New MBP - keyboard noise level acceptable?

[vmflapem]

I compared it with my 12" MacBook Retina, which uses the same keyboard mechanism, and the keyboard noise on the new MacBook Pro With Touch Bar is significantly louder.

I only use my laptop in quiet settings (i.e. classes and library) and I'm not sure if I can do this without getting getting complaints. Has anyone tried using it in a quiet area? How did it turn out? Would getting a keyboard cover help?

 

[Altis]

It is pretty loud. More critically is the variance in sound as you type. Pressing a key just a little bit harder can result in a much louder sound (as a result of the chassis rather than just the keyswitch).

The result is a fairly uneven typing sound, which stands out far more than if it were more uniform sounding.

I suspect a keyboard cover would dampen the sound a bit, but the typing experience overall would likely be less pleasant.

 

[chabig]

I think it's highly dependent upon how hard you hit the keys. Press slowly and you will notice that you can definitely feel a click. The click is when the keystroke is registered. You don't need to pound the key to its bottom. Bottoming the key is what seems to make the most noise.

 

[skids929]

Honestly I have the exact opposite experience and find this keyboard to be the quietest I have EVER owned. When I go back to my white MB chiclet keyboard not only is it louder I wonder how the heck I ever typed on that sloppy keyboard now that I am accustomed to to the new MBP keys.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

It's loud because you raise your fingers and hit the keys like a normal keyboard. You are supposed to drift across the keyboard like a person reading Braille and press not hit then then it is the quietest fastest keyboard.

 

[skids929]

It's loud because you raise your fingers and hit the keys like a normal keyboard. You are supposed to drift across the keyboard like a person reading Braille and press not hit then then it is the quietest fastest keyboard.

Exactly..My entire hand(s) crawls gently around the keyboard whereas my old KB I would henpeck the keys. If people find this to be a loud keyboard they are typing incorrectly on it and will have to adjust to realize the benefits, otherwise they will just stay unhappy and blame apple when it's them.

 

[chabig]

My entire hand(s) crawls gently around the keyboard whereas my old KB I would henpeck the keys.

Perfectly said. I have an 11" Air connected to a Thunderbolt display. I use a Magic Keyboard with it. The MacBook Pro keyboard is much quieter than the Magic Keyboard. The keycaps themselves are larger and more stable, exactly as Apple says, and it does make a big difference.

 

[augenleet]

It's loud because you raise your fingers and hit the keys like a normal keyboard. You are supposed to drift across the keyboard like a person reading Braille and press not hit then then it is the quietest fastest keyboard.

I agree with that. The keyboard can be loud but if you just adjust slightly to not hammer the keys as hard as you might be used to do, it's more than alright.

 

[bluush]

It's a new way of typing, very quiet on my non-tb 13"

I cannot express how much I love it!

 

[xmonkey]

I thought mine was loud at first, but after a week or so of adjusting I've started typing with a lot less pressure and it's very quiet now. Great keyboard, honestly.

 

[thesaint024]

It's loud because you raise your fingers and hit the keys like a normal keyboard. You are supposed to drift across the keyboard like a person reading Braille and press not hit then then it is the quietest fastest keyboard.

This was sarcasm. He trolls any positive statement about the MBP. I suspect he has me on his ignore list, at least I hope.

 

[Postiez]

The only noise is from bottoming out the keys. The noise level normally is really really low.

 

[iizmoo]

This was sarcasm. He trolls any positive statement about the MBP. I suspect he has me on his ignore list, at least I hope.

I actually support this a little bit, from using it the past week, what I've noticed is that the noise level basically varies with how I type. There is actually an audibly optimal noise level and a certain way of typing slower where it's extremely quiet, and also a way of typing very rapidly with harder keystrokes that do generates an excessive amount of noises.

So it's actually both sides of the quieter/louder argument that is correct. It dependent on how you type. If you kind of think about that and consider that it basically generate as much noise as you want it to depending on how you use the keyboard, it's actually kinda neat.

 

[fs454]

It's definitely loud - but if you do the "key-crawl" method people are suggesting here it's pretty manageable, but still a good bit louder than the same method on the older MBP keyboard. I pound the heck out of my keys on any keyboard and this thing is a machine gun the way I'm used to, but I'm always ready to lighten it up in quiet spaces. Haven't had to do it yet with the new MBP though.

 

[thesaint024]

I actually support this a little bit, from using it the past week, what I've noticed is that the noise level basically varies with how I type. There is actually an audibly optimal noise level and a certain way of typing slower where it's extremely quiet, and also a way of typing very rapidly with harder keystrokes that do generates an excessive amount of noises.

So it's actually both sides of the quieter/louder argument that is correct. It dependent on how you type. If you kind of think about that and consider that it basically generate as much noise as you want it to depending on how you use the keyboard, it's actually kinda neat.

Haha. I'm not saying his point is not valid, if it wasn't sarcastic, just that it's sarcasm coming from it. I agree too. I just posted on some other one of the many keyboard threads that I must've subconsciously altered my way of typing due to the positive keyboard feedback. No need to be SURE that it registered, and therefore no need to pound the keys. I didn't even care about the noise either way, just knew that it was louder. Now it's almost silent so it must've altered my style.