MBP Keyboard is a total FAIL

[PBz]

I own a NEC, but any good 4K calibrated monitor can do a great jobs with D810or even medium format files.

Small to medium budget out here in LA often edits on location. 4 machines is nothing. A Mac Pro is not needed to edit feature work.

I've had a resolution with Apple and will post on it after it's complete. I'm a much happier camper now!


R

Very curious. I'm leaning towards taking my 15" back and riding out for a few years.

 

[drxcm]

I quite like the keyboard in terms of feel etc - it took a bit of getting used to.

BUT I have had 4 keys fail. Luckily, each time a can of compressed air has revived them.

It does worry me that the longevity of the keyboard is going to be severely compromised - not impressed.

 

[magbarn]

Makes me wonder if Apple even bothered to test drive the tbmbp in the real world instead of a clean room facility at Apple...
I have owned 11 MBP/MBA's from 2008 till 2015 models and have never had a key go bad

 

[Frankfurt]

This will be interesting to watch as it continues. It seems individual keys may fail due to debris and thermal expansion/contraction. The first can happen to everyone sooner or later, the second is related to load/usage patterns.

It is unclear yet, how broad the issue will/has become as a forum such as this is not necessarily representative (heavy user base, unforgiving, etc etc).

Also, I wonder, if this is an inherent design flaw or defective units.

I don't bother until I see my own failing... so far so good.

 

[CaptRB]

I have a full resolve, but I want it to be a "done deal" before I post. Apple did, in the end, do the right thing for me.


R.

 

[seadragon]

The only full resolution that I can see would be a redesign of the keyboard. Anything short of that is, well, same for same.

 

[PBz]

Have folks tried turning off autocorrect and just typing without overthinking. Would have not recommended this before what I'm seeing with

The only full resolution that I can see would be a redesign of the keyboard. Anything short of that is, well, same for same.

Why I have two heavy gift cards right now.

 

[DazK]

Same thing happened to me. I took it to the Apple Store and without question they sent it away for a keyboard replacement. Now it's happening again :-( The spacebar and enter doesn't always work.

 

[CaptRB]

The only full resolution that I can see would be a redesign of the keyboard. Anything short of that is, well, same for same.

A fair resolution was reached. It does not involve replacing the machine. Until the keyboard is fully redesigned (I would hope for this on the next cycle), there's just no way I would risk my work and time.

I'll post full results after it's a done deal, but Apple ended up being fair about it.


R.
[doublepost=1504383127][/doublepost]

Same thing happened to me. I took it to the Apple Store and without question they sent it away for a keyboard replacement. Now it's happening again :-( The spacebar and enter doesn't always work.

Three different apple reps openly discussed the issues with the keyboard with me. There was absolutely ZERO effort to suggest that the keyboard issues are rare; just the opposite.

I now know 100% that the keyboards are poor. Best laptop I ever owned...ruined by the simplest of things.


R

 

[PBz]

I am also convinced it's not a rare issue. The opposite actually. Most people with autocorrect on may never notice, especially if they never ramp up the CPU/GPU.

 

[CaptRB]

I am also convinced it's not a rare issue. The opposite actually. Most people with autocorrect on may never notice, especially if they never ramp up the CPU/GPU.

According to folks at Apple, keyboard issues are COMMON. Person I spoke to yesterday said they are in a data collecting phase of the problem (last he heard).

R

 

[AJB1971]

According to folks at Apple, keyboard issues are COMMON. Person I spoke to yesterday said they are in a data collecting phase of the problem (last he heard).

R

There’s a similar conversation reported in the following video, which was posted on the 1st of August. Skip to the 4:20 mark if you don’t want to watch the full video.

These reports seemingly confirm that the issue still hasn’t been addressed.

 

[Trubbles]

I'm going to keep loving my second gen keyboard (13" TB 2017) until I have a reason not to. The juicy mechanical clicks. My typing speed is improving and is close to what I get on a full size mechanical keyboard... I love it. Almost no mention in this whole thread of second gen units jamming. I hope that's a good sign.

 

[Yeahyeahyeah123]

I'm going to keep loving my second gen keyboard (13" TB 2017) until I have a reason not to. The juicy mechanical clicks. My typing speed is improving and is close to what I get on a full size mechanical keyboard... I love it. Almost no mention in this whole thread of second gen units jamming. I hope that's a good sign.

That's reassuring. I was starting to get a little paranoid about using my $3K 2017 MBP because of the reported keyboard issues. I also bought AppleCare+ just in case even though my computer has been running smoothly since I bought it a month ago.

I hope that that keyboard issues aren't inevitable but if they are, Apple will probably create a replacement program with a high enough level of incidence.

 

[MrGuder]

Maybe a few people will recall that I was a staunch defender of the new Touchbar machines, especially their new keyboards.

(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.

Could you repeat that last part again? Lol yeah I remember you were pretty hard on a lot of people on this forum not believing that this issue was happening to them or that it was even an issue for Apple and not important enough to warrant further fault on Apples part. I'm sorry to hear this issue has happened to you and hope Apple realizes how many users they will lose over this keyboard issue.

