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MBA 2018–NOOO! Keyboard failed...
- Thread starter Scriabin
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- keyboard 2018
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I'm not "mad" at Apple. I own a LOT of their gear and it serves me well. But I am saddened by their inability to deal with such a key factor (pun intended).
My previous gen. MacBook airs are bulletproof. But...Without exception, virtually everyone I know who bought the new machines has had some sort of problem with the keyboard. Including the three I had. It was beyond annoying because I REALLY loved those laptops and quickly got used to the new keyboard feel.
I made fun of people who reported problems with the keyboard again and again. Then it happened to me and people I know or work with. Statistically I started to understand that it had to be more common than I first imagined. Then I got confirmation on exactly that from some contacts at Apple.
So I REALLY want to swap my MBA units for new ones and maybe add a 15" MBP, but there's no way I can do it knowing what I know.
C'mon Apple! Pull it together.
RB
My previous gen. MacBook airs are bulletproof. But...Without exception, virtually everyone I know who bought the new machines has had some sort of problem with the keyboard. Including the three I had. It was beyond annoying because I REALLY loved those laptops and quickly got used to the new keyboard feel.
I made fun of people who reported problems with the keyboard again and again. Then it happened to me and people I know or work with. Statistically I started to understand that it had to be more common than I first imagined. Then I got confirmation on exactly that from some contacts at Apple.
So I REALLY want to swap my MBA units for new ones and maybe add a 15" MBP, but there's no way I can do it knowing what I know.
C'mon Apple! Pull it together.
RB
Not trying to start anything, but you can't go to an Apple Store and ask them how many issues they have seen and expect a straight answer. For one thing, they're probably not allowed to tell you or it wouldn't be in their best interest to do so. For another, they can't comment on the root cause of these issues as they ship the devices out.
Just today I went on into a microsoft store and asked if i can swap the ssd and install linux on a brand new dell xps13”. The sales person looked up everything online as far as if I can replace the drive, add memory and install linux in the laptop. How free and honest he was! felt like i was at an Apple store many years ago. My have times and companies changed big time!
No offense taken. I get your point, and understood there was some risk when I asked the question. I do believe the individual I was dealing with was being honest......but, that is just a vibe I got based on my personal and professional experiences. I have know many BS artists in my time, and this young lady was not one of them in my view. She is just a college student trying to earn some money and do a good job. She also readily admitted to problems with keyboards on other models that were on sale in the store......MacBook and 2017 MBP. So, she felt comfortable telling me about those keyboard problems, which added to her credibility.
BTW - Your signature indicates that you have a MacBook Air 2018. How has it been working for you.
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It has been fine but it's still new. At the moment, I can't comment on keyboard issues because I have not witnessed them. However, it's worth mentioning some of these issues should take a while to crop up. iFixit did an investigation of the new keyboard and found that it is more effective to dust but some more coarse things like sand still break the keyboard.
I've decided to stop arguing for or against the keyboard because 9/10 times I'm arguing with someone who hasn't actually used the product.
Here and there. My iPhone 7 Plus was kind of a mess a couple of years ago. My wife's Macbook developed keyboard issues after about 3.5 years of ownership.
I believe the Apple employee was lying.
The reason is simple:
The keyboard issues are WIDELY know and discussed for a LONG time now. Unless that person started working that same day, it's hard to imagine that they hadn't heard it and been asked prior. Most Apple staff have heard that plenty of times and much more.
Going in the back to talk with a "tech" is a sales technique akin to the car salesman pretending to talk to the manager about your "price." They never do. They know the answer already, just like the well trained Apple salesperson knows the answer.
RB
The reason is simple:
The keyboard issues are WIDELY know and discussed for a LONG time now. Unless that person started working that same day, it's hard to imagine that they hadn't heard it and been asked prior. Most Apple staff have heard that plenty of times and much more.
Going in the back to talk with a "tech" is a sales technique akin to the car salesman pretending to talk to the manager about your "price." They never do. They know the answer already, just like the well trained Apple salesperson knows the answer.
RB
Sales people in general are unknowledgeable nowadays, a razor n shave store clerk did not know safey blade holders tops easily screw off and had no idea what Wilkerson razors are. She was kinda cute tho, which is more an assett than knowing anything, corporate thinks.
then there are shmucks at shoe stores who recommend shopping online for products supposedly being sold in their store according to their website. Who in their right mind would buy items that meet a certain size requirement without trying them on?
That's fine. But, you weren't there and I was. Without prompting, the employee mentioned keyboard issues with other Apple laptops; e.g. rMB and MBP, so she was credible to me.
That's really not good enough. They work for the company and have been fed answers to your questions
Sadly this is 100% accurate. Many buyers have no concept of how the training works. My close friend was a Genius Bar rep for years and knows how this all works.
The store has a single purpose and if you don't think Apple has one of the most aggressive selling systems around, then you don't know Apple.
As soon as I heard the part where the "sales person went in the back to ask a tech" I knew it was nonsense. It's a classic element of sales.
It's the job of the sales person to give that honest vibe, but the real goal is to sell you that white box so they can keep their job and make the next Toyota payment.
On what planet would the sales person have come back and said, "You know what? There has been some issues with these keyboards."
That planet would be Mars. But they don't carry Apple there. If a tech told the sales person to say YES, there are some issues, they'd both get fired.
RB
... and this is why I have stayed away from the laptops with the butterfly type keyboards. You take your "new" laptