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I still have no issues with my 17 Macbook Pro keyboard. Tbh it's a non issue. It's just a very vocal minority on a tech need forum complaining.

My 2015 macbook keyboare failed Uhhhhh warranty though covered it.

I bought a 2017 MBP and I'm probably going to get applecare. I normally don't buy applecare.
 
My 2015 macbook keyboare failed Uhhhhh warranty though covered it.

I bought a 2017 MBP and I'm probably going to get applecare. I normally don't buy applecare.
I actually bought apple care because they said it now covers damage. The price either way is justified because of the price of the machine tbh
 
I wonder if theres going to be a recall.

Anyway to OP, honestly, this laptop, if you guys are frugal will last year for 10 years or more. Macs are pretty robust LOL (unless the keyboard craps out Sad to say). Heck my dad has a 2010 macbook and works for him. Maybe they don't make them like they used to...
 
I find it incredibly strange that a moderator at a Mac site posts this type of garbage.
How is it strange? He must be an Apple. Fanboy just because he's a mod of an Apple centric site? If anything I'm the Apple hater/ windows fanboy who's telling him he should keep the Macbook Pro lol
 
I wonder if theres going to be a recall.

Anyway to OP, honestly, this laptop, if you guys are frugal will last year for 10 years or more. Macs are pretty robust LOL (unless the keyboard craps out Sad to say). Heck my dad has a 2010 macbook and works for him. Maybe they don't make them like they used to...
There is some truth in that my in-laws have 3 of our old MBA, eldest is around 9 years all are unsupported with crapped out batteries poor wifi and other intermittent problems as you would expect with any old laptop

No issue for farther in-law he only plays solitaire uses the internet in between sport on TV, Mother in-law does a bit more with banking and staying in contact, however even she got completely frustrated and finally closed the lid and bought a new cheap W10 laptop for less than a replacement Apple battery, mainly as skype would not work due to compatibility and webcam playing up

Sure my son or I could of coaxed a bit more life out of them for their minimal needs and fortunately they have 3 chargers so when one gave up they were covered

For many moderate users not overly concerned about aesthetics and some premium features like the OP it will make more sense buying 2, 3 or even 4 cheap laptops over 10 years than hoping that one $1600 MBP with AC will last, as the odds are against you, let alone staying current.

Further more due to the $ commitment of a MBP after 3 years almost any major repair is going to be > $450 so you then face the dilemma of pouring money in to an old system where a cheap laptop the decision is often a lot easier

Personally I'm the other way :D and like to update at least one of my laptops annually so rarely face any issues :)
 
Ok here’s the frugal me. I got my dad a 2010 macbook for 170. It’s still works 100% and the OS is up to date. To me that’s really cool how it’s 7 yrs old and it still being supported. I plan to get an sdd for $60-70 to add more snappiness.
 
I would get the straight up MacBook. You can get a refurb 2015 for $949. They come with a full Apple warranty and are treated as new.

The other governing rule is a happy wife makes for a happy life :) It's her computer so whatever makes her happy wins.
 
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I'm entitled to my opinion or do I need to check my brain at the door because I'm a moderator :rolleyes:

So what defective keyboard are you referring too? I would expect a moderator at a Mac site to have some type of data or proof to back up an allegation like that. But hey, that's just me.
 
So what defective keyboard are you referring too? I would expect a moderator at a Mac site to have some type of data or proof to back up an allegation like that. But hey, that's just me.

Here you go, google is rife with examples, but as you requested source material, I'm happy to oblige. I opted to include a mixture of links so as not say its one specific site.

I like this thread because the OP was a member who was adamant that the issues were minor, non-existent or overblown. He himself after months and months defending the keyboard incur multiple keyboard failures. I recommend reading this thread to educate yourself with the issue and see how it is affecting many people.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-nail-in-the-coffin.2067352

