[madeofpalk]

Lots of people have trouble separating "butterfly keys" from "shallow keys". The 12" MacBook has both (IMHO, horrendously shallow keys), whereas the new standalone keyboards the butterfly keys but with more travel (and isnt as bad)

[tedmiston]

I don't even really care about butterfly vs scissor keys. It's the key travel distance that really matters to me: having some tactile feedback. The new MacBooks feel like typing against a solid board.

[eric_h]

When I first got my MacBook, I agreed with you. However, when it stopped working and I switched back to my 11" air, I found the depth of the key press actually annoyingly too much

[madeofpalk]

What this tells us is that what's upsetting is the change, not that one keyboard is better than the other.

[DennisP]

Maybe between those two keyboards, but between my MBP's built-in keyboard and my mechs with Cherry reds and browns I've found a simple objective difference: the built-in makes my finger joints sore, and the mechs don't.

[throwanem]

Is it possible this might have something to do with style?

I use RK9000s exclusively on my desktops, and I can type all day on my MBP without pain. But I do notice that on the MBP I type differently, because key travel and activation force are so much less than the MX Blue switches I'm used to. If I used that kind of force on an MBP keyboard, with nothing really to backstop it, I'd expect to get sore pretty fast, just as I would if I used the same kind of force on MX Blues that I'd need to activate the switches on one of my old Model M finger-breakers.

Typing comfortably on an MBP I think needs a somewhat different approach. It feels less like typing than like drumming my fingers on a table, which never quite all the way stops being weird. But it works, and as I said, I can do it all day without getting sore. Perhaps you can, too!

[tedmiston]

Maybe it's just personal preference. I also had (still have) the 11" Air ~2011 before this rMBP and I still prefer the rMBP keyboard.

[davesque]

Unfortunately, I did try the Magic Keyboard and was really turned off by it compared with my rMBP 15" keyboard.