MBP Keyboard is a total FAIL

[CaptRB]

Maybe a few people will recall that I was a staunch defender of the new Touchbar machines, especially their new keyboards. For a few months it was a total love affair with my 15" and 13" units.

I'm a writer and photographer, so these things are used professionally. I also have several clients including a fellow using 4 of the 15" models for editing. So let's get to the juicy part.

BOTH keyboards have failed. And THREE out of four of my friends machines have had the same kind of issues. My friend in NY (Board of Ed) uses these machines and she says MANY of the staff units are plagued with keys that don't work, loose their "click" or double type.

In my case the B key double types and the right side of the space bar doesn't work at all-15" model. On the 13" it's the F key, also double typing. My friend has dumped ALL of the machines and wants to sue Apple, though that's not my business.

Now I know someone at Apple and this is the issue. The new keyboards cannot handle dust or debris of ANY kind. Naturally it's a matter of time before this issue will appear. Apple says they'll fix my machines and offered no other solution. I will sell them and buy an iMac. Sadly I will now replace the notebooks with Dell or something without this fatal flaw.

FYI. Discussion with Genius Bar here in LA confirmed this. In fact, as soon as they saw it they said there was nothing to do but send it to their facility because their attempts to clear out the keyboards has not worked.

5 grand worth of notebooks and they're junk. Right in the middle of a movie shoot and they tell me to buy a new one while I wait for a repair.

Goodbye to the MacBook Pro.

(and my apologies to folks who had this issue and were given short thrift by me. You guys were apparently right and I was wrong).



R.

 

[throAU]

disappointing.

a friend went through 3 retina macbooks (the original model) inside of 3 months, before giving up and switching to the 2015 retina macbook pro.

same thing. keyboard failures. one of them lasted about 2 weeks.

otherwise he loved the machine, but the keyboard reliability just wasn't good enough, couldn't afford to waste time constantly returning it and restoring to a new machine.

i'd hoped that they fixed this issue with the new Pros.

 

[Kuron]

"Feel" of a keyboard is a personal preference, but when it comes to reliability of a laptop keyboard, Apple used to set the standard (IMHO). Apple may have been proud of themselves for the design of the butterfly mechanism, but the reliability issues are possibly why none of the competition brought a similar design to market. Usually in a market as competitive as computers if somebody else is not already doing it, there is a reason why and it is rarely because they didn't think of it first. Usually the reason is because it fails miserably during in-house testing.

I am sorry for the issues you are having, especially in the middle of a shoot. As much as I love the form-factor of the MacBook (and the rose gold), the reliability of the keyboard is the only reason I am saving to buy an Air.

 

[CaptRB]

"Feel" of a keyboard is a personal preference, but when it comes to reliability of a laptop keyboard, Apple used to set the standard (IMHO). Apple may have been proud of themselves for the design of the butterfly mechanism, but the reliability issues are possibly why none of the competition brought a similar design to market. Usually in a market as competitive as computers if somebody else is not already doing it, there is a reason why and it is rarely because they didn't think of it first. Usually the reason is because it fails miserably during in-house testing.

I am sorry for the issues you are having, especially in the middle of a shoot. As much as I love the form-factor of the MacBook (and the rose gold), the reliability of the keyboard is the only reason I am saving to buy an Air.

I also have an Air. Bullet proof machine and now I'll be using it again. The idea of using a high end MacBook Pro as a total solution is sad failure. I'm likely going to sell them after they are repaired.

It's absolutely insane that this happened. I'll be on the phone with Apple again tomorrow. It's a call they won't enjoy.

No I know beyond any doubt that this issue can only be fixed as a temporary measure, so no way will I risk keeping these. My friend with the post production company is in deep deep trouble over this and had to run out and buy two iMacs so he would not lose his client. I can't even hand my 15" in yet because it has animatics that will not run on the Air, so I'm using an external keyboard until this job is over.

Shame on Apple.


R

 

[throAU]

this issue made me wary of the new models and is another reason i've decided to go for the ipad pro as a portable and just abandon the macbooks entirely. i'll get a desktop mac if something is appropriate, but as far as portable Macs go apple has lost the plot.

Which is a shame, because thunderbolt3 is the right idea. But mandatory touchbar, a keyboard that breaks if you look at it funny..... no thanks.

 

[idark77]

It is really an epic fail.

