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kjvmartin

macrumors 6502
Oct 11, 2016
331
535
Detroit
It strikes me that so many Mac owners have become so conservative to the extend that they keep playing "it used to be better in the old days". Being a Mac user since 1988, I think everything has become progressively better. I'm on a MBP 13 touchbar after my 2011 MBP was beyond salvage. Try that with any Windows rig. In the mean time, I have had no issues with anything. I like the keyboard (ok, it's a bit loud while typing). All my Adobe CS apps run perfectly and fast. I can edit movies. Fast enough. Stop moaning. This is the Volkswagen Golf GTi in computing. Premium price but it. just. works. And it looks good too.

You can't tell me it just works when mine had to go away for a week because 1 key stopped working. Just because it seems acceptable to you, and you're ok with the compromises they made (smaller battery!), doesn't mean this is a great product.
 
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itzprintz

macrumors newbie
Oct 14, 2016
1
0
"D" key on my 2016 MBP broke too (was not reacting, unless pressing really hard). Brought it to a authorised repair store where I've been told there is no macbook reparation program launched yet (happened in December 2016). So they tell me to come after New year's. They replaced whole keyboard and it works fine now. It was quite annoying experience though...
 

Bacillus

Suspended
Jun 25, 2009
2,681
2,200
in order to shave an irrelevant 1mm from the MacBook, Jony compromised on battery, ports, magsafe and keyboard.
Can someone be more stupid then that ?
Umph, it must be such a disaster for young designers to work for him.
I mean, 99% of their design ideas must be rejected (with only a single model coming out per year, for a mammoth company of 100k employees...) and that one that gets approved, is a disaster due to its crazy constraints. Let the J.I. character be sent home, with an extra pair of Oral-B brushes around his neck, where he can play with cardboxes, christmas trees and anything useless that may exist or not.
 

Brian Clifford

macrumors regular
Oct 23, 2016
127
78
Possible issues with Q.C and low manufacturing costs? It reminds me of Merideth's "problems" with the Malaysian Production Line. :oops: The biggest issue here is one scene is fictional, the other scene is allegedly a reality. o_O To quote two reviewers of the new MacBook Pro I recently watched, "I want to love this new computer, but at the moment I don't." :(

 

ChrisLTD

macrumors member
Nov 18, 2013
45
50
I mostly use an external keyboard with my 2016 Macbook Pro, but even I am already having trouble with the up arrow on my keyboard. It sometimes takes multiple presses to register. I've had it since December.

Meanwhile, my 2012 Macbook Pro has never had a keyboard issue after years of use.
 

ignatius345

macrumors 604
Aug 20, 2015
6,784
11,085
Really happy with my decision to sell my rMB with its terrible, terrible keyboard, and keep using my 2013 MBA. This thing just keeps chugging along and working, and the keyboard hasn't had a hiccup this whole time.
 

cire1244

macrumors regular
Jul 8, 2008
152
70
Ah the loud keyboard clicking! Happens on my 'Z' key and it's driving me nuts! At first I was thinking "oh well at least it's the least used letter in the alphabet" but then I realized how many times I click "cmd-Z"....
 

smirking

macrumors 68040
Aug 31, 2003
3,741
3,713
Silicon Valley
I'd encourage Apple users who use the comments section here and who actually like Apple products overall to post a comment.

That'd make for some really boring conversation though. Aside from the ridiculous amount of time I had to wait to get mine (10 weeks), I'm having no issues with my maxed 15". The battery life is good, I love having a 5K monitor, and even though I hated the keyboard initially, I've come to be ok with it. I'm not loving it, but it's not terrible. The touchpad is too damn big and is annoying in the few occasions when the palm rejection fails... these are small annoyances.

I paid a lot more money for the laptop than I expected to, but then again I paid a lot less than I thought I'd have to pay for a 5K monitor so it's a wash. I've also spent an equivalent amount of money on a Mac Pro tower in the past too so the idea of paying over $4000 for a computer isn't a complete outlier to me. It definitely hurt then as it did now, but a wise man doesn't skimp on his work tools.

If not for my utter impatience to get a 5K (and a friend really wanting to buy my old machine) I would have waited.
Same story here and I haven't been disappointed. I don't even have any beef with the appearance of the 5k Ultrafine. Mine is mounted on a VESA arm. The number of times in the past week that I noticed the top bezel that people freak out about is zero.
 