My 2017 has been rock solid so far, fingers crossed.

 

[Rockadile]

I'm going to keep loving my second gen keyboard (13" TB 2017) until I have a reason not to. The juicy mechanical clicks. My typing speed is improving and is close to what I get on a full size mechanical keyboard... I love it. Almost no mention in this whole thread of second gen units jamming. I hope that's a good sign.

Did you see post #61? Just one person now, time will tell 😉

[doublepost=1504415869][/doublepost]

I own a NEC, but any good 4K calibrated monitor can do a great jobs with D810or even medium format files.

Small to medium budget out here in LA often edits on location. 4 machines is nothing. A Mac Pro is not needed to edit feature work.

I've had a resolution with Apple and will post on it after it's complete. I'm a much happier camper now!


R

Confused. Is this one person using four laptops or four people?

Just saying, a Mac Pro is more modular and better chance to self repair so that there isn't much downtime compared to an iMac.

 

[CaptRB]

Did you see post #61? Just one person now, time will tell 😉

[doublepost=1504415869][/doublepost]

Confused. Is this one person using four laptops or four people?

Just saying, a Mac Pro is more modular and better chance to self repair so that there isn't much downtime compared to an iMac.[/QUOTE




On many shoots there are editors working in teams, so yeah, 6 to 8 people working with 1st and 2nd unit shooting.

Mac Pro is silly overkill on a set. There's no "repairs." When stuff goes down, it's replaced straight away.


R

[doublepost=1504418595][/doublepost]

Could you repeat that last part again? Lol yeah I remember you were pretty hard on a lot of people on this forum not believing that this issue was happening to them or that it was even an issue for Apple and not important enough to warrant further fault on Apples part. I'm sorry to hear this issue has happened to you and hope Apple realizes how many users they will lose over this keyboard issue.

My 2017 has been rock solid so far, fingers crossed.

I WAS WRONG. SERVE THE CROW RAW!

LOL

Apple is taking care of me and I'll post details tomorrow. But I will not TOUCH any computer using the butterfly keyboard knowing what I know. That includes the latest generation. I've no doubt Apple will sort it out, but the problem is still current and that's FROM Apple.


R.

 

[Nik]

[doublepost=1504418595][/doublepost]
I've no doubt Apple will sort it out, but the problem is still current and that's FROM Apple.
R.

Is it current for the 2017 models or only for the 2016 model though? I did not find any information indicating that these issues still persist on the 2017 models.

I just bought the 2017 model and would like to find out if I should return it or not while I still can. The new keyboard from this revision seems fine to me.

 

[PBz]

Is it current for the 2017 models or only for the 2016 model though? I did not find any information indicating that these issues still persist on the 2017 models.

I just bought the 2017 model and would like to find out if I should return it or not while I still can. The new keyboard from this revision seems fine to me.

Does it have a Butterfly keyboard.

 

[AJB1971]

Is it current for the 2017 models or only for the 2016 model though? I did not find any information indicating that these issues still persist on the 2017 models.

I just bought the 2017 model and would like to find out if I should return it or not while I still can. The new keyboard from this revision seems fine to me.

I would have expected a different response from Apple if they were confident that they had fixed the problem. Something along the lines that they were aware of the issue and would replace the keyboard with an updated version. It’s telling that they don’t appear to have said that.

The fact that they are still in a data collecting phase doesn’t look good. They should know the cause of the problem by now, but finding a solution might be difficult due to the space constraints of the new design.

 

[Nik]

I have no idea if I should keep mine now. 🙁 It seems fine but I do not want to run into multiple returns or repairs over the years, that would suck big time.

 

[maflynn]

I have no idea if I should keep mine now. 🙁 It seems fine but I do not want to run into multiple returns or repairs over the years, that would suck big time.

Some have reported a "silent" fix that was implemented by apple, stating the sound or the key travel is slightly different in the 2017 model, as evidence. Others have communicated they are incurring trouble with the keyboards in the new MBPs as well.

I can't say if you should keep your MBP or not, but I will recommend Apple Care if you do decide to keep it.

 

[Spudlicious]

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.

I think you are right. For all that he may have been an obsessive crank with a nasty streak, Jobs knew it was all about the customer's experience of the product.

 

[AJB1971]

I have no idea if I should keep mine now. 🙁 It seems fine but I do not want to run into multiple returns or repairs over the years, that would suck big time.

If the problem really is down to an accumulation of dust and debris then I would definitely consider purchasing a keyboard cover for your machine, although this really shouldn’t be necessary -

 

[polbit]

Some have reported a "silent" fix that was implemented by apple, stating the sound or the key travel is slightly different in the 2017 model, as evidence. Others have communicated they are incurring trouble with the keyboards in the new MBPs as well.

I can't say if you should keep your MBP or not, but I will recommend Apple Care if you do decide to keep it.

I'm torn on buying Apple Care. It's like paying Apple even more for what is starting to look like a major problem. If this does become serious enough for a recall, then Apple Care won't be needed.

I've had mine for a little over a month (and with no keyboard issues so far), hopefully something more definitely will happen/be announced...