You bet!
It’s very powerful but you don’t have to use any of that… It has a simple checkbox to do what you’re looking for
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Magic Keyboard on Top
- Thread starter turbineseaplane
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You bet!
It’s very powerful but you don’t have to use any of that… It has a simple checkbox to do what you’re looking for
Nice hack. I actually like the new keyboards. But I'm glad you found something that works better for you.
Very cool - I enjoyed the read and added a keyboard from this thread to my Amazon wish list. 
I'm typing on my 2017 MBP's keyboard right now. I enjoy it but I am glad to see the Magic Keyboard will serve as a replacement if needed someday, lol.
Thanks for the info and best wishes!
I do enjoy the magic keyboard's keys too.
I'm typing on my 2017 MBP's keyboard right now. I enjoy it but I am glad to see the Magic Keyboard will serve as a replacement if needed someday, lol.Thanks for the info and best wishes!
I do enjoy the magic keyboard's keys too.
yeah gee I had bought it on spec figuring well hey, can use it w/ ipad or whatever... never figured i'd end up using it because i trashed a laptop kb. you just never know!
The Plum NiZ 87 is my favorite board right now. It's a bit light for most people, but I've gotten used to a 35g board. I had a bonafide Realforce 104 before. Sadly, I had to sell it because there's something about the action of the Topre switches that made my hands hurt. I don't have that problem with the "linear" Plum 35g's though. As much as I liked the feel of the real Topres, I've actually come to like the Nopres better.
Doesn't the underside of the Magic Keyboard make contact with the keys? I used to do what you're doing with the Apple Bluetooth keyboard on my 2012 and then my 2016 before I got used to the butterfly keys. The old Apple Bluetooth Keyboard actually fits very nicely over the top of the butterfly keyboards. The rubber grips on the bottom are just enough to hook onto the row between the touchbar the the number keys to keep the keyboard in place.
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That's the reason why I never considered the potential of a keyboard failure to be a deal breaker. I had already gotten used to using external keyboards on top of all of my laptops because of hand pain. For some reason the only scissor switches I can use comfortably are in the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard. I had to use that board on top of my 2012 MBP even though they were using the same style of switches.
I can't believe how perfectly it seems to fit... as @BigMcGuire said, nice to know we have a work-around if our keyboard fails!
I notice it looks like you could shift it a little more to the left. Would you be able to access TouchID then?
I notice it looks like you could shift it a little more to the left. Would you be able to access TouchID then?
I still want to see someone Ductape one on there, post the photos here and also send them to Apple Executive Relations. I just want to know if they respond and if so, how ┌(° ͜ʖ͡°)┘
i am using electrical tape to secure my MBA since the screws are stripped, i dont think them apples care
I was thinking Gaffers Tape would be a good choice as it would leave little if any residue behind
This made me LOL just now. Thanks for the morning laughs. Good way to start a Saturday. Wow. lol.
Makes me cringe to think what would happen if someone instinctively closed the lid on their laptop though.
I do enjoy my Magic Keyboard ... I use it a lot these days. My second most favorite is the Logitech K811 but it is a little too mushy vs the MK.
The rumors of a key-less keyboard in the future are definitely interesting. I may be going back to mechanical keyboards yet... much to the demise of my co-workers!
If you go back to mechanicals in the workplace, give the NiZ Plum "Nopres" that Turbinesaplane also mentioned a look. These are tactile yet amazingly quiet. There's no pinging and no rattling... just a rather pleasing and muted thok-thok-thok sound.
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I'm really giving this a run - day 2 of using the 2016 13" in the house with the MKB on top.
Typing on it now - loving it!
I still think the new trackpads are too wide - but whatever.
I use the heck out of gestures and have a very complex BetterTouchTool install going and I just don't need the width they have now...and I do get some phantom context/focus switches due to the width.
The palm rejection is really amazingly good - but not perfect.
[doublepost=1551547503][/doublepost]The materials work great for this too...
I'm amazed at how well the MKB stays put exactly where you want it on top of the MacBook.
It's almost like they designed it for this!
Foreshadowing issues? lol
Typing on it now - loving it!
I still think the new trackpads are too wide - but whatever.
I use the heck out of gestures and have a very complex BetterTouchTool install going and I just don't need the width they have now...and I do get some phantom context/focus switches due to the width.
The palm rejection is really amazingly good - but not perfect.
[doublepost=1551547503][/doublepost]The materials work great for this too...
I'm amazed at how well the MKB stays put exactly where you want it on top of the MacBook.
It's almost like they designed it for this!
