I really enjoy the typing experience on new MacBook keyboard.

[CE3]

Putting aside the fact that I can see how the newer MacBook keyboards would be more prone to hardware issues and failures, I'm surprised by how quickly I adapted to the shorter key travel and how much I enjoy typing on them. The key travel doesn't feel vastly different to me from my Magic Keyboard 2, and I think my typing is actually quicker and more accurate on the MacBook.

If you're like me and avoided the new keyboards based on bad reviews and your own assumptions, I recommend spending a little time typing on one to see what you think. The Touch Bar is pretty cool, too.

I can certainly see trapped dust and debris being an issue, but I always order these uppercase keyboard covers and this model certainly won't be the exception to that rule.

Anyway, I know there's a lot of justified anger and frustration out there about these keyboards, so I just wanted to chime in with a bit of positive feedback.

 

[maflynn]

I adapted to the shorter key travel and how much I enjoy typing on them.

Nice, while not everyone likes the keyboard as long as you do that's all that counts. Congrats on your new baby

 

[turbineseaplane]

On the other hand the Magic Keyboard 2 feels weird

oof - HARD disagree on that one.

I love the Magic Keyboard.
Much better key feel for me than the Butterfly

 

[jinnyman]

I'm also ok with the new keyboard, but the reliability issue is the problem.

 

[LogicalApex]

Keyboards are super subjective and not everyone will agree on what feels like a good keyboard and what doesn't. I love my Cherry MX Blues on my Das Keyboard that I use as my workhorse and hammer at for long sessions coding and working. My wife hates the MX Blues as she finds them too loud and the travel to be annoying... Keyboards are very personal and I don't see everyone agreeing on what a "good" keyboard feels like. Some people will love the Butterfly and some will hate it...

I think my MBP '18 is OK as far as rubber domes go, but I wouldn't say any rubber dome keyboard is great... I also don't see any laptop maker putting mechanical switches in either...

That being said... I think the keyboard issues are vastly overblown... These topics become a never ending cyclical mess on here...

 

[CE3]

To summarize virtually every keyboard thread:

I hate this keyboard
I love this keyboard
It is unreliable
Mine still works
Mine doesn’t
Apple had a recall, Proving the keyboard is crap.
But Apple fixed it in 20xx
No they didn’t
Yes they did
Mine doesn’t work
Mine does
You are an idiot
You are a moron

Rinse and repeat, ad nauseam

Can’t we just make my response above a single post sticky thread and save everyone the time?

Can't we just not click on threads we have no interest in, instead of coming in to complain about them?

Most of your lines haven't summarized this thread yet. The majority of what I've personally read on Macrumors about the butterfly switch keyboards has been negative, so (like I said in my first post) I started this thread to give some positive feedback.

 

[SDColorado]

oof - HARD disagree on that one.

I love the Magic Keyboard.
Much better key feel for me than the Butterfly

I am with you on that. I love the Magic Keyboard, not a fan of the Butterfly.

But in the end, there is a keyboard for everyone and for everyone there is a keyboard

 

[nouveau_redneck]

I think many of us are more critical of the typing experience due to the reliability issues clouding the experience. It's prevented me from giving the butterfly more than short tests, and I certainly will not buy a machine with it in order to find out if I like it after longer term exposure to it.

In my opinion Apple has not sufficiently addressed the problems with the design. They do not yet have a proven long term fix and they don't have a replacement program that is adequate. Laptops are lasting longer now at any point in the past. The 4 year replacement program effectively means that many people will be forced to upgrade to a new machine sooner than they would have otherwise, or face a potential repair that approaches the value of the used machine at that time. That is unacceptable to me as a potential buyer, as I like to keep my laptops 5 or 6 years. It also means that I may have to accept days of down time and inconvenience due to a poorly executed design decision.

I do like to hear people talking about a good Apple experience. I love Apple products and wish Apple the best in growing MacOS usage. But it's a sad reflection on Apple to have issues like this.

 

[jerryk]

I am fine with the keyboard also. Came from a 2015 15" MBP. Took maybe a week to adapt the new KB feel on my 2018 15".

 

[LizKat]

I'm in agreement with you. The possibility of reliability issues is concerning, but other than that, the 3rd-generation butterfly keyboard is the best keyboard I've ever typed on. (I'm the odd one that loves low-travel keyboards and hates longer-travel keyboards like the mechanical keyboards that seem so popular these days. Before this, my favorite keyboard was Apple's wired chiclet keyboard.)

