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M1 MacBook Air Wobbly Key

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PaladinGuy

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 22, 2014
1,753
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So, I just had to get the speakers on my M1 Air replaced because of defects. I also asked about my left shift key, which is much looser than all the other keys on the device. It rattles when I touch it. The genius said that it would get looser over time anyway… I am debating whether or not to push the issue and demand a top case replacement. I checked every Air in the store and none of them had any loose or wobbly keys.

Curious on feedback from folks. Would you push on this or just let it go?
 
I think even if you bought on release day last day, it seems too early to have a wobbly key. I’d ask for a replacement if mine behaved that way. It seems like the Genius’ remark was a bit glib.
 
WildSky said:
I think even if you bought on release day last day, it seems too early to have a wobbly key. I’d ask for a replacement if mine behaved that way. It seems like the Genius’ remark was a bit glib.
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Yes. I showed two geniuses and I got the impression that they didn’t want to deal with it because it involved a top case replacement. He said I could end up with the same thing or worse. He may be right, but that certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in their QC…

I should add that I got it about a month and a half ago.
 
PaladinGuy said:
Yes. I showed two geniuses and I got the impression that they didn’t want to deal with it because it involved a top case replacement. He said I could end up with the same thing or worse. He may be right, but that certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in their QC…

I should add that I got it about a month and a half ago.
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Wait, same thing or worse? There’s a 90-day warranty on repairs, so it had better not be worse. Yikes, a Genius actually said that … eesh.

Do you have the link to the warranty? If not, I can get paste it in.
 
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Yeah. I had another Genius look at it today, too, when I went to pickup my MacBook Air from having speaker replacements. This one also said that the key being less stable and more wobbly than the other keys was not an issue, as long as the key was functioning. I am a little bit disappointed in that mentality, but I just don't really have the time to deal with them anymore right now. I am in grad school and have summer classes right now. I'll probably wait until in between terms and call AppleCare and tell them that I'd like the keyboard replaced. I don't want to be nit-pick, but like I said, I checked every single MacBook Air in the store on display, and none of them had this issue.
 
PaladinGuy said:
Yeah. I had another Genius look at it today, too, when I went to pickup my MacBook Air from having speaker replacements. This one also said that the key being less stable and more wobbly than the other keys was not an issue, as long as the key was functioning. I am a little bit disappointed in that mentality, but I just don't really have the time to deal with them anymore right now. I am in grad school and have summer classes right now. I'll probably wait until in between terms and call AppleCare and tell them that I'd like the keyboard replaced. I don't want to be nit-pick, but like I said, I checked every single MacBook Air in the store on display, and none of them had this issue.
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If there is a lot of wobble in the key, that would bother me. You have the right to have a Mac you are happy with. Don't let the employees discourage you. Put it on your grad school calendar to get fixed.
 
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PaladinGuy said:
Yeah. I had another Genius look at it today, too, when I went to pickup my MacBook Air from having speaker replacements. This one also said that the key being less stable and more wobbly than the other keys was not an issue, as long as the key was functioning. I am a little bit disappointed in that mentality, but I just don't really have the time to deal with them anymore right now. I am in grad school and have summer classes right now. I'll probably wait until in between terms and call AppleCare and tell them that I'd like the keyboard replaced. I don't want to be nit-pick, but like I said, I checked every single MacBook Air in the store on display, and none of them had this issue.
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Good that you have Applecare+ too. Hope you have a great semester.
 
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The keys on my M1 MacBook Air were loose/wobbly so I brought it to Apple and they immediately noticed the issue so they offered a top case replacement which they completed. The keys are still loose and nowhere near as good as my friends new M1 Air they got a couple of weeks ago.

I’m at a bit of a loss as what to do. Seems like Apple quality control has gone downhill.

So hopefully if you get the top case replaced it will fix the issue for you but it definitely didn’t for me.
 
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helloapple1 said:
The keys on my M1 MacBook Air were loose/wobbly so I brought it to Apple and they immediately noticed the issue so they offered a top case replacement which they completed. The keys are still loose and nowhere near as good as my friends new M1 Air they got a couple of weeks ago.

I’m at a bit of a loss as what to do. Seems like Apple quality control has gone downhill.

