[mullikine]

The keyboards on this new range of Apple laptops are a single unit with the logic board, very costly (to replace). They're extremely fragile and essentially booby trapped so that if you try to replace keys yourself, you may end up breaking the keyboard and thus the logic board as particular keys such as the spacebar are replaced differently. From a usability standpoint, the keys are so shallow that the tips of your fingers hurt after extended usage as if you've been pressing them into cement.

[otp124]

My wife has been complaining about the keyboard on her new Macbook Pro, within months of getting it. It seems the keys are sticking, but we're not sure if its a defect or if crumbs got underneath. It has never happened on our previous-model MacBooks Pros/Airs. Either way, this design is unfortunate for the consumer.

[mullikine]

It's a defect or multiple defects. I have 2016 MB and a mid-2017 touch bar MBP. So many keys have became unresponsive that I backspace most of the letters I type; A torture that you can't let your frustration out on by typing heavily, lest your fingers bear the brunt (Newton's third law + shallow keys). My shiny new MBP began having these issues after about 2 months.

2nd gripe: I made the most unfortunate mistake of attempting to install Windows 10 through bootcamp. short story: windows f-d up during reboot, leaving me with a non-booting mac parition that I don't want to erase.

I thought I could repair it with Ubuntu, but...

Most aggrivatingly, there are no linux drivers for the keyboard on the MBP (due to the touch bar being a single unit with the keyboard) and you need more than one USB-C to USB converter if you want to both plug in a linux boot disk and a keyboard that actually works.

Far worse is the fact that there is no linux driver for the entire logic board (as it's a single unit with the keyboard and touch bar). No logic board means no access to the hard drive at all. So I can't fix the partition with a linux boot disk even if I do have multiple USB converters. Now both laptops are either used as bookends or to hold my coffee. So yeah, thanks Apple.

[akvadrako]

Yes, the keys get sticky. This is the first keyboard where they tell you to clean it with compressed air and in my experience it's required.

[always_good]

The keyboard is shameful. I'm traveling so I can't replace it, but inside of five months, two of my keys (A and T) will lift up with my finger as I type, right off the keyboard.

No physical damage either. The C-clamp holding them in just loosened a nanometer and it doesn't work anymore.

If I could go back five months, I'd replace my MBP with an old Air. I would've thought I had a particularly defective unit had my friend not had the same problem. His 2017 MBP collects dust while he went back to his 2015 MBP.

[steve_adams_86]

Jesus, me too. Same keys. Are we able to replace them at all? I keep reading mixed opinions and I'm not sure where the facts are. I found some replacement tutorials but it required buying an entire keyboard's worth of keys, haha. Maybe at this rate I'll need them...

Easily the worst keyboard I've had on a laptop. It's pretty awful for a $3000+ CAD investment.

[eknkc]

I had a couple keys on mine started to fail.

They replaced entire top cap (aluminum case + keyboard + touchpad + batteries + touchbar). What a waste.

Even weird, the touch id failed to activate when they assembled it so they replaced the main board too (with ssd).

I have the display and bottom plate of my original mbp on this monster.

Recently, the new keyboard started having issues with enter key. Hopefully I will cause more costs to Apple replacing this.

[mullikine]

Cause as much cost to the establishment as you can. Do it for justice and don't let the Man win.

[frou_dh]

> The keyboards on this new range of Apple laptops are a single unit with the logic board, very costly (to replace).

Does someone at Apple get their ass kicked up and down the hallway for this idiocy? Presumably a lot of the keyboards fail in-warranty so Apple are eating the costs.

[solarkraft]

I'm guessing they took some precautions that most of them will fail out of warranty.

> Does someone at Apple get their ass kicked up and down the hallway for this idiocy?

Nope, it perfectly aligns with their culture. Make it thinner, no matter what crazy things you have to.

[coatmatter]

> From a usability standpoint, the keys are so shallow that the tips of your fingers hurt after extended usage as if you've been pressing them into cement.

Only if you habit of striking the keys too hard, which I used to do as well. The only real solution at the moment for the end user is to either not buy the laptop, or adapt to a less vigorous typing style. Before my purchase of the 2016 13" nTB, I went to the store several times to ensure I could maintain the same speed as I do with Cherry MX Brown and Topre switches.

That said, I'm interested to see what the ThinkPad keyboards are like, because I don't much like any other laptop keyboard (including XPS or other older Apple keyboards).

I encourage you to learn to type more smoothly and "feel" for what force is actually required to trigger the clicks. It's worthwhile reaching a point where you don't have to fight it, and it's possible to still hit 100 to 110 wpm on the Butterfly 2 mechanism if that is your Cherry MX Brown speed.

[madeofpalk]

Source?

My understanding (from a recent interaction between my MacBook, a glass of water, and the Genius Bar) is that the top case contains the battery and keyboard, and the logic board is a seperate, replaceable component.