Right now I'm using an original magic kb resting on the frame of my laptop that has a keyboard issue... I don't feel like shipping it out for repair when the weather has been in the below-zero to 15º range lately.

I like the little wireless one (whatever its mechanism is) for emergency or casual use with a laptop, and I dread the day its BT quits working and I have to replace it!

Also not looking forward to replacing my mid-2012 laptop itself, the kb of which I have generally liked also. All the kb complaints I hear about the newer ones are rather alarming.

Gonna have to get over fearing the unknown since I realize that's always pretty silly with something like gear. Either I like what I replace something with or I return it or hand it off and go again. Otherwise I'll end up with a 2012 laptop held together with baling wire in 2022.

 

[Jimmy James]

After trying the keyboard in store I’m sure I’d be fine with how it feels.

I simply cannot accept that a long-standing reliable piece of hardware has become a seemingly common failure point. Voting with my wallet and avoiding until this gets completely sorted. If they need to make it thicker to accommodate maybe we can get MagSafe back too.

 

[CE3]

not really, they basically put a rubber condom on the situation, it still prone to heat failure and stuck keys not due to dust. with the 2018 u also have the t2 reliability issue.

Yeah, I will likely get AppleCare+ for this MacBook, but the only hardware issue I've had with any of the Apple devices I've owned (so far) was a bright spot on a previous iPad Pro screen, and they replaced the iPad, so I'll take my chances.

According to your signature, your 2016 MacBook Pro keyboard is still doing ok. *thumbs up*

 

[ilikewhey]

Yeah, I will likely get AppleCare+ for this MacBook, but the only hardware issue I've had with any of the Apple devices I've owned (so far) was a bright spot on a previous iPad Pro screen, and they replaced the iPad, so I'll take my chances.

According to your signature, your 2016 MacBook Pro keyboard is still doing ok. *thumbs up*

ha yeah its holding up despite me having ac+ and that 4 year placement program apple have, the key to long lasting keyboard on mbp is put a cover on it, and use external keyboard as often as possible.

 

[CE3]

I had a 2016 model and experienced exactly zero reliability issues as far as the keyboard goes. The typing experience was so atrocious and error-prone that I ultimately had to sell it after several months. There was no getting used to that thing and I have a hard time believing anyone actually enjoys it, to be honest.

I can’t comment on the 2016 model, but I legitimately enjoy typing on the 2018 model and got used to it right away. I’m sorry if you find that hard to believe.

 

[VertPin]

The new keyboards are genuinely terrible and I really hope Apple goes back to their older scissor mechanisms/magic keyboard 2 style on the next laptops.

 

[User_E]

I'm in agreement with you. The possibility of reliability issues is concerning, but other than that, the 3rd-generation butterfly keyboard is the best keyboard I've ever typed on. (I'm the odd one that loves low-travel keyboards and hates longer-travel keyboards like the mechanical keyboards that seem so popular these days. Before this, my favorite keyboard was Apple's wired chiclet keyboard.)

 

[crawfish963]

I also have been enjoying my 2018 13' TB that I got for Christmas. I adjusted rather quickly and really like the typing experience now.

 

[PROFESS0R]

To summarize virtually every keyboard thread:

I hate this keyboard
I love this keyboard
It is unreliable
Mine still works
Mine doesn’t
Apple had a recall, Proving the keyboard is crap.
But Apple fixed it in 20xx
No they didn’t
Yes they did
Mine doesn’t work
Mine does
You are an idiot
You are a moron

Rinse and repeat, ad nauseam

Can’t we just make my response above a single post sticky thread and save everyone the time?

 

[Queen6]

I hasten to say that my own MBP's keyboard issue is not one that I'd call Apple's fault. For some reason when a keycap was dislodged accidentally, it not only flew off the machine, which in itself is no big deal since it can be put back on, but somehow the underlying points of reassembly were simultaneously damaged, and... some of the adjacent keys in the same row then immediately failed to function at all. So after an hour or so of struggling along using the keyboard viewer (ugh!), I unearthed the magic kb and now I'm just waiting for Spring so I can ship the thing for repair without possibly incurring frostbite sorts of damage...

I am not quite sure how the incident that dislodged the keycap to begin with even occurred, since at the time I was talking on a (wired) phone with back to the laptop and trying to reset my modem-router. The cord of the phone became entangled with a couple of objects that while not particularly heavy, apparently included something (or further entangled something) that managed to exert a prybar sort of effect on a keycap in being tumbled onto the open laptop. Needless to say resetting my modem-router became a low priority at that moment.