JGRE

macrumors 65816
Oct 10, 2011
1,012
664
Dutch Mountains
My MacBook is 8 years old and the hardware is as solid as the day I bought it. Apple used to make their computers to last far more than 4 years.

Absolutely, still using my early 2011 MBP. Upgraded the RAM to 8 GB and put a 250GB Samsung EVO 850 and still good for the comming years.
 

mirco15

macrumors member
Jan 23, 2010
47
3
no problems with my 15" macbook pro 2016 touch bar, and i love it. thanks apple.
Instead, my old macbook pro late 2009 keyboard has different higher-pitched sounds. (....) this news makes me laugh.
 

Prozacthecat

macrumors newbie
Feb 22, 2017
1
0
UK
The MacBook's with the same Keyboard design also have/had this problem. Seems Apple still hasn't quite fixed it's QC.

Have a late 2015 MacBook 12, keyboard lasted 5 months of light use. Keys started to fail, Apple replaced keyboard, top case and several wires..... and gave me the MacBook back with a fault they introduced during this repair!!!! The mac then would go to sleep randomly and the keyboard power unresponsive.... they replaced logic board during repair 2, didn't solve the problem, which remained the replacement keyboard. Several weeks or arguing with them and eventually they replaced the MacBook without so much of an apology.....
 

ghost187

macrumors 6502a
Mar 18, 2010
965
2,042
I bought the 1st generation Retina MacBook (a substantial redesign in more ways than the MBP in my opinion), and I still use it with no problems whatsoever.

What is wrong with the MBPs? I bought one and returned it because I experienced the GPU and Battery issues within days, so these articles are not kidding.
 

Apple 26.2

macrumors 6502a
Jan 1, 2011
955
173
What up, 212?!
I have to be honest - I noticed that with one of the machines at work, but didn't think anything of it - now I know what it is. I doubt they'll getting it replaced though.
 

Atarikid

macrumors 6502
May 14, 2011
262
93
I had this issue too with my tbMBPr - several keys didn't work properly - got a weird feedback - made high pitched noises, ...

In my case the problem was little bread crumbles. Yes, I have the bad habit to eat while reading mails. :)
I used a little straw to gently blow between the small narrow gaps between the keys to remove/move the little crumbles under the keys.
All my keys now work perfect and as long I do not eat above my keyboard, there is no issue.

I'll bet in 95% of all keyboard problems, dirt/crumbles are the problem. Using my little trick (straw) to get rid of the dirt, it will work fine.
 

scousekenny

macrumors newbie
Feb 22, 2017
6
0
south-east uk



Apple's latest line of notebooks introduced an entirely revamped keyboard featuring flatter keys built using a second-generation butterfly mechanism, designed to optimize for stability while also maximizing travel. The butterfly mechanism was originally introduced in the ultra thin MacBook, but a newer version was implemented in the MacBook Pro.

There have been mixed opinions about the keyboard of the 2016 MacBook Pro due to its vastly different feel compared to previous-generation MacBook Pro models, and it appears the new butterfly mechanism may also be less reliable compared to older construction techniques.

A growing number of customers who have purchased a 2016 MacBook Pro are running into issues with the keyboard, including non-functional keys, strange high-pitched sounds on some keys, and keys with a non-uniform feel. There are dozens of threads both on MacRumors and on the Apple Support site.

13inchmacbookprokeyboard-800x475.jpg

One of the most significant issues appears to be keys that make different higher-pitched sounds than other keys in some cases, a problem that was caught on video by MacRumors user monstermac77. As is demonstrated, when the caps lock key is pressed, it makes a sound that's much different than the other keys on the keyboard.


According to monstermac77, the issue is only reproducible when the Mac is warm, a complaint that has been echoed by several other MacBook owners in the thread, suggesting heat plays a role in activating the problem. Some users are experiencing the overly-clicky sound without heat, though.The high-pitched clicking sound is irritating, but it isn't as serious as some of the other issues MacBook Pro owners have been having with the keyboard. In some cases, certain keys on the MacBook Pro miss clicks, enter double letters, or refuse to respond at all, a problem that we here at MacRumors have also experienced. MacRumors reader rroch describes the problem:It's not clear what's causing the issue with the keys that suddenly become non-functional, but the butterfly mechanism is sensitive and can be interrupted by something as simple as a bit of dust. In our case, with the machine we had that was experiencing issues with a specific key, the problem cleared up on its own, but other MacBook owners have not been so lucky.

