iFixit Teardown Suggests 2018 MacBook Pro Keys Feature a Silicone Barrier to Prevent Malfunctions Due to Dust

[thadoggfather]

inconclusive though whether its for durability, or acoustics, or a bit of both...

I wouldn't rush to that conclusion quite yet

Boggles the mind why they wouldn't wrap the mechanical part of it in silicone to begin with tho, especially after 2015 rMB were in the wild that had similar issues

 

[groove-agent]

Also, because of this dust, skin flakes will also be an issue.

...not to mention, dandruff and hair. Hasn't Apple seen the movie Gattaca?

 

[pier]

If I were Tim Cook, I would drop the battery replacement costs from $29 to $9 and shut them down for good.

I recently tried to replace my battery and I was quoted $350 by Apple because the whole top panel had to be replaced.

 

[Labeno]

And MagSafe concept needs to come back! There's no excuse for that ever going away.

Uh, no. Because it's not. Next question.

People wanted:

Old keyboard system (even ignoring the reliability problem, the new keyboards feel gross to type on. the new ones are still super loud, too.)

The old, smaller trackpad (new one is too big - lots of accidental input)

Ports - USB-C is great, but 20 years of legacy won't vanish overnight. Having the ability to hook up my stuff without dongles is essential

The stupid ****ing touch bar to go away - Transitioning from typing on keys to touching glass mid-sentence is just gross.

A resolution bump - the 15" MBPR still has the reduced effective resolution of the original Retina MacBook Pro.

Core count bump - delivered

32GB of ram - delivered

Pricing reduced to 2015 levels - nope, a semi-decent largely base 15" config is still well over $3000. A bit much for a fairly terrible laptop.

need

 

[cmaier]

Boom.

Can we admit that this MBP refresh is everything that people have been asking for?

Nope. Even ifixit admits this may have nothing to do with reliability. And in my case the keyboard broke and it has nothing to do with dust anyway, as is the case for many people. That’s why they have a replacement program. If it was all dust they would just be able to spray it out with compressed air.

 

[pier]

Apple, just go back to the 2012-2015 keyboard design. It's far superior. It feels better, it was more reliable, and it was MUCH quieter. It checks all the boxes. Why did you change it and make it suck so much in these newer models? Just swallow your pride and go back to your great design!

Actually, Apple should go back to the chiclet mechanism of the Magic Keyboard 2. It's way better than the one on the retina MBPs.

 

[Mazda 3s]

So, does that mean that people that take their 2015-2017 MacBooks and MacBook Pros in for repair (under the free keyboard replacement program) will get these new gasket-equipped keyboards? I would only hope so, or else Apple is not really solving the problems for those customers.

 

[SteveJUAE]

So it took them 2 years to implement this fix since filing, in the meantime they sold 1000's of laptops knowingly with a defect

 

[Mac-key]

That pretty much addresses my concerns... I will be buying the 2018 MBP

 

[groove-agent]

I recently tried to replace my battery and I was quoted $350 by Apple because the whole top panel had to be replaced.

That's ridiculous. Which laptop do you have?
[doublepost=1531532430][/doublepost]

So, does that mean that people that take their 2015-2017 MacBooks and MacBook Pros in for repair (under the free keyboard replacement program) will get these new gasket-equipped keyboards? I would only hope so, or else Apple is not really solving the problems for those customers.

I would imagine so, but time will tell.

 

[simonmet]

I recently tried to replace my battery and I was quoted $350 by Apple because the whole top panel had to be replaced.

This is when you have to ask them how on earth that's environmentally responsible of them.

 

[thadoggfather]

So it took them 2 years to implement this fix since filing, in the meantime they sold 1000's of laptops knowingly with a defect

View attachment 770532

Tm Cook's Apple for ya in a nutshell!

suddenly the 4 years of coverage from original purchase date (+1 year if you have AC already) for the keyboard doesn't feel that great.

 

[pier]

That's ridiculous. Which laptop do you have?

This was for a 2014 13'' rMBP.

The quote was actually for about $450 but then Apple bought the used part which brought the total price down of the repair to $350.

I'm in Mexico btw not in the US.

Edit:

Actually I just checked again and the cost of the part was closer to $600 (12000 MXN) and then about $350 (7000 MXN) with the exchange program.

Here is my quote

 

[Playfoot]

Boom.

Can we admit that this MBP refresh is everything that people have been asking for?

We will be unable to answer as Apple missed our corporate refresh cycle, admittedly faster than normal due to the issues with the late 2016 MBP. The noise and typing issues for us meant that WinTel was back, via the XPS, for the first time in 15 years. . . .

I do hope the new iteration fixes the faulty keyboard, the incredibly loud typing. Just wish something had been done about the trackpad.

 

[groove-agent]

This is when you have to ask them how on earth that's environmentally responsible.

I would imagine the top case is refurbished with a new battery in it. It makes it quicker for them to replace, but they get the customer to front the cash. Kinda sucks.

A battery is almost like gas for a car. It's inevitably going to need replacement.
[doublepost=1531532820][/doublepost]

I do hope the new iteration fixes the faulty keyboard, the incredibly loud typing. Just wish something had been done about the trackpad.

What's wrong with the track pad?

 

[SteveJUAE]

Tm Cook's Apple for ya in a nutshell!

suddenly the 4 years of coverage from original purchase date (+1 year if you have AC already) for the keyboard doesn't feel that great.