Here's the other links from Google and of course our own threads here at MacRumors.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wners-experiencing-keyboard-problems.2033781/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7759662?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7866833?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7840547?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7779290?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7775119?start=0&tstart=0
https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/21/macbook-pro-keyboard-problems/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-2016-keyboard-failure.2015079/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-keyboard-is-a-total-fail.2064226/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-vs-2017-macbook-pro-touch-bar-15-keyboard-issue.2091737/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2017-macbook-pro-with-touch-bar-keyboard-issue.2083845/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-keyboard-khronicles-sic.2083620/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-touchbar-left-shift-key-failure.2082609/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-17-tb-keyboard-problems-stats.2079447/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-issue-again.2078085/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-and-trackpad-problems.2076700/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-after-june-2017-how-does-it-hold-up.2075221/
http://bgr.com/2017/10/19/macbook-pro-2017-keyboard-not-working/
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macbook-pro-keyboard-fix-is-absurd-2017-10
https://medium.com/@briancjc/macbook-pro-2017-version-keyboard-problems-oh-why-part-2-46688225e1b1
 
Windows-based laptops may have better specs and whatnot, but it is rare they last as long.
I would be astounded if you couldn’t make a windows machine for even base MacBook Air money last at least 6 years. SSDs and the dramatic levelling off of the pace of performance increase in cpus have made a world of difference for Windows based machines no less than MacBooks.
 
Personally, I recommend getting a refund on the MacBook Pro and getting a MacBook Air. No, you won't get the beautiful retina screen, but the 13" Air's screen is still lovely to look at, with antialiased fonts looking plenty sharp enough. It's a tried and true design with lots of ports and, in my opinion (and the opinion of many others), a better keyboard in terms of reliability and quieter keys (my wife is very sensitive to the louder clacking of my work 2016 MacBook Pro's keyboard).

So, if price is the major concern, I would really, really recommend looking for a good deal on a 13" MacBook Air. You are iPhone users, so having access to the Messages app and easier sharing of files between the phone and the MacBook are nice features to have.
 
Here you go, google is rife with examples, but as you requested source material, I'm happy to oblige. I opted to include a mixture of links so as not say its one specific site.

I like this thread because the OP was a member who was adamant that the issues were minor, non-existent or overblown. He himself after months and months defending the keyboard incur multiple keyboard failures. I recommend reading this thread to educate yourself with the issue and see how it is affecting many people.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-nail-in-the-coffin.2067352

Here's the other links from Google and of course our own threads here at MacRumors.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wners-experiencing-keyboard-problems.2033781/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7759662?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7866833?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7840547?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7779290?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7775119?start=0&tstart=0
https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/21/macbook-pro-keyboard-problems/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-2016-keyboard-failure.2015079/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-keyboard-is-a-total-fail.2064226/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-vs-2017-macbook-pro-touch-bar-15-keyboard-issue.2091737/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2017-macbook-pro-with-touch-bar-keyboard-issue.2083845/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-keyboard-khronicles-sic.2083620/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-touchbar-left-shift-key-failure.2082609/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-17-tb-keyboard-problems-stats.2079447/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-issue-again.2078085/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-and-trackpad-problems.2076700/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-after-june-2017-how-does-it-hold-up.2075221/
http://bgr.com/2017/10/19/macbook-pro-2017-keyboard-not-working/
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macbook-pro-keyboard-fix-is-absurd-2017-10
https://medium.com/@briancjc/macbook-pro-2017-version-keyboard-problems-oh-why-part-2-46688225e1b1

And most of those are the same people posting the same thing over and over again on different threads on these forums it means nothing, a few hundred people worldwide is still no real evidence of a widespread problem. I'm not saying there isn't a problem per se I'm just saying there is no real evidence that its a massive or even midly common issue yet.
 
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Here you go, google is rife with examples, but as you requested source material, I'm happy to oblige. I opted to include a mixture of links so as not say its one specific site.

I like this thread because the OP was a member who was adamant that the issues were minor, non-existent or overblown. He himself after months and months defending the keyboard incur multiple keyboard failures. I recommend reading this thread to educate yourself with the issue and see how it is affecting many people.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-nail-in-the-coffin.2067352