One other minor keyboard complaint is an inconsistent feel across keys, with some keys that feel spongier than others or that don't press down consistently. This seems to be related to a problem with the butterfly mechanism which some users report having fixed with a needle or other thin tool, but most people should not try that sort of repair at home.

While many of the complaints seem to be focused on the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, some users have also had problems with both the 13-inch model with a Touch Bar and the 13-inch model with no Touch Bar.

Customers who are experiencing keyboard problems should visit an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider. In most cases, Apple is offering repairs and replacements for affected users, especially those who have verifiable hardware problems related to skipping keys, but some MacRumors readers have needed to go through several replacement machines to find a keyboard that doesn't experience issues.

Keyboard replacements are also not a simple matter on a machine as complex as the MacBook Pro, and users should expect repairs or replacements to take multiple days. According to reports from customers who have sought repairs, Apple is outright replacing most Touch Bar models while sending non-Touch Bar models out for repairs.

Article Link: Some 2016 MacBook Pro Owners Experiencing Keyboard Problems
don't care about the keyboard...don't care about.....USB-C... only the price is to dear.... I have all four USB-C ports in use and not a dongle in sight ! great laptop would only change it for the 15 inch beast fully spect out ... but have not got the wonga to pay for it
 

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,666
5,879
I think everyone should keep in mind that your perception of what you read/see in online forums is wildly skewed (especially when it is a negative thing). Even if 500 different people fill this thread with "hey, I'm having this problem too!" , that's still only 500 out of the tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of 2016 Macs Apple has sold. Could be a pretty localized/contained issue. Or it could be widespread.

I feel keeping this in mind could help alleviate some of the ridiculous comments that have turned this website into a hate-spewing circle-jerk. Not saying these problems aren't there, or discrediting those who are actually having the issue - because the problems ARE real - just saying it just may not be as bad as it always seems.

I agree with that most of the time, but this is a real issue. I had a previous rMB that had a key fail and now a 2016 pro with a key fail. When I was getting mine swapped out the genius told me they have been replacing these like crazy.

Unlike the whole yellow/blue tint, does your iPhone rattle, etc, etc this is a real issue Apple needs to fix. If it cannot be fixed, they have to abandon the keyboard and go back.
 
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parsonsmike

macrumors member
Jan 19, 2017
76
106
Keyboard replacements are also not a simple matter on a machine as complex as the MacBook Pro, and users should expect repairs or replacements to take multiple days. According to reports from customers who have sought repairs, Apple is outright replacing most Touch Bar models while sending non-Touch Bar models out for repairs.


My non-TB 13" was out for repair for more than 3 weeks for a non-functional down arrow key. The replacement is sort of better, but keys still randomly stop depressing properly. Also, I'm typing this in a quiet room where other people are working, and I feel almost embarrassed that this keyboard is making as much noise as it does. It is absurdly loud. The whole keyboard is awful, and ruins an otherwise great machine.
 

PeteLP

macrumors 6502
Sep 12, 2008
327
53
SUGGESTION FOR UNINTENDED REPEATING KEY STROKES

Go to Settings > Keyboard

- Increase your "Delay Until Repeat" setting (closer to long than to short)
- Your "Key Repeat" setting can be as fast as you like

It seems obvious, but in searching this thread I found no mentions of this with search words of "settings" or "delay".

I changed these settings my first day (after experiencing the problem) and have not had a problem since

The Delay_Until_Repeat setting effects the time needed to hold down a key before you get your first repeat. The Key_Repeat setting effects the time between repeats after that first repeat.

If this doesn't work, try setting Delay_Until_Repeat to the longest setting. I'd really like to hear from anyone with repeat problems for whom this HAS worked or HASN'T worked.
 
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mirco15

macrumors member
Jan 23, 2010
47
3
SUGGESTION FOR UNINTENDED REPEATING KEY STROKES

Go to Settings > Keyboard

- Increase your Delay_Until_Repeat setting (closer to long than to short)
- Your Key_Repeat setting can be as fast as you like

It seems obvious, but in searching this thread I found no mentions of this with search words of "settings" or "delay".


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