It was one of those "too bad there's no videotape, it was hilarious" moments, I suppose.

Naturally I was grateful no liquid damage was involved, things were bad enough as they were, but I rather think the repair cost will come out of my own pocket anyway even though the machine is still under AppleCare until later this summer. It was fairly comic (in retrospect), all things duly considered, and I hope I can remember that when I shove plastic across cyberspace to pay for the repairs.

That particular mid-2012 MBP is one of my all time favorite laptop models, including for its keyboard... and I got this copy in 2016 as an Apple refurb with AppleCare, knowing I wanted to have a reliable machine for awhile yet while I sort out future needs.

I'll be straight; keyboards simply shouldn't fail unless the user intervenes or the hardware is well and truly in need of replacement. Apple has blatantly ignored the issues related to the Butterfly KB, equally I will ignore Apple both privately & professionally. It's simply not acceptable, right now very much Apple's loss.

Q-6

 

[LogicalApex]

I'll be straight; keyboards simply shouldn't fail unless the user intervenes or the hardware is well and truly in need of replacement. Apple has blatantly ignored the issues related to the Butterfly KB, equally I will ignore Apple both privately & professionally. It's simply not acceptable, right now very much Apple's loss.

Q-6

No hardware should fail, but that's why we have warranties...

Even DasKeyboard has a warranty (and extended warranties as well) and they sell expensive mechanical keyboards rated for millions of keystrokes.

 

[ZStech]

Putting aside the fact that I can see how the newer MacBook keyboards would be more prone to hardware issues and failures, I'm surprised by how quickly I adapted to the shorter key travel and how much I enjoy typing on them. The key travel doesn't feel vastly different to me from my Magic Keyboard 2, and I think my typing is actually quicker and more accurate on the MacBook.

If you're like me and avoided the new keyboards based on bad reviews and your own assumptions, I recommend spending a little time typing on one to see what you think. The Touch Bar is pretty cool, too.

I can certainly see trapped dust and debris being an issue, but I always order these uppercase keyboard covers and this model certainly won't be the exception to that rule.

Anyway, I know there's a lot of justified anger and frustration out there about these keyboards, so I just wanted to chime in with a bit of positive feedback.

I was a Windows use before I use Mac's keyboad ^_^ I really like to use Apple devices. Perfectly done

 

[PVDHell]

Putting aside the fact that I can see how the newer MacBook keyboards would be more prone to hardware issues and failures, I'm surprised by how quickly I adapted to the shorter key travel and how much I enjoy typing on them. The key travel doesn't feel vastly different to me from my Magic Keyboard 2, and I think my typing is actually quicker and more accurate on the MacBook.

If you're like me and avoided the new keyboards based on bad reviews and your own assumptions, I recommend spending a little time typing on one to see what you think. The Touch Bar is pretty cool, too.

I can certainly see trapped dust and debris being an issue, but I always order these uppercase keyboard covers and this model certainly won't be the exception to that rule.

Anyway, I know there's a lot of justified anger and frustration out there about these keyboards, so I just wanted to chime in with a bit of positive feedback.

Agree 100%, I wasn’t sure how I’d like the new keyboard, but it’s actually quite pleasant to use.

 

[lambertjohn]

I had a 2016 model and experienced exactly zero reliability issues as far as the keyboard goes. The typing experience was so atrocious and error-prone that I ultimately had to sell it after several months. There was no getting used to that thing and I have a hard time believing anyone actually enjoys it, to be honest.

yeah, I bought a 13" 2016 MBP when they first came out and it was like typing on concrete. My wrists got sore after five minutes. Refunded it. But the 2018 keyboard feels much better in my opinion. You should give it a try.

 

[Donnation]

Love the magic keyboard, hate hate hate the butterfly keyboard. I'm much faster on the old MacBook Pro keyboards and I don't fee like I'm typing on cardboard. Also I don't have to disturb everyone around me on the old keyboard. The new ones sound like you are thumping away on a mini drum set. Horrible reliability and function. Hopefully the new ones this year will be better, especially since they suck at being reliable.

 

[jerryk]

I think they look better than the old but i fatigue faster, and they are louder

Louder? Are we talking about the 2018 KB the OP is using? Mine is pretty quiet.