So hopefully if you get the top case replaced it will fix the issue for you but it definitely didn’t for me.
Click to expand...

That’s what I’m worried about. I really wish they’d do express replacements on Macs. I’d rather them send me a replacement instead of making me send my keyboard off for days and then have it possibly come back the same or worse.

They tried to tell me there was nothing wrong with it. Most of my keys are fine. It’s just the Command key and shift key on the left.

How long did the repair take for you?
 
PaladinGuy said:
That’s what I’m worried about. I really wish they’d do express replacements on Macs. I’d rather them send me a replacement instead of making me send my keyboard off for days and then have it possibly come back the same or worse.

They tried to tell me there was nothing wrong with it. Most of my keys are fine. It’s just the Command key and shift key on the left.

How long did the repair take for you?
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I dropped it off and it was ready the same day about 3 hours later. I think if you can push for a new replacement that would be best. After the top case repair I put it side by side with my friends M1 and you can feel the issue and even hear the difference when typing. It’s really sad we need to stress out about this.
 
helloapple1 said:
I dropped it off and it was ready the same day about 3 hours later. I think if you can push for a new replacement that would be best. After the top case repair I put it side by side with my friends M1 and you can feel the issue and even hear the difference when typing. It’s really sad we need to stress out about this.
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You mean push for them to just give me a new computer all together? I may be able to pull it off, since there are two defects immediately. Not sure though. I convinced them to do that for me one other time, so not sure if they’ll do it again.

I did have a big issue when they replaced the top case on a butterfly keyboard air one time. They ended up bricking the computer and messing up the Touch ID button.
 
Here's a video that I made to try to show how much the key wobbles and rattles compared to the others.

Well, clearly my upload is not working. Here's a link to a YouTube video that I made with it. https://youtu.be/c-qqFxv9OeI
 
Last edited:
Well, I called in and got Apple Support to send me a box to send my MBA in for repair. It just bothers me too much. I’ll just try to make things work with my iPad Pro while they repair it.

Unfortunately, the senior advisor told me that they can’t replace the product unless the issue repeats after repair.
 
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PaladinGuy said:
Well, I called in and got Apple Support to send me a box to send my MBA in for repair. It just bothers me too much. I’ll just try to make things work with my iPad Pro while they repair it.

Unfortunately, the senior advisor told me that they can’t replace the product unless the issue repeats after repair.
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I'm glad to see you decided to take more action and not wait. Let us know how it goes as it may help others in the same boat.
 
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I changed the settings. I think the video is viewable now. I’d love for y’all to tell me if you think I’m being unreasonable. Seriously.
 
PaladinGuy said:
I changed the settings. I think the video is viewable now. I’d love for y’all to tell me if you think I’m being unreasonable. Seriously.
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Good video. Way too much movement with the left shift. Mine has none of that and I saw that your right shift is as it should be.

If that were my Mac, I would be asking for it to be fixed.
 
Apple_Robert said:
Good video. Way too much movement with the left shift. Mine has none of that and I saw that your right shift is as it should be.

If that were my Mac, I would be asking for it to be fixed.
Click to expand...

Thanks. The Geniuses sometimes try to make you seem like you’re nuts about things. I just don’t think a $1,300 MacBook Air should have a keyboard the same quality as a $300 Dell .
 
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PaladinGuy said:
Thanks. The Geniuses sometimes try to make you seem like you’re nuts about things. I just don’t think a $1,300 MacBook Air should have a keyboard the same quality as a $300 Dell .
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I agree. I don't think you are out of line to expect both shift keys to have the same movement. The fact that the left shift doesn't clearly means there is a defect with that key.
 
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PaladinGuy said:
Here's a video that I made to try to show how much the key wobbles and rattles compared to the others.

Well, clearly my upload is not working. Here's a link to a YouTube video that I made with it. https://youtu.be/c-qqFxv9OeI
Click to expand...
Thanks for this video. Until now I did not know that the english/american devices have a completely different keyboard with different key sizes and top case (compared to the german version).
On my keyboard only the the spacebar wobbles and I could not live with that issue as I press the left shift key quite often when writing.
 
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Just saw your video. Wow. Makes me wonder how many people are having wobbly keyboards with their M1 but not bothering to get it fixed cause it’s still “useable”. Apple needs to fix your issue.
 
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