or, maybe - since even between same generation models there are different feeling keyboards - they had bad luck with previous ones and now they think new ones feel better, while in fact their previous ones felt bad.

I have no idea. I just know they look the same.

 

[jerryk]

I don't know why anyone would be surprised that Apple make changes in their products over time. Continuous improvement is a how we get better and better products. My guess there that dozens of changes have been made between the 2016 and 2017 model, but only a few larger changes, like the processor and SSD changes, get put into the announcement.

 

[upandown]

I don't know why anyone would be surprised that Apple make changes in their products over time. Continuous improvement is a how we get better and better products. My guess there that dozens of changes have been made between the 2016 and 2017 model, but only a few larger changes, like the processor and SSD changes, get put into the announcement.

I couldn't agree more. I have a friend who works at Apple, and I know for a fact, parts (no matter how small) get changed all the time. Even for old outdated products they still sell. iPhone 6 etc. They are always doing cost analysis and whether a certain part is holding up. They will even change suppliers to make the same part to specifications. And the public will never know the difference without some serious homework.

 

[vipergts2207]

I don't know why anyone would be surprised that Apple make changes in their products over time. Continuous improvement is a how we get better and better products. My guess there that dozens of changes have been made between the 2016 and 2017 model, but only a few larger changes, like the processor and SSD changes, get put into the announcement.

It's not that it would be surprising, quite the contrary. I was actually expecting ifixit to find a few internal design changes, rather they found almost none. The problem was that there was no evidence of the changes being purported here.

 

[jerryk]

It's not that it would be surprising, quite the contrary. I was actually expecting ifixit to find a few internal design changes, rather they found almost none. The problem was that there was no evidence of the changes being purported here.

How do we know? Just because a part looks like last years does not me it has the same properties of last years. Material changes in modern polymers can change a piece from attacking like a tight spring to dampened shock absorber.

 

[vipergts2207]

How do we know? Just because a part looks like last years does not me it has the same properties of last years. Material changes in modern polymers can change a piece from attacking like a tight spring to dampened shock absorber.

Reread what I said.

The problem was that there was no evidence of the changes being purported here.

If you've got some evidence that the polymer was changed, I'd be more than happy to look at it. All I see is conjecture though.