Sure, but would be good to know on this forum if the problems still exist
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Is the 2019 MacBook Pro keyboard an improvement ?
- Thread starter brilliantthings
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Sure, but would be good to know on this forum if the problems still exist
I am sure that someone somewhere with the 2019 Mac has already experienced a keyboard issue. I still don't know what kind of conclusions one can draw from it. Keyboards were randomly breaking even before the butterfly version was introduced. The question is not whether some people have problems (because they do — it's a matter of chance), but how many people have problems. And we don't have a good way to estimate it. The only thing I can say is that, subjectively, the frequency of keyboard issue complains on the forums seems to have gone down dramatically since the 2018 revision.
What you say is true, but similar to the Galaxy Fold, it's hard to ignore the number of reviewers who have had their keyboards fail. And that includes the 2018 versions. But of course that doesn't tell us anything about the proportion of users that have had issues.
Well, if your question is "was there already an abnormally high mention of 2019 keyboard failures since last two months",the answer I think is a clear "no". I also haven't seen many failure reports on the 2018 models. But of course, its all so new that one can't really be sure of anything. Maybe all these keyboards will start catastrophically failing round October...
I have a 2018 MB Pro and stuck to mostly using the magic keyboard since it's my work computer. I am off of it now to see how durable this model will be.
True. My 2018 has been trouble free, and volume of keyboard complaints dropped off considerably when the 2018s came out. That drop off is one of the reasons I updated from the 2015 to the 2018 4-5 months after they were introduced.
Many of you will probably call me crazy but I actually prefer my 2017 MBP keyboard over my work-issued Lenovo T480. I make less typos on my MBP because I have to lift my fingers less while typing due to smaller key travel.
T480 keyboard is not that g
Exactly the same situation here. T480 vs 2019... I would love a fraction more key movement on 2019, but other than that.. Superb.
YES improved......and even more so it feels on my 2019 MBP 1.4 seems to have more travel, are these all made in the same factory?? strange how even some 2019s feel different?
It is typical for Apple to use multiple source for their components (ex. displays). So it is possible the keyboards are made by different contract manufactures.
This is my impression as well. It's difficult to confidently rely on anecdotal evidence, but there were a ton of complaints prior to the 2018 model and it seems to me that these tapered off hugely with the 2018 model. That's not to say you won't see them -- after all, anything can fail and it's possible to find complaints about nearly every part of a mainstream computer -- but this to me was when the tide seemed to turn.
So far, I've basically heard crickets about 2019 keyboard failures and have seen several comments from people reporting an improved feel. This has given me enough confidence to buy one (once my finances improve a bit).
I've still had issues with my 2018 model with repeating keys and keys that don't register when you press them at certain spots on the key. Fortunately, I have been able to address my issues so far by pressing affected keys repeatedly with lots of force in order to crush/dislodge the particle that's causing the problem. It's obviously not an ideal solution. I'm waiting until they substantively change the keyboard design before I upgrade.
I was listening to the Cultcast, and they brought up a great point. The 2016/2017 significantly negatively changed the perception of the butterfly keyboard. The numbers can be very subjective, but when you are working with the numbers of units sold, even an incredibly small percent of those units is a lot of units.
Example: Numbers used for arguments sake, If a million MacBook Pro's with the Butterfly Keyboard were released and sold, and simply 1% had the failure, that's 10,000 MacBooks with defective keyboards. If they fixed it in a revision and .5% still had issues, 5,000 still complain.
Now they try to fix the perception of the butterfly keyboard, but the reputation is already out there. They revise it even further, and so few have the issue even compared to the 2015, the bad perception is almost irreparable at this point. 2019 they revised it again, and added it to the covered keyboard list to be proactive, and the perception is they did it anticipating its already going to be a problem. It's a no win.
I think that's why they are rumored to go back to a scissor design which will likely be thinner with less travel then the 2015, but more travel than the butterfly.....try to make the best of both worlds.
My opinion has always been, I prefer the lesser travel of the butterfly design. I have had no issues at all with any version I've had with it, but that is just my opinion, and I am thinking I am in the minority in that thought.
Example: Numbers used for arguments sake, If a million MacBook Pro's with the Butterfly Keyboard were released and sold, and simply 1% had the failure, that's 10,000 MacBooks with defective keyboards. If they fixed it in a revision and .5% still had issues, 5,000 still complain.
Now they try to fix the perception of the butterfly keyboard, but the reputation is already out there. They revise it even further, and so few have the issue even compared to the 2015, the bad perception is almost irreparable at this point. 2019 they revised it again, and added it to the covered keyboard list to be proactive, and the perception is they did it anticipating its already going to be a problem. It's a no win.
