Will I ever get used to the 2016 keyboard?

[AndersM]

Hi,

I got a 13" touch bar two weeks ago and I still haven't gotten used to the keyboard. The stiff feel actually makes my hands hurt and it just drives me nuts typing on it.
Did anyone else have these issues with the keyboard? Does it get better over time?

Should I stick with it or ditch it for an older model?

Thanks!

 

[steve77uk]

Whilst initially it is different, I actually like it - I find myself adjusting my typing style though, not as hard - for the better perhaps... I like the newish magic keyboard compared to my old wireless apple keyboard...

I like the 2016 MPB one.. not sure if it is me, but when I want to do a ? however, by pressing shift and / sometimes the shift key does not register and rather than ? I get a standard / , which I thought was odd seeing as it is a butterfly keyboard.

To answer your question, I prefer the keyboard on my 2016, rather than my 2013.

Each to their own I guess...? You could always get the apple keyboard before the magic one and use that? Depends how you use your laptop really...

 

[Sanpete]

Hi,

I got a 13" touch bar two weeks ago and I still haven't gotten used to the keyboard. The stiff feel actually makes my hands hurt and it just drives me nuts typing on it.
Did anyone else have these issues with the keyboard? Does it get better over time?

Should I stick with it or ditch it for an older model?

Thanks!

A number of people who initially had trouble with it have said they adjusted, but I think it usually happened before two weeks, so you may not join them.

If you've ever played the piano, treat what you're typing like it's marked p. Good luck!

 

[MrGuder]

I actually like the 2016 keyboard and for me it made me realize I type to hard so I've had to readjust my pressure. I feel it is much more fluid typing on the 2016. I think it might take some longer to adjust but for me it didn't take long.

 

[smirking]

The stiff feel actually makes my hands hurt and it just drives me nuts typing on it.

I'm a keyboard fanatic and I own way too many mechanical keyboards in different layouts and configurations. I've learned to adapt to all kinds of keyboards. Some of my current favorites were ones that I hated at first. Some that I hated, I hate even more now and that list includes some keyboards that everyone else seems to regard as one of the best of all time. There are lots of fans of the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard. Don't count me in on that one.

Anyway, this is just to say that there's no way to answer this question except to let time answer it. I was very concerned about the new MBP keyboard because I have repetitive stress injuries from decades of very fast typing. I was not encouraged when I tried out the keyboard at the Apple store, but I bought MBP anyway. I figured that I could always carry a Bluetooth keyboard with me if I couldn't get used to the new style of keys.

That won't be necessary. I not only got used to the keyboard in only a day, but I find these are actually easier on my hands than the keyboards on previous MBP models. I still have a few complaints about this keyboard, but as far as the feel goes, I'm a fan now. That doesn't mean you'll ever be though. Even though we both get hand pain, it doesn't mean that we have the same kind of hand pain that will be triggered or relieved by the same things.

My biggest complaint about the new keyboard (besides the touchbar eating my ESC key) is the way the arrow keys are laid out. I HATE that they expanded the left and right keys to full size instead of leaving them as half sized to make it easier to locate them by touch. Now, I find myself pushing on the stupid shift key all the time when I try to find the up arrow.