I'm thinking about buying a new Macbook and even though I like the specs of the 14" MBP, I hate the feeling of the keyboard it has. It honestly feels like a typing on a brick. By comparison, the M1 MBA keyboard feels much better. Am I the only one that thinks this? I wonder if the keyboard on display at the store where I saw it was just bad? Did anyone choose the Air just because of the keyboard?
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Is the keyboard on the M1 MBA better than the one on 14" MBP?
- Thread starter Mity
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To me the pro's keyboards feel different than the Airs. I have had 2 x M1 Airs, an M2 15 inch Air, and a 16 inch pro. The Airs feel exactly the same. The 16 inch pro's feels like less travel and more "hollow" feeling to me. Allegedly they are the exact same keyboard but I don't think so, but if they are then it's the thick body that makes it feel like that.
I was going to post this observation, then I saw this one.
I completely agree. I have an M2 MBA, and am considering a MBP. When I tried the MBP keyboard at my local Apple store, I found the travel to be significantly different than the MBA I've grown used to.
I found this comment on another thread:
For something as crucial to how we interact with these devices, I find the shallower keyboard on the MBP to be frustrating. I'm sure it's to do with the MBP needing to be thicker for thermals, and Apple wanting to shave a millimetre here and there to keep them slim.
Anyway, that's it. I'll still likely get the MBP - they're spectacular machines - but I just wanted to add my voice to this conversation.
I completely agree. I have an M2 MBA, and am considering a MBP. When I tried the MBP keyboard at my local Apple store, I found the travel to be significantly different than the MBA I've grown used to.
I found this comment on another thread:
For something as crucial to how we interact with these devices, I find the shallower keyboard on the MBP to be frustrating. I'm sure it's to do with the MBP needing to be thicker for thermals, and Apple wanting to shave a millimetre here and there to keep them slim.
Anyway, that's it. I'll still likely get the MBP - they're spectacular machines - but I just wanted to add my voice to this conversation.
I was at the Apple Store a few hrs ago and mentioned this to their svc manager.. He stated the keyboards are the exact same. He could only attribute the perceived difference to the size of the computers themselves. Must say, I tried all of the MacBooks I could get ahold of and found no difference.
He probably hasn't read Rtings showing different key forces.
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) Review
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) is a laptop that features Apple's M1 SoC (System-on-Chip). It's very easy to carry around due to its compact size, and its ba...
www.rtings.com
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) Review
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is a premium laptop available with Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max SoCs (System on a Chip). It looks nearly identical to its bigger bro...
www.rtings.com
He probably hasn't read Rtings showing different key forces.
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) Review
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M1, 2020) is a laptop that features Apple's M1 SoC (System-on-Chip). It's very easy to carry around due to its compact size, and its ba...
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) Review
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021) is a premium laptop available with Apple's M1 Pro and M1 Max SoCs (System on a Chip). It looks nearly identical to its bigger bro...
Maybe, but per his words, when they do a repair it’s the same part. Beyond that
Maybe, but per his words, when they do a repair it’s the same part. Beyond that
Hate to say it, but he's probably just trying to get rid of you by saying whatever you want to hear.
Even a layman can see the M1 MBA has entirely different shaped top row function keys compared to MBP 14.
The M2 MBA keyboard has a different connector position and shape compared to MBP 14.
There is no situation where MBA 13 and MBP 14 share the same keyboard part.
Even the keyboard on my 2019 Intel MBP feels better. The weird thing is that the Pro/Max machines are thicker than the 2019 machine so there's more room for more key travel. But with the exception of my MBAs, I use my other laptops as desktop replacements so it's not a huge deal for me.
Even if you get the machine with the keyboard you like, you may not get that exact feel you're expecting. There are likely more than one supplier for the keyboards and minor variances can happen even if they came out of the same factory.
I've owned a 2010 and 2012 Unibody MBP. The keyboards look identical to me, but I quite liked the feel of the 2010 model and something just felt a bit off about the 2012 model. I can't identify any tangible differences so I almost feel like I'm imagining things, but Apple does source parts that look exactly the same from different suppliers sometimes.
I've owned a 2010 and 2012 Unibody MBP. The keyboards look identical to me, but I quite liked the feel of the 2010 model and something just felt a bit off about the 2012 model. I can't identify any tangible differences so I almost feel like I'm imagining things, but Apple does source parts that look exactly the same from different suppliers sometimes.
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