New MBP already in keyboard program (!)

That was quick.....

 

Ahahaha I guess this time they want to do everything quicker. Still hilarious though.

 

Makes sense, takes away a worry for people buying it along with the claim of using new materials. On the other hand, they admit these could still go wrong. We'll have to wait and see what people's experiences are...

 

As funny as it is, it actually makes some sense from a business perspective, as I'm sure some customers are more likely to buy it knowing that they are covered if any issues arise. I've seen various comments here on MacRumors and Reddit over the last year that essentially said "Well, at least with the 2016/17 MBPs, you are covered for 4 years – if you have issues on the 2018 ones after the one year warranty, you are out of luck", an understandable attitude that may have lead to people holding off to see if the 2018 MBPs would be added to the program aswell, or even to them deciding to buy the 2016/17 MBPs at a discounted price instead (if they were on the edge between those and the 2018 ones anyway).

With the 2019 ones, there's no more gambling or uncertainty if you're out of luck after one year. You know upfront that you'll be covered for four years.

 

I wonder what the iFixIt tear down will reveal. Does Apple have any 'keyboard kredibility' left after saying that the 2018 change fixed the issue?

 

That guy on Reddit kind of concluded the design wasn't at fault but the materials used inside the keyboard failed.

Now that Apple has allegedly switched out the bad material for one that will last (I suspect it's the metal used in the contacts) we shall see.

The sad part is that Apple is pretty much shutting the barn door after the prize horse has already boarded the flight to Vegas. They will never get rid of the perception that Mac keyboards with the new butterfly design are inherently defective.

 

The worst part to me is that they’re fixing it* with new materials but totally screwing 2016-2017 owners who can only just keep getting replacement parts from that era.

If they’ve “fixed it”, they need to offer a path to get those early buyers onto fixed* hardware.

The very fact we are on the 4th generation of fixes here means the early ones are defective.
Apple needs to make this right.

If it’s a huge problem it needs a solution for everyone.
If it’s a small problem, as they claim, great - it should be even easier to fix it for those impacted.

Apple. You charge TOP rate for your gear.
Don’t f*** your customers over like this.

 

Yep, that's the fun part about it. Even if they manage to get the frequency of failures below those of the previous gen keyboards, people will still single out any failure report to prove their point. Eventually, however, one will forget about it. So from this perspective, offering the replacement program straight on might be quite a smart strategy. As time moves on, this becomes old news and people stop talking about it.

 

For the next three years or so, the Apple Store has to change its name to Keyboards R' Us.

 

Good spotting and hard to believe! I don't think this is a good sign at all... they don't seem very confident with their updated gen 4 keyboard...

"Apple said they changed the material in the keyboard's butterfly mechanism that should substantially reduce problems that some users have seen."

 

Probably should have just hedged their bets and added the Gen 5 2020 that will be released in the future to the program as well

 

I just don't get how a multi-billion-dollar corporation like Apple could once make a fantastic, dependable keyboard, but now they can't. Did all the smart people at Apple just up and leave in 2015? Or maybe the only one was Steve Jobs? He never would have put up with Apple's recent keyboard BS. I think after that first year of keyboard hell (2015?) he would have said, get it fixed or find another job. The guy needs to come back from the afterlife for a day and clean house at Apple, then he can go back to being dead, until the next f-up that is (the Touch Bar?)

 

Yeah, I know people get tired of hearing the “If Steve Jobs was still around...” mantra. But you can’t help but wonder what his reaction would have been to the black eye this keyboard fiasco has caused Apple.

 

Unfortunately I think this will be the last keyboard upgrade for this model. So if Gen 4 doesn't work out, don't look for a fix. Ever.

 

I'm sure most people can get their machine replaced if they have applecare and have had 3-4 keyboard replacements. You have to contact a senior advisor and explain to them you don't want to keep getting new keyboards that are in fact faulty, Tell them that they upgrading the 2019's with new materials that you want since they can't fix the 2016 and 2017 models with this better design.

--- Post Merged, May 21, 2019 ---

Steve released the iPhone 4 that lost signal if you held it wrong. Sent out free bumpers for people that actually knew about it. Didn't fix the phone hardware for a year(much bigger sales than Macs). So Steve wasn't perfect either I don't see this as being any different just taking longer to fix them than the phone.

 

On their official page it says:
"The program covers eligible MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit."

So if you buy one now you are sure to have the keyboard to be serviced for the next 4 years? I might just give up waiting and get one, and sell it after 2 years...

 

Whoever is/was responsible for the keyboards almost certainly did get a severe lashing. I'm sure Cook is no pussycat behind closed doors.

 

If they offered the upgrade program to only the previous MacBook Pros and not the new one, then there would be an outcry. This is a good move from Apple. I am in the market for a new MacBook Pro (an upgrade from my 2013 15" MacBook Pro) and I can feel more comfortable to know that if I get a keyboard issue that it will be handled for 4 years from purchase. I'd prefer knowing this than for the new MacBook Pro to not be included in the program and worry about whether I'd be covered if I have a keyboard issue. It's good news and I don't think that Apple could have offered the program for previous MacBook Pros and not the new one.

 

If you want to be honest about iPhones under Steve look in the past. No phone was that great they ALL had issues and big ones. Software was not good. Things where too slow.
Safari never worked on my 3g. It would crash every time. Issues with iPhone 4 and biggest leak in apples history of the phone being found in a bar. iPhone 5(Steve had a influence in that design even after he died(came out in 201 8 months after) had the worst coating in history. You looked at that black slate color and it chipped. The plastic MacBooks back in 2006-9 all had their top case chipping over and over again. I had apple swap my 08 MacBook for 4 cracked cases. https://www.davidalison.com/2008/06/case-of-cracked-macbook-case.html
Id say as far as phones go everything past the 6s had relatively no issues compared to the first 5 years under Steve. The keyboard situation is pretty bad that its been 4 years and still they are patching it though.

It just shows that they really want to stick with this design for some reason and might continue them on a redesign just better. Why else would they just continue trying to improve it unless it is to continue it in the future?

 

Doesn't inspire confidence, does it? But then neither does 5 versions of it in as many years:
2015 - Gen 1 - MacBook
2016 - Gen 2a - Macbook Pro
2017 - Gen 2b - Macbook Pro
2018 - Gen 3a - Macbook Pro and Air
2019 - Gen 3b - Macbook Pro

As far as I'm concerned this is another sticking paster over an unsolvable problem. They're still meant to be moving away from this KB in coming months/ years, so I won't be surprised when reports of the same issues on 2019s start rolling in.

 

takes about five years to perfect everything