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Thoughts on 2017 MBP keyboard
- Thread starter OneSon
- Start date
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Takes a bit of getting used to! Personally I prefer the old MacBook Pro keyboard but once you've been using for a while its not so bad.
I do find that I can accidentally press the touchbar when using delete or similar. always put my Mac to sleep with that!
I do find that I can accidentally press the touchbar when using delete or similar. always put my Mac to sleep with that!
People believe that it sounds different, albeit only slightly. It may be that apple is slowly tweaking the keyboard but I don't think I've seen any definitive proof one way or another.
It's better when you finally get used to it, but there's no getting away from the fact it is louder.
It's what you have to accept if you want thinner laptops by Apple
I have the 2016 model and just have to remember that it’s not necessary to beat the keys like I used to do with other keyboards.
I have a 2015 12" MB sitting here next to my 2017 13" nTB. Apple have definitely made some changes. The new one is a little hollow sounding compared to the old one, but it has a nicer feel. I think it's because the keycaps are slightly loose in comparison. If I rest my finger lightly on the 12" keys, I can't wobble the keycap at all. If I do the same on the 13", there's a slight a mount of movement from left to right. It seems that they've taken some of the high pitch away by loosening the mechanism up a little, at the expense of slightly louder keystrokes, even if you have a light touch. (I don't. I bash the poop out of keyboards.)
I'd say though that both are variations on a theme, and if you didn't like the earlier iterations, you probably won't like this one either.
I'd say though that both are variations on a theme, and if you didn't like the earlier iterations, you probably won't like this one either.
The first few days I preferred my 2013 MB Pro keyboard but now I'm getting used to the 2017 keyboard and it seems ok.
My main concern when I first got the 2017 model was that some keys were very very loud. After using it a few days the keyboard sound has dampened a lot and it is reasonably quiet now.
My main concern when I first got the 2017 model was that some keys were very very loud. After using it a few days the keyboard sound has dampened a lot and it is reasonably quiet now.
Want to try the 2017 at the local Apple, store don't have high hopes as the 2016 MBP keyboard was simply tragic for this class of notebook. FFS Apple just make it a "little" thicker and give us some usable key travel...
I own and use a 12" Retina MacBook professionally, yes you can adapt to it, equally it remains to be a vastly inferior typing experience in comparison to notebooks where the keyboard is designed with the ergonomic & significant usage in mind.
Q-6
I own and use a 12" Retina MacBook professionally, yes you can adapt to it, equally it remains to be a vastly inferior typing experience in comparison to notebooks where the keyboard is designed with the ergonomic & significant usage in mind.
Q-6
My 2017s b key randomly stopped working this evening for about 5 minutes. 
I just don't get these things sometimes.
I just don't get these things sometimes.
My 2017s b key randomly stopped working this evening for about 5 minutes.
I just don't get these things sometimes.
Honestly it's simply unacceptable, Apple once said they would never produce garbage; yet never seen so many negative posts regarding the MBP keyboard in close to 10 years on MR. Bottom line is it's a mediocre keyboard, poorly executed, personally I expect far more for $3K, is what it is, no sale...
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Agree and all in the name of thinner and lighter.. Why Apple, why?
Pointless, just fodder for the Starbucks crowd, in all honesty it's beyond disappointing. I want to own and use a modern up to date Mac. Patiently waited for the MBP redesign, this is the best Apple can do
Likely higher priorities choosing door handles for Apple Park...Don't get it fine, equally Apple has royally ****ed a good number of it's professional users, so have some tolerance for our anger...
Q-6
Just to counteract myself on the KB - I know from my 12" experience that I definitely can acclimate to it, but I'd be lying if I said it was my favorite typing experience.
My main issues with it at this time are the noise and much more importantly that it's simply unreliable.
The keyboard is WAY too important to a laptop to be doing anything to it that might make it a new point of failure or issue. The fact they aren't treating that as a more serious problem, from what we can tell, is really troubling.
