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by b3b0p 2490 days ago
Can't agree.

Coming from a Thinkpad (the standard for what makes a great keyboard), PowerBook Titanium (keyboard was bad, but nothing like the 2016/17 MacBook Pro), PowerBook 12 / 17 (my favorite), and the first MacBook Pro (still pretty great) everything starting with the unibody has been downhill. Ever since, the keyboard and I believe battery even have not been user replaceable. There was a time one could walk into an Apple Store and actually purchase the battery in a box off the shelf, take it to the counter and buy it like any other product.

I have a 2017 and 2018 15 inch MacBook Pro. The 2017 is almost unusable. The 2018 is much better relatively. I also had a 2015 13 inch. Can't say the keyboard was great on that either.

I've been tempted to try retrofit a 12 inch PowerBook with more modern parts like the devoted Thinkpad users have done.

2 comments

I did well with keyboards on the old powerbook g4, and the 1st gen intel macbook pros. Once they went chiclet, I developed wrist fatigue, finger pain, and other issues. They are an ergonomic nightmare scenario for me, and are basically unusable undocked for any significant length of time. I imagine the new models will be even worse.
The pre-chiclet keyboards were okay for their era but the <=2015 chiclet design is just so much more comfortable because of the lack of sharp edges and does a much better job at keeping dust out than the old open design.