Here's the other links from Google and of course our own threads here at MacRumors.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wners-experiencing-keyboard-problems.2033781/
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7759662?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7866833?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7840547?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7779290?start=0&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7775119?start=0&tstart=0
https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/21/macbook-pro-keyboard-problems/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-pro-2016-keyboard-failure.2015079/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-keyboard-is-a-total-fail.2064226/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-vs-2017-macbook-pro-touch-bar-15-keyboard-issue.2091737/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2017-macbook-pro-with-touch-bar-keyboard-issue.2083845/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-keyboard-khronicles-sic.2083620/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-touchbar-left-shift-key-failure.2082609/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-17-tb-keyboard-problems-stats.2079447/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-issue-again.2078085/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/keyboard-and-trackpad-problems.2076700/
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-after-june-2017-how-does-it-hold-up.2075221/
http://bgr.com/2017/10/19/macbook-pro-2017-keyboard-not-working/
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macbook-pro-keyboard-fix-is-absurd-2017-10
https://medium.com/@briancjc/macbook-pro-2017-version-keyboard-problems-oh-why-part-2-46688225e1b1

my goodness. Did you really just post MacRumors message board posts as evidence to back up your assertion? Cant make it up.
 
my goodness. Did you really just post MacRumors message board posts as evidence to back up your assertion? Cant make it up.
Nope, I included bgr, business insider apple support forums 9to5. So yeah, you can't make it up. There's definitely an issue with the keyboard
 
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Nope, I included bgr, business insider apple support forums 9to5. So yeah, you can't make it up. There's definitely an issue with the keyboard

Well then I counter with feedback I received from both the desktop support manager from my rather large fortune 500 company, and a very close friend that works at an Apple store. Both claim they see little difference in terms of keyboard repair numbers between new and old Macbooks.

But, I must admit, I don't have message board posts to back up my claims.
[doublepost=1511967785][/doublepost]
Nope, I included bgr, business insider apple support forums 9to5. So yeah, you can't make it up. There's definitely an issue with the keyboard

From the business insider report......"However, people are starting to report one specific problem".

Well that's all the proof I need.....people are starting to report!!!!!
 
Well then I counter with feedback
I'm not looking to get into an argument, I am of the opinion that there are issues with the keyboard. You seem to have an issue that I'm not allowed to offer my opinion because I'm also a moderator. If you don't have an issue with the keyboard, great, but others seem too and that's all I'm pointing out.

If you don't believe what I posted, or your opinion is counter to mine, fine, I respect that. I'm not going to debate this going back and forth, as its pointless.
 
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Not to derail the already derailed thread, but my 2 cents on the new keyboards: The issue that I've seen personally in my house with two MacBooks (2016) is that they get dust and grit fairly easily and that if you are going to clean the keys you have to be very careful. In fact, cleaning usually equates to breaking the small plastic hinges or worse, even if you are reasonably careful. To have Apple fix even individual keys, it's a full replacement of 700.00 outside of Apple Care (so purchase Apple Care is my advice). They also have a fairly involved process for cleaning with air, but your mileage may vary. I went the route of purchasing a third party key in one case, which worked, but was remarkably tedious to replace, again because the mechanism is very fragile and Apple doesn't publish a how-to for doing it, though there are some reasonably bad videos on youtube from people who have done it. I like the keyboards when they work well - which they mostly do. It's just the "when they don't" part that's frustrating and would love to see the design evolved to something less fragile.
[doublepost=1511971240][/doublepost]Back to the thread. Back in 2008, I moved my household to Macs after a good solid decade with Windows machines. I used to build my own machines and was an all around tinkerer. Since then, what I consider "value" has changed. It did used to be centered on actual dollars - i.e. you can get reasonably spec'd machines for fewer short-term dollars than you might spend on most Macs (not always true, depending on your requirements, but you get the point).

Once I moved us to Macs, my household IT duties went to near 0 hours per week down from several (at least) when we had a diversity of Windows machines needing upgrades, virus scans, new drivers, new hardware, backups, and the like. What I equate to value now is the time I can get back along with the dollars spent longer term. Given that 10 years (2008) is a long time, I know I can do much of that with a Windows ecosystem these days, but with iPhones, iPads, Time Capsules, Apple TV, etc, I'm what you'd call "all-in" (if you're being charitable :)) and because it really is easy to support use cases like your wife's and use cases like mine (software development) all in an easy to manage package, I am very happy to have made the switch.

My 2 cents.
 
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At the risk of turning this into a keyboard thread...

