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The Keyboard Problem on MBP
- Thread starter Sdahe
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It depends. I wouldn't make a knee-jerk reaction. There's no way I would buy a 2018 but I have a MBPro that works.
If I really needed one I might still buy one, but I would look out for all of the potential issues:
* Keyboard
* T2
* Audio chopping
Flexgate is a potential issue too, but it's still too early to say how significant it is IMO.
Keyboard issues can be mitigated by using an external keyboard, and/or the potential 4 year keyboard warranty extension if that happens, and/or by buying AppleCare.
T2 and Audio are unknowns. It's very difficult to say how large these issues are.
There are plenty of folks who either have no issues at all, or who have these issues but are unaware.
Just for some perspective:
The T2 thread for January is showing that the problem has either been solved or was not widespread or both. The keyboard threads have not seen an uptick for older models like the 2016 which you would expect to happen if more were failing as they got increased use. The Gen 3 Keyboard thread has had 1 or 2 reports of 2018 model keyboards failing since the beginning of December. Audio seems to be a problem for some people, but not terribly widespread.
There are issues like there are with any other electronic device. I would personally not worry too much about any of them if I were you. If you would like some peace of mind, get AppleCare. If that is not enough peace of mind or you are turned off by cost at that point, then consider some of the excellent alternatives PC OEMs have to offer. I would caution though, those machines have problems of their own and forums of their own where people are claiming the sky is falling.
The T2 thread for January is showing that the problem has either been solved or was not widespread or both. The keyboard threads have not seen an uptick for older models like the 2016 which you would expect to happen if more were failing as they got increased use. The Gen 3 Keyboard thread has had 1 or 2 reports of 2018 model keyboards failing since the beginning of December. Audio seems to be a problem for some people, but not terribly widespread.
There are issues like there are with any other electronic device. I would personally not worry too much about any of them if I were you. If you would like some peace of mind, get AppleCare. If that is not enough peace of mind or you are turned off by cost at that point, then consider some of the excellent alternatives PC OEMs have to offer. I would caution though, those machines have problems of their own and forums of their own where people are claiming the sky is falling.
Except we're not talking about defective components but rather a keyboard that has shown itself to fail for many people. Apple chose to make a delicate butterfly keyboard mechanism made of plastic that is incredibly sensitive to failure and breakage with the smallest amount of dust/debris all in the name of thinness.
The sky may not be falling but if I'm looking at a premium laptop, I want the quality to be on par with the premium price tag, and imo, the MBP is currently not there. Too many issues and no amount of marginalizing that will take away the fact that keyboard failures is high enough that apple had to create a repair program,
I agree with what the other poster said – I wouldn't make a knee-jerk reaction over that. The flexgate problematic isn't exactly new either, the issue has been around (and known) for a while, the recent iFixit article just raised a bit more awareness and gave a good explanation of the whole issue, but the issue itself is nothing that wasn't known before. I definitely wouldn't lose my head over it. I don't doubt that it's a serious issue for those who have it happen to them, but it overall seems to be far less widespread than for example the keyboard problematic, seeing as there is much less talk and much fewer threads here about it. Making a return decision based on this very issue seems rather precipitate. (And if we're talking about the display, then the ≤2015 MBPs were not issue-free either – I had some horrible display stains on my 2014 MacBook Pro...)
I stand by the advice I gave earlier – look at whether or not you're content with the machine itself and with how well it suits or needs, not (primarily) at the list of issues that you might potentially but unlikely run into (and that would be fixed free of charge anyway in the first 3 years if you decide to buy AC). If you on the other hand feel like your current 2018 MBP is overkill for your needs and you'll be happy with the older 2015 one (or any Windows laptop, for that matter) – that's when I'd consider returning it for a cheaper but outdated 2015 MBP. It wouldn't return a machine that you're very happy with and that perfectly suits your needs over one that you won't be so happy with, just because it has some slightly smaller probability of developing any issues down the line.
Thanks mate.. this is really good advise from your part. Im a graphic designer and I need a fast and strong computer so the 2018 is working great for my work.. I'll give it a chance and get Apple Care to have peace of mind
So where is the increase in posts about 2016 models failing? They are now reaching 2 and a half years old. Shouldn't there be an increase as this delicate mechanism fails? I am not seeing it anecdotally.
Obviously there is an issue, but if things were as bad as you and others are leading everyone to believe, we should see the forum flooded with this issue, and the fact of the matter is that it isn't. Most of the posts are long because of people going in circles about how Apple needs to go back to the "old ways."
In this very thread, the fear mongering is now leading to a user considering a 4 year old machine again. People are simply not giving sound advice here.
Also, I would advise you not to head over to the Lenovo reddit or their forums lest you worry about the reliability of that as well.
Funny!!!.. thanks for that contribution to this thread.. very helpful
From what I can see at https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-macbook-and-macbook-pro/
Glad to help
There were some dGPU issues with some of the older 15" Pros. I don't recall whether the 2015 was affected by that or not, sorry.
So I went to the Apple Store and they dont sell the regular Apple Care. They said that Apple Care+ is the only one available. Should I call apple directly?