[doublepost=1498662322][/doublepost]Psst... Hey Apple...
Put the Magic Keyboard in the MacBook Pro's...
Thank you!
My main issues with it at this time are the noise and much more importantly that it's simply unreliable.
The keyboard is WAY too important to a laptop to be doing anything to it that might make it a new point of failure or issue. The fact they aren't treating that as a more serious problem, from what we can tell, is really troubling.
[doublepost=1498662322][/doublepost]Psst... Hey Apple...
Put the Magic Keyboard in the MacBook Pro's...
Thank you!
Pointless, just fodder for the Starbucks crowd, in all honesty it's beyond disappointing. I want to own and use a modern up to date Mac. Patiently waited for the MBP redesign, this is the best Apple can do
Don't get it fine, equally Apple has royally ****ed a good number of it's professional users, so have some tolerance for our anger...
Q-6
I spoke with a lady from the Apple Online store today re: the keyboard and the thermal expansion noises. Even though I am outside of the 14 day return window by about a week, she agreed to issue the refund and gave me a return number. I am promptly going to take it to one of my local retail stores today. Now they question becomes... what next? What are we really to do when the 2016 had keyboard issues, and the 2017 has issues (mine had these problems, not saying everyone does). I can't run VM's on a MacBook or a MacBook Air. And I don't really want to leave the Apple EcoSystem when everything usually just works.
Such a hard spot to be in right now.
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And it should be noted, Apple did this to themselves.
Pro users are happy getting more evolutionary changes that enhance but don't interfere with their workflow and I don't recall anyone clamoring for a new "super exceptionally thin all new keyswitch design" on the Pro laptops...especially if reliability is going to dip. I can't think of a worse tradeoff to make.
I was totally wrong. I thought for sure the new KB when the rMB first came out was specifically for the unique design challenges of that machine and that something very similar to the desktop Magic Keyboard would be in the pro machines so as to attempt to closely match Pro desktop and laptop keyboard experiences, as in the past.
You're absolutely right. I don't mind having to carry a dongle for usb-a (just in case), or have a lightning to usb-c cable (again just in case), but having a reliable keyboard is pretty damn important. I don't care if the screen gets to be 600 nits or whatever. That's fine and dandy, but to come out with a new design, have problems with it, only to release an updated model that doesn't improve upon that design is... I don't know.. dare I say arrogant?
To make things even scarier...What if they kill off the Magic Keyboard on desktop and bring this unreliability to all machines? Ugh. I know - We can just plug in another keyboard or hoard Magic Keyboards in a drawer...
But still - It'd be nice to see them care a bit more about this.
Good peripheral design should focus on how it functions and the experience of interacting with it, not just how it looks in promo shots or from the side view at the dentist office reception counter. Looks matter, but not more than how it functions.
They are way off the mark here with applying the "thin-minimal" to absolutely every possible design decision.
When I saw the Space Grey iMac Pro that is exactly what I thought they had done. I looks just like the MacBook Pro. Don't get me wrong, the MacBook Pro is sexy as hell, but I feel it could have looked as good with what the current magic keyboard has in functionality. I have the small magic keyboard with my 5k iMac and my business partner went with the new one with the 10-key. They feel mostly ok, and the travel is fine.
I'd like to see Apple consolidate their offerings across multiple machines when it comes to things like this. You get used to the feel of the Magic Keyboard, then move to the 2015 MacBook Pro where it feel like a sponge, then to the 2016/17 and again it's completely different. Note that I said nothing about the travesty that is the Magic Mouse.
I've tried to work with the MM 5 times now over the years, all after a long break and thinking "try it again".
I even bought and tried the Elevation Lab MagicGrips things (twice!)..
I want so badly to like an actual Apple mouse as the scrolling is totally awesome on there...
I'm done trying.
It's just simply not a comfortable mouse for me.