I've already stated my dislike for the keyboard (they're louder/clackier and shallower). I'm very concerned about the reliability of them, based on the posts I've read here and elsewhere, but that's not first-hand. I've only been using my work-provided MacBook Pro 15" for a couple of months now, and haven't had any problems (yet). FWIW, it's a 2016 model. But my in-college daughter is due for a new laptop and expressed interest in a MacBook Pro 13" w/Touch Bar (expensive tastes), and I'm very worried about getting her one because of the reported keyboard issues.

Anyway, I had to bring my late 2013 MacBook Pro 13" in for a screen replacement the other day and I talked to one of the managers of the repair department at the Apple store and he claimed that he hasn't seen many come in with keyboard problems. He said that there were a lot of issues with the 1st gen 12" MacBook (that's the first MacBook that featured the butterfly keyboards), but he seemed to think that Apple must have fixed most of the issues after that. I'm still very skeptical, but I figured I'd throw that out there.
 
I would be astounded if you couldn’t make a windows machine for even base MacBook Air money last at least 6 years. SSDs and the dramatic levelling off of the pace of performance increase in cpus have made a world of difference for Windows based machines no less than MacBooks.

Regarding hardware, the issue with most PC hardware isn't the CPU and SSD. It's the screen, body, keyboard, and trackpad. Sometimes they're over-engineered and too advanced for their own good, sometimes they're too cheaply made. Apple seems to strike the best balance between simplicity and using good materials and design. Also, the fact that there is an Apple store in nearly every major city and mall helps keep Macbooks in decent condition as it is actually possible to get them fixed.

The main issue with Windows laptops is software. Microsoft does a very good job at making an OS that can run almost trouble-free on literally millions of different configurations. Apple has a much easier job, macOS has to run on only a few dozen configurations. Microsoft though has to rely on hardware makers to write good drivers, which they sometimes don't, and often don't update.

Microsoft just released the Creators Update to Windows 10. Some people are having issues with it because the update has bugs, which is expected and Microsoft will update it, but also because some PC vendors released buggy drivers that don't work as well with the new update, and they're probably never going to be updated. Even the biggest vendors usually don't provide driver support for that long - certainly not 6 years. Apple however, due to their very close control of hardware, does provide driver support for that long.
 
About the keyboard, we don't have any quantitive data. We don't know how many are affected and in which regions they are affected. All I can say is that we own a bunch of these laptops and we haven't had a single report of keyboard malfunction (funnily enough, I was the only one with the problem, since I got cookie crumbs stuck under my space bar, wouldn't call it a "malfunction" though). Bottomline is, its good to be careful and all, but please don't portray it as if every single of these keyboards are defective.
 
About the keyboard, we don't have any quantitive data. We don't know how many are affected and in which regions they are affected. All I can say is that we own a bunch of these laptops and we haven't had a single report of keyboard malfunction (funnily enough, I was the only one with the problem, since I got cookie crumbs stuck under my space bar, wouldn't call it a "malfunction" though). Bottomline is, its good to be careful and all, but please don't portray it as if every single of these keyboards are defective.
I don't think anyone has said it's an issue that affects all machines, but I don't think it's unreasonable to say there's a chance if you buy one of these computers you are at risk of it happening to you.
 
I don't have an opinion about the OP's choice, but the post reinforces the fact that Apple still hasn't made an appropriate replacement for the basic Macbook Air - i.e. a retina screen device that runs MacOs, works for basic tastks and costs about $999.
 
I don't have an opinion about the OP's choice, but the post reinforces the fact that Apple still hasn't made an appropriate replacement for the basic Macbook Air - i.e. a retina screen device that runs MacOs, works for basic tastks and costs about $999.
I'm sure that Apple would argue that they're still making/selling the MacBook Air, so there you go. Now, you're specifying that this replacement needs to have a Retina, to which they'd argue that Retina is a premium feature, so the base model with Retina is the 12" MacBook for $1300.

I imagine that, despite a significant portion of their userbase disliking the new keyboard design and being unhappy with the removal of all ports other than USB-C, Apple's plans are (or at least, were) to deplete their stock of MacBook Air units and then reduce the price of the 12" MacBook, leaving us with the 12" MacBook, 13" MacBook Pro, and 15" MacBook Pro, all with Retina.
 
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