Is having an out-of-warranty M1 Air's keyboard replaced at an Apple Store worth it?

[dandeco]

My M1 MacBook Air's keyboard is starting to act funny, since apparently some of the keys got dirty. First the "5" key began acting up. I tried replacing the keyboard cover, hinge and dome myself and cleaning underneath, but it still acts funny, and sometimes gives false positives and randomly inserts the number into what I type, so5 it g5oes li5ke 5this. Then the "M" and "U" keys began to work inconsistently. If I use the MacBook Air in clamshell/desktop mode, then I don't have this problem, as I am using it to type this right now but I can't use it that way forever.
Right now I am saving up for an M2 Pro Mac Mini, but if this keeps up and gets worse, I might hold off on that purchase and instead take this to the Apple Store and have the keyboard serviced/replaced. I don't have AppleCare on it, so I hope it won't cost as much as buying a new MacBook Air, and I hope it doesn't take a very long time. If it's just $500 or less than that, and can be done in a week or less, I'll consider it and get by using my 2015 Retina 15" MacBook Pro during that time, or possibly a few of my other older Macs just for a fun throwback to make the best of a temporary solution. (I can even browse the web and do instant messaging on my 2012 unibody 13" MacBook Pro running El Capitan with minimal fuss!)
Would taking it to the Apple Store in this case be the best option? If that's the case, I could probably go do that some time in August, most likely during my week-off vacation from my day job. Until then, for the time being I will use my M1 Air in desktop/clamshell mode, and when on the go I'll use that Retina MacBook Pro I mentioned.

 

[JiggyJaggy]

I had the same problem. Have your tried resetting the SMC?

 

[chrfr]

I had the same problem. Have your tried resetting the SMC?

Apple Silicon Macs don’t have an SMC to reset. Anything that would get reset would be addressed by shutting down or restarting the computer: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

 

[dandeco]

Apple Silicon Macs don’t have an SMC to reset. Anything that would get reset would be addressed by shutting down or restarting the computer: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

Yeah, and shutting down/rebooting the Mac didn't help

 

[chrfr]

Yeah, and shutting down/rebooting the Mac didn't help

In this case, yes, I'd take it to Apple for the replacement, but costs may be prohibitive and not really worth it. In any case, get an estimate from them to see what it'd cost and decide from there.

 

[dandeco]

In this case, yes, I'd take it to Apple for the replacement, but costs may be prohibitive and not really worth it. In any case, get an estimate from them to see what it'd cost and decide from there.

Yeah, maybe next weekend I will swing by the Apple Store to see if I can get an estimate first. Then if I find the cost worth it, once I've saved up enough I will make the appointment to drop it off for the repair. That is, if such a thing can be done. (If it will be around $500 then I can have the repairs done in mid-August when I'm on my week off from work.)

 

[JiggyJaggy]

Got quoted £340 for a M1 MacBook Air keyboard replacement at Apple London.

 

[whitby]

If the machine is still adequate for your needs and the replacement costs for whatever parts is less than the cost of a new one, then get it repaired. The machine is still current (I am not sure of the configuration of your machine and the new ones on sale are pretty limited in configuration options, if any so you may not be able to buy new the exact configuration you have) and still a very good machine. My feeling is repair and keep using it.

 

[dandeco]

If the machine is still adequate for your needs and the replacement costs for whatever parts is less than the cost of a new one, then get it repaired. The machine is still current (I am not sure of the configuration of your machine and the new ones on sale are pretty limited in configuration options, if any so you may not be able to buy new the exact configuration you have) and still a very good machine. My feeling is repair and keep using it.

That's what I am hoping to do. My M1 Air is still my main Mac, even if I can currently only use it in clamshell/desktop mode so I don't have the keyboard issues. But eventually once I get an M2 Pro Mac Mini, that will become my main Mac to use at home, but the M1 Air I will still use when I'm on the go or whatever for years to come, which is why I want to make sure the keyboard gets fixed.

 

[ignatius345]

(If it will be around $500 then I can have the repairs done in mid-August when I'm on my week off from work.)

Depending on the specs of your Air, you might be able to just replace it with an Apple refurbished one, or one on sale for not a whole lot more than this. And you could always sell the current one as-is for I'd guess at least a couple hundred bucks.

 

[dandeco]

Depending on the specs of your Air, you might be able to just replace it with an Apple refurbished one, or one on sale for not a whole lot more than this. And you could always sell the current one as-is for I'd guess at least a couple hundred bucks.

It's the 8-core graphics model with 512 GB SSD, and I configured the order so it has 16 GB of RAM. Cost me around $1500. So if I have to just pay one third of what it cost to buy it, I'm willing to do that. It'd almost be like a car repair. (Heck, me and my brother have often compared owning a computer to owning a car, with the maintenance they require and when something needs to be fixed.)

 

[dandeco]

Well, yesterday I dropped my M1 MacBook Air off at the Apple Store in Braintree to have they keyboard replaced.

It should be ready early next week, but it's gonna run me around $450. I accepted it, because that Air cost me $1500 when I bought it new (got the 8-core graphics 512 GB SSD model, with the RAM maxed out to 16 GB). Plus, I make at least $300 a week at my day job anyways, so I won't be a tightwad for too long afterwards. Also, the Apple Genius Bar specialists were impressed with my knowledge and cross-platform dedication, my day job as an Apple tech for the electronics recycling/reselling company, and my mentioning I have a nifty collection of functional older Macs, even PowerPC ones!

 

[dandeco]

Well, yesterday I dropped my M1 MacBook Air off at the Apple Store in Braintree to have they keyboard replaced.
View attachment 2261766
It should be ready early next week, but it's gonna run me around $450. I accepted it, because that Air cost me $1500 when I bought it new (got the 8-core graphics 512 GB SSD model, with the RAM maxed out to 16 GB). Plus, I make at least $300 a week at my day job anyways, so I won't be a tightwad for too long afterwards. Also, the Apple Genius Bar specialists were impressed with my knowledge and cross-platform dedication, my day job as an Apple tech for the electronics recycling/reselling company, and my mentioning I have a nifty collection of functional older Macs, even PowerPC ones!

Actually the total came to around $362, and it was ready to pick up TODAY! I was impressed at how quickly that repair went. Now it'll be all set when I take it to Furpocalypse in late October (in addition to being my fastest and most powerful Mac on hand, it's also my lightest and smallest). While waiting I even passed the time by playing around with some stuff at the Apple Store...

While it's neat an iPad version of Final Cut Pro is available for the M1/M2-equipped iPad Airs and Pros, I can't really see myself doing elaborate video editing on one. I definitely prefer video editing on an actual desktop or laptop computer.

Even the M1 iMacs are good for video editing (at least up to light or moderate 4K editing), especially with the 8-core graphics and 16 GB of RAM. One hypothetical scenario I can see is if a public school has an audiovisual lab; these iMacs would definitely look good in one.