Foreshadowing issues? lol
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Sheesh! I guess none of you guys ever considered the much simpler and rather more elegant solution of setting the MBP on a stand and using the Apple Magic Keyboard or other external keyboard beneath it on the desk or work surface in a natural typing position as opposed on top of the laptop's own keyboard......?
I very much enjoy using laptops in their natural orientation actually.
I know it’s perhaps not the most ergonomic, but I’ve always enjoyed the intimacy and experience of being that close to the screen and in that orientation with keyboard and trackpad right below it.
Obviously if purely ergonomics are a concern, a completely different arrangement with large screen and split keyboards and all sorts of other tweaks would really be in order.
I, too, like using my laptops on my lap or a work surface away from home, but in the way they are intended to be used, with the actual keyboard which is built into them. Works just fine for me, no need for some Rube Goldberg cockamamie arrangement with an external keyboard set on top of the built-in one..... Oh, well, to each his or her own.....
Thanks for popping in and sharing your thoughts.
lol
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Not sure as this is a 2016...looks like it would be hard though.
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Nope. Spacing is perfect. On the frame/edge, but I do have Karabiner disabling the built in KB below just in case and/or for if the MKB moves slightly and hits a key.
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Yeah but when the inbuilt one decides to go on strike, parking a wireless on top of it until I get around to shipping the thing out for repair is really an elegant solution since I do like to use the machine on my lap.
The laptop is not getting shipped out for kb replacement when it's still sometimes 20 below zero outside around here. That's 7 degrees lower than the machine's indicated tolerance of low storage temperatures. Nothing like a little voyage to cure a busted kb causing fatal hypothermia in the patient. So, the magic kb "patch" is perfect for my needs until that stupid groundhog doesn't see his shadow against the snow any more.
I installed the Karabiner extension that @turbineseaplane had mentioned, so now as soon as the magic kb makes a BT connection to the laptop, the built-in kb is disabled. It's great, i don't have to worry now about unintentional key presses caused by pressure of the upper kb on the lower one. Also the Karabiner effect is simple to revert. Kill the BT connection to the magic kb, and the lower kb is re-enabled immediately. Works like a charm.
So I'm totally positive I'm not the first person to ever do this, and yes it's mostly impractical for "on the go" and normal laptop stuff..
But I have to say, this is pretty awesome and really shows you how great - truly - it would be if Apple would just put the bloody Magic Keyboard into the Mac laptops in place of the Butterfly switches.
Using Karabiner, you can automatically have the internal keyboard be deactivated when the MKB connects so there are no phantom keypresses from underneath.
This is SENSATIONAL.
THIS is the keyboard that needs to be in these machines.
There is a touch more feedback than Butterflies and ZERO reliability issues, but still thin-ish and low profile and just great. They out innovated themselves and should have been using the MKB in the laptops.
I highly recommend anyone with a 2016+ MBP try this out and perhaps use it around the house/office if it's practical for you. I've been on it for the last hour this way and it's superb (doing inhouse IT and updates here for other half...)
Maybe you should just glue it on there permanently.
I've been trying to use a more traditional desktop setup in my office (Magic Keyboard + clamshell mode) for last few weeks but I am really struggling with the keyboard. The butterfly keys on the MBP typing experience is just so much better for me, I can type quicker and more precisely, and my fingers are less fatigued. I wish we'd have external butterfly keyboards to match the MBP...
I guess we can but dream that one day it will be the magic KB within! In all seriousness after 4 versions in 4 years, and I would imagine $millions in top case swaps, R&D and lost sales I think Apple's executive team would be opening themselves up to some serious questions from shareholders if they try to push on regardless now the gen 3 has shown it's not comprehensively fixed the issues.
Are they really losing sales? Tim Cook makes it sound like they're selling a lot of MBPs and there's nothing to worry about. I don't think shareholders care about butterfly keyboards, they care about the return on their investment and so far apple is till making money hand over fist.
I'd be surprised to apple abandon the butterfly keyboard, if not for the simple reason of pride, its their baby and all they need to do is tweak the design, which we'll no doubt see in generation 4. By dropping the butterfly keyboard outright they'll admit its a failed design and that could open the door to negative PR, especially with legion of 2016/2017/2018 owners now stuck with a failed keyboard design. Instead they'll just tweak it, and like the 3rd generation, they'll not really be too communicative of the changes.
I don't think it's difficult to imagine some being put off by reports/ seeing the repair programme or by personal experience vowing not to buy another butterfly MacBook. In general I don't think it's sound to be throwing good money after bad chasing an unnecessary solution to a problem they made up when an easy alternative (Magic KB) exists. I don't think they have to make a switch with a lot of fanfare. Just do it and don't say anything. Add the 2018's to the replacement programme and honour repairs though to the natural end of hardware support (i believe around the 7 year mark) and draw a line under it all.