Premium products at premium prices, not...…. seems more like they cheaped out on a bit of silicone and it's come back to bite them

 

[jeremysteele]

Hmm... I'll wait for their finished thoughts, but this makes me a little more interested. I'll wait a few months though, as that's when the keyboards start to fail.

Absolutely. I'm always a fan of letting them work out the kinks first, and see what happens.

Ok, MR staff, it’s friday night. Stop posting and go get a %&@! drink.

Arn locks them up on Friday nights. They aren't allowed out unless they write 10 articles each, at least 500 words.

 

[jasonsmith_88]

My work will be providing me with one of these new machines (whether I like it or not). Keen to see how it goes, but don't have high hopes. I bought and returned the 13" non-tb in 2017 because of the arrow keys - when pressed softly, you could feel them click but they didn't register a keypress. After testing tens of MB/MBPs, tb/non-tb, in store and through friends, I learned that they all exhibited this behaviour. I really hope the third gen has fixed this, but seems doubtful as it's the same mechanism.

On my current 2011 MBP, I can trust that when I press the down arrow 4 times my cursor has moved down 4 rows. However, with the butterfly keyboard that trust is gone so I have to sit there watching the cursor. Absolutely terrible for programming.

Also I'll be getting a TB model, and I'm quite sad that my days of being able to adjust volume, brightness, and show desktop without looking down at the keyboard are gone, but somehow this is considered progression.

 

[simonmet]

And MagSafe concept needs to come back! There's no excuse for that ever going away. need

Agreed. My two biggest gripes are lack of optical audio out (what, to save 2 cents, thanks Timmy) and SD card slot. Following that, the ultra-small keyboard travel. I'd accept a reduction but not nearly as much as they reduced it from the 2015 model, and the ridiculously oversized trackpad. The stupid thing about the oversized trackpad on the 15" is that when you're resting your palms naturally while typing you can feel the line at the edge of the trackpad as it borders the area that was formally entirely palm rest and this is so annoying.

 

[groove-agent]

Ah, that could explain it.

This was for a 2014 13'' rMBP.

The quote was actually for about $450 but then Apple bought the used part which brought the total price down of the repair to $350.

I'm in Mexico btw not in the US.

 

[rellimie]

Uh, no. Because it's not. Next question.

People wanted:

Old keyboard system (even ignoring the reliability problem, the new keyboards feel gross to type on. the new ones are still super loud, too.)

The old, smaller trackpad (new one is too big - lots of accidental input)

Ports - USB-C is great, but 20 years of legacy won't vanish overnight. Having the ability to hook up my stuff without dongles is essential

The stupid ****ing touch bar to go away - Transitioning from typing on keys to touching glass mid-sentence is just gross.

A resolution bump - the 15" MBPR still has the reduced effective resolution of the original Retina MacBook Pro.

Core count bump - delivered

32GB of ram - delivered

Pricing reduced to 2015 levels - nope, a semi-decent largely base 15" config is still well over $3000. A bit much for a fairly terrible laptop.

Don’t speak for me. I’m people and I disagree with pretty much everything you said.

 

[Superhappytree]

Apple, just go back to the 2012-2015 keyboard design. It's far superior. It feels better, it was more reliable, and it was MUCH quieter. It checks all the boxes. Why did you change it and make it suck so much in these newer models? Just swallow your pride and go back to your great design!

This is funny to me as I recall the same thing being said about the keyboards on the 2012-2015 models as being inferior when they were first introduced compared to the 2011 and earlier non retina models.

 

[udflyer]

I find it curious that iFixit rushed out their position on the keyboard before their complete breakdown that usually comes out in a week.

Maybe Apple had them do it as a "wink, wink" - issue is fixed....

 

[groove-agent]

I always found the bigger problem was the edge of the chassis closest to me. When I first start using the laptop I have lines in my wrists like I've been cutting, but eventually I'll adapt and lift my forearms a little.

Agreed. My two biggest gripes are lack of optical audio out (what, to save 2 cents, thanks Timmy) and SD card slot. Following that, the ultra-small keyboard travel. I'd accept a reduction but not nearly as much as they reduced it from the 2015 model, and the ridiculously oversized trackpad. The stupid thing about the oversized trackpad on the 15" is that when you're resting your palms naturally while typing you can feel the line at the edge of the trackpad as it borders the area that was formally entirely palm rest and this is so annoying.

 

[Spinning Fan]

Long time lurker, first time poster on the boards.

I am also awaiting use reports over the next 3-6 months.

Due to my new job being BYOD, I needed to purchase new hardware in these past couple of months.
I just cannot bring myself to purchase the 2018 on the first day out because of the reported keyboard reliability uncertainty stemming from the 2016/7 models.

Almost went with the 2015 MBP before they took them off the site, but cancelled the BTO due to specs.
Went with a Surface Book 2 15 yesterday, after seeing the MBP announcements, and almost immediately regretting it a little mostly due to the change in Eco System (too much OSX assets and habits in me to switch my main machine).

Eagerly awaiting field reports on the keyboard.. at which time, I will likely change or add machines..
I can try to learn and live with everything else on the new MBP platform, including the USB-C only config and touch-bar.
Just don't want to worry about reliability uncertainties..