I think that's why they are rumored to go back to a scissor design which will likely be thinner with less travel then the 2015, but more travel than the butterfly.....try to make the best of both worlds.
My opinion has always been, I prefer the lesser travel of the butterfly design. I have had no issues at all with any version I've had with it, but that is just my opinion, and I am thinking I am in the minority in that thought.
Which versions have you had?
Did you use the laptop keyboard is your only keyboard? Or paired with an external?
Would buy a MacBook that was in Y3 of the replacement program?
I had the original 12” MacBook, the 2017 MacBook Pro, they upgraded to quad core so upgraded to the 2018 MacBook Pro, and now I am on the 2019 MacBook Pro as I wanted to 2TB.
I’ve always used the laptop keyboard, never needed an external. It did take a bit to get used to the lower travel of the keys, but once I got used to it, I found myself typing a little faster. I also remember typing a little harder compensating from the Chiclet style keyboard to the butterfly. Never had a problem with the keyboard. I’m not one of those that said because it didn’t happen to me, it didn’t happen.....but it also wasn’t 100% of the keyboards either.
I’m not understanding the buying a MacBook year 3 in the program? You mean would I buy a 2016 knowing I have 2 years left, or buy the 2018/2019 being year 3 and 4 in the program?
I’m not a fan of buying used, so I wouldn’t buy a 2016, and I bought my 2019 knowing the keyboard was eligible. I didn’t take that as Apple knowing it’s going to happen, I took it as them being proactive to avoid complaints before they arise.
LOL. You're right. Makes no sense. What I meant was, when you press a key down there's not as much crunch as before, but when it comes to lateral movement, it's solid as a rock. No wiggle at all. Still, I probably don't know what I'm talking about. It's a great keyboard. Let's just leave it at that.
Just to add my two cents about the new 13 inch MacBook Pro (1.4GHz).
I wrote this in the MacBook Air forum by mistake, so I will just repeat it here, in case anyone finds it useful.
>
Once when I pressed the function key, it got stuck in the down position. I could tell it was stuck in place because the touch bar switched to showing custom buttons, and it kept showing them, even after I let go of the function key. I set the touch bar to show a row of custom buttons when I depressed the function key in the System Preferences.
I tapped the function key again and it went back to its standard behavior. It never happened again.
I am not saying the 2019 keyboards are good or bad. I just have one data point that I wanted to share. Instead of worrying about it, I just returned it. I had it for about one day.
I wrote this in the MacBook Air forum by mistake, so I will just repeat it here, in case anyone finds it useful.
>
Once when I pressed the function key, it got stuck in the down position. I could tell it was stuck in place because the touch bar switched to showing custom buttons, and it kept showing them, even after I let go of the function key. I set the touch bar to show a row of custom buttons when I depressed the function key in the System Preferences.
I tapped the function key again and it went back to its standard behavior. It never happened again.
I am not saying the 2019 keyboards are good or bad. I just have one data point that I wanted to share. Instead of worrying about it, I just returned it. I had it for about one day.
yeah i think would have been a software bug, sometimes a restart also fixes these sort of issues. I don't think it was "physical" keyboard problem
It went back to normal after I pressed the function key again.
By normal, I mean the touch bar shows the alternative buttons only when the function key is in the down position.
The problem was I pressed and released the function key, but the alternative buttons remained showing in the touch bar.
Honestly if the 2018 was enough of an issue to be a showstopper, I don't see that this should do anything to fundamentally change that. It's straight on the repair programme, fundamentally the same design using slightly revised materials that might hopefully be a bit more durable, but ultimately there's little to suggest it's a comprehensive fix.
but then u could say there's little evidence to say that 2019 keyboards are broken, maybe Apple was right this time, the keyboards did "substantially" decrease in defect. Who knows expect apple?
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It was most likely a software bug imo, since ur laptop was brand new.
I do not know what the cause was.
If I were to guess, I would say it is relatively difficult to make butterfly keyboards within Apple's tolerances. For example, the material in each key may be slightly thinner or thicker than the specification. Alternatively, a key's internal metal dome may deviate in shape slightly from key to key.
From the looks of the updated parts metal dome i dont see how apple could have different shapes and sizes for these parts. This is apple we are talking about. They have machines that make these exact pieces and their machining work is the best in the business.
[doublepost=1563435137][/doublepost]Im going to laugh pretty hard if Apple releases a butterfly macbook pro next year and it has more issues than the 2019 keyboard which seems to be as reliable as the 2015 and previous macbook pro’s (5% failure rate).
It might be an improvement in terms of reliability but it's still an abomination to type on with such short key travel. Personal taste of course, but if you didn't like typing on the old one you will hate the new one just as much.
