rMB keyboard repair

[zhenya]

Yep, that's kind of what I meant when I wrote above that this design has very little tolerance for things to go wrong. If anything - crumbs, dirt, anything, gets under the keys, there is so little travel that it's going to affect the keys. I would not be surprised to see this keyboard design modified for the next generation. I don't think we'll get more travel, but I do think they'll do something to seal the key mechanism better.

 

[maflynn]

If anything - crumbs, dirt, anything, gets under the keys, there is so little travel that it's going to affect the keys

That's interesting, Of course stuff happens and I try to keep my MBP debris free but things do end up on the keyboard. I think the plastic mechanism may also be a bit fragile as well.

 

[iscajal]

That's interesting, Of course stuff happens and I try to keep my MBP debris free but things do end up on the keyboard. I think the plastic mechanism may also be a bit fragile as well.

The mechanism is definitely super-fragile. As you can see, the key is just a single plastic piece held in place by a latch on one side and clip-in nibs on the other. If either of them breaks (and they do break easily it seems, they're just 0.2mm or so) the whole key becomes useless because it shifts in it's recess. That's what's making it feel "mushy".

Additionally, the scissor mechanism is just a thin piece of plastic that flexes/bends and "snaps" back into place by the pressure exerted of the four corner points, like a metal jar cap under pressure. If that thing goes wonko on you the key might sound/feel different than others.

The whole thing feels extremely fragile when you think about it, and I suspect the high quota of duds people see (including myself) right out the door is simply assembly issues. This stuff must be hellish to put together without messing it up.

This is all just informed guessing, of course, based on personal experiences with three replacement keyboards. I don't think breadcrumbs is a valid excuse for those kind of issues either.

 

[maflynn]

This is all just informed guessing, of course, based on personal experiences with three replacement keyboards. I don't think breadcrumbs is a valid excuse for those kind of issues either.

I think three replacements is far too many for an apple product. Sad to see too many threads on this topic. At one point, I was kicking around the idea of selling my SP3 and getting the rMB. Someone gave me an offer a while ago and while I wasn't looking to sell it, that did give me pause. I like my SP3 too much and I need windows for some tasks, so its a nice alternative.

 

[iscajal]

I think three replacements is far too many for an apple product..

Yeah, it's been quite the drag. My current keyboard is okay, except for the (well-founded) fear that it will break again in some way in x weeks/months. I've decided to keep it for now, but should it break again I'll ask for a refund as well and then try Rev. 2.

 

[sasha.danielle]

My feeling now (still on keyboard 3) is that this is in fact a problem with debris getting below the keys. I've been extremely careful with any kind of debris and so far so good. Three times I had a key go squishy and I remedied the situation by turning the machine upside down and flicking the key hard with my finger a bunch, dislodging whatever was in there. This returned the key's functionality.

I don't think it takes much at all to cause a problem in there. And I hope that they seal this up better for Gen 2.

If a key fails again with this computer after Gen 2 comes out. I hope they would replace this with one of those. That's a lot of ifs though. I toy around with the idea of selling this one to get a MacBook Pro, but that would be a hit of hundreds of dollars. That said, I've already spent hundreds of dollars having to drive to the next city to get repairs done.

 

[maflynn]

My feeling now (still on keyboard 3) is that this is in fact a problem with debris getting below the keys

Under the circumstances do you think its worthwhile getting a keyboard cover. I'm not a fan of these, but if the debris is causing an issue, this may be a possible work around.

 

[maxsix]

This is worrisome, how quality can vary so much within the same model...

It's something that is quite concerning. Because I buy far more than those buying the one laptop or desktop for their personal use, they're not exposed to seeing multiple models like I do.

Then there's work. At the massive international engineering firm I work for, at least 45% of our (hundreds of) computers are Macs. They're replaced at 2 year intervals. From 2001 till 2012 we enjoyed stellar consistency, the hardware was great. The OS was excellent with only the normal smaller bugs one expects from any desktop OS.

Then it began. We received brand new MBPr models dented and scratched right out of the box. Oh sure Apple was quick to replace them, the size of our account with them is staggering.

BUT when my Personal Fully Optioned (3 month wait) _$3,700_ 15" Mid 2012 came out of the box with three divets the size of quarters...

Suffice to say I was unhappy.

No worries?

Apple was happy to make me pay _another_ $3,700 to place a new order (and wait ANOTHER 3 months) while waiting for my original money to be refunded.

How swell of them!

Apple Inc... Pay your money - take your chances.

Almost as much fun as gambling in Vegas!

 

[sasha.danielle]

Under the circumstances do you think its worthwhile getting a keyboard cover. I'm not a fan of these, but if the debris is causing an issue, this may be a possible work around.

That's what the store suggested I do, but to me this is a BS solution. So I specifically purchase super sleek ultraportable laptop but I have to bulk it up with a cover? This seems to defeat the very idea of the machine to me.

 

[maflynn]

That's what the store suggested I do, but to me this is a BS solution. So I specifically purchase super sleek ultraportable laptop but I have to bulk it up with a cover? This seems to defeat the very idea of the machine to me.

I'm not denying that's a poor solution, but it may save your keyboard. Personally, I hate the idea of a keyboard cover, so I'm with you.

 

[polee]

I'm not denying that's a poor solution, but it may save your keyboard. Personally, I hate the idea of a keyboard cover, so I'm with you.

I bought a keyboard cover and ended up dumping it because it further stifled the travel of each key and changed the original typing experience.

 

[taran]

The space bar, Enter, and "A" keys on my rMB went 'squishy' about a month ago. I don't live near an Apple Store here in the UK so an authorised Apple Repair Centre is repairing it. They've had it for 2 weeks now. I just called them to chase it up and they said after replacing the entire top the machine won't power on and they now have to order a new logic board for it. It sounds to me like they're struggling to repair what must be a very fiddly job indeed.

Not encouraging to see people talking about it here and on other forums. It's a shame, as I do like the new style keyboard, and the machine has otherwise been great. Perhaps Apple have had some quality issues and I hope the replacement is newly manufactured...