 

[Sterkenburg]

Really sorry to hear this, man. I know what you mean, I also have the "double b key" and it's extremely frustrating. I was hoping the issue would go away with time, but no, after several months I can say it doesn't. The only thing I can do is to clean the keyboard and hope it disappears for as long as possible. I can't afford to send the Mac in for repairs now, because I need the machine for my daily job, I will do that only if the problem gets so bad that I can't work.

It's a shame, really, because if it weren't for that my experience with the MBP would be pretty much a 10/10. I have also been a convinced defender of the new models, because they got so many things right: stellar display and speakers, super fast SSD, best connectivity on the market, fantastic design. But as much as I'm disappointed to say it, the keyboard issues are real and are not acceptable. My employer paid for my machine, so it's not the end of the world for me, but you can bet that if I had dropped 3k-5k from my pocket I would be pissed off as much as OP is.

 

[CaptRB]

Yup...this machine is going bye-bye right after the repair is done.

But I will make Apple sorry for wasting my time and money. That much I can certainly do.


R.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I remember trying out the retina MacBook keyboards in 2015 at the Apple store and I was so weirded out by it. Tested it out again on the 2016 MacBook Pro and I said to myself, why does Apple think this is great? I am so happy I never waited to upgrade and got my Early 2015 when I did. If Apple doesn't make some drastic improvement or revert to the previous chassis by 2021, its probably back to Windows notebook as the successor to my MBP.

Really sorry about your situation, especially in the middle of such a major project. I don't know why the influencers who have deep access to Apple don't advocate for customers and admit the truth. Most just simply care about ensuring they get their golden ticket to the next media event so they can say they are first up with an unboxing or preview video.

Tell the truth, the keyboard is crappy, Apple can surely take it and fix the problem. The problem is Steve Jobs is not around with his secret belt to spank those who need it.

 

[throAU]

I dont mind using the new keyboard. I don't get the hate over it. It's different, i can deal with it.

But the reliability is just unacceptable.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Maybe a few people will recall that I was a staunch defender of the new Touchbar machines, especially their new keyboards. For a few months it was a total love affair with my 15" and 13" units.

I'm a writer and photographer, so these things are used professionally. I also have several clients including a fellow using 4 of the 15" models for editing. So let's get to the juicy part.

BOTH keyboards have failed. And THREE out of four of my friends machines have had the same kind of issues. My friend in NY (Board of Ed) uses these machines and she says MANY of the staff units are plagued with keys that don't work, loose their "click" or double type.

In my case the B key double types and the right side of the space bar doesn't work at all-15" model. On the 13" it's the F key, also double typing. My friend has dumped ALL of the machines and wants to sue Apple, though that's not my business.

Now I know someone at Apple and this is the issue. The new keyboards cannot handle dust or debris of ANY kind. Naturally it's a matter of time before this issue will appear. Apple says they'll fix my machines and offered no other solution. I will sell them and buy an iMac. Sadly I will now replace the notebooks with Dell or something without this fatal flaw.

FYI. Discussion with Genius Bar here in LA confirmed this. In fact, as soon as they saw it they said there was nothing to do but send it to their facility because their attempts to clear out the keyboards has not worked.

5 grand worth of notebooks and they're junk. Right in the middle of a movie shoot and they tell me to buy a new one while I wait for a repair.

Goodbye to the MacBook Pro.

(and my apologies to folks who had this issue and were given short thrift by me. You guys were apparently right and I was wrong).



R.

Thanks for your honest feedback and I recall clearly your once high support of MBP, it's a shame and a recurring theme unfortunately

I must say of the 2 rMB 2015 we own touch wood they are still ok despite my wife's heavy handed typing and my son commutes daily with his one that I gifted him but the it was the 1st time we every bought AC just because we had concerns on the KB and tiered batteries

 

[leman]

Have yet to observe even a single failure with our machines, but maybe we are just very lucky

 

[Mefisto]

This sounds really unfortunate. As do / did the other cases displaying similar problems.

I use mine in all kinds of conditions (sometimes there's lots of dust and debris in the air, occasionally sand etc.) and have yet to experience any malfunctions on the keyboard. I do wipe the machine down after being in those kind of conditions, but still. Obviously threads like this give, and have given me pause, but until it happens to me I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

That it happened to your mission critical machines is really a shame OP, and I hope you get your case sorted out post haste.

 

[Nik]

All 2016 models I assume? BUT we cannot rule out the 2017 becuase they are only out since June.

 

[darkmaxdevil]

Mine is rock solid for 10 months now. Hammering the keyboard everyday. As a coder, I'm very reliant on my keyboard to work well. And a lot of my friends who are coders don't seem to have this problem.

 

[Frankfurt]

Time will tell.

I returned a 2016 MBP due to the overly loud KB and repurchased the 2017 as they seem to have made some modest changes to the keyboard (less noisy, softer "landing" when typing.

Given the shallow travel it is clear that these butterfly keyboards are less tolerant to debris and dust. Apple even posted the "compressed air can" cleaning instructions.

The failure rate the OP describes is nevertheless bothersome.

I will have to wait and see, if mine develops similar issues over time.

 

[Nik]

Time will tell.

I returned a 2016 MBP due to the overly loud KB and repurchased the 2017 as they seem to have made some modest changes to the keyboard (less noisy, softer "landing" when typing.

Given the shallow travel it is clear that these butterfly keyboards are less tolerant to debris and dust. Apple even posted the "compressed air can" cleaning instructions.

The failure rate the OP describes is nevertheless bothersome.

I will have to wait and see, if mine develops similar issues over time.

The 2016 was bad but the 2017 is fine for you?

 

[Frankfurt]

The 2016 was bad but the 2017 is fine for you?

I had a 2016 for a month and then returned it (extended holiday return period). The keyboard was too loud and "clacky" for me. It did not fail on me regarding "sticky keys" or other issues, but I also only had it for a month.

When I tried the 2017 in store, the keyboard felt and sounded different. It is still louder than the 2015 etc keyboards but not as obnoxious. Typing feels less harsh as well.

To date I have not had any issues, but I am using an external keyboard when my MBP is stationary (about 70% of the time). Hence, I may have not "stressed" it enough. Time will tell.

 

[Fishrrman]

Back in November 2016 (not long after the revised 2016 MBPro's were released), I decided to replace my 2010 MBPro 13" (nothing was "wrong" with it, just wanted something newer).

I visited the local BestBuy, which had both the 2015 and 2016 models side-by-side at the time.

I brought up a blank Pages document, and started typing.

I -immediately- found myself disliking the "new" keyboard. I made -many- more mistakes typing on it (granted, I'm gettin' old, and make typing mistakes anyway, but I made MORE of them on the 2016 keyboard). It was noisier, too.

The 2015's keyboard was just like the one on my 2010. Not perfect, but reasonably good. I never had a lick o' trouble with the keyboard on the 2010 MBPro.

So, the keyboard (and the legacy ports) made the decision for me. I bought the 2015 MBPro 13".

It's still doing fine 9 months later. Again, no problems at all.
And no "purchase regrets"...

 

[Trubbles]

The second gen keyboard is awesome. I didn't enjoy it when I first tried it, but after a week I'm fast, accurate and I love the juicy mechanical/tactile response. My best 10fastfingers result was 85 WPM / 0 errors, which is only about 10 shy of my best result on a full size mechanical keyboard.

From what I'm reading, I'm fortunate to have skipped first-gen keyboard models.

 

[Mefisto]

Aren't the ones on the 2016 MBP's and onward the second gen butterfly keyboards? 12" MacBook was 1st Gen., no?

I may have missed something, but that's how I've understood it. While we're on the subject, has there been any sort of even vaguely "official" confirmation that the 2017 models have improved keyboards? Besides anecdotal evidence, that is.

 

[wgr73]

Aren't the ones on the 2016 MBP's and onward the second gen butterfly keyboards? 12" MacBook was 1st Gen., no?

I may have missed something, but that's how I've understood it. While we're on the subject, has there been any sort of even vaguely "official" confirmation that the 2017 models have improved keyboards? Besides anecdotal evidence, that is.

Yes. Supposedly the 16 and 17 mbp have the same keyboard which is Gen 2

 

[jerryk]

Wow. A lot of people reporting keyboard issues. Gives me pause on upgrading from my 2015 15" MBP

 

[wgr73]

You have to consider though, only the 'forum goers' have issues. 99% of people out there who don't post here are having no issues.

It's funny...I never noticed anything wrong until I started looking for it lol

 

[jeyf]

... funny...I never noticed anything wrong until I started looking for it lol

street consensus the mac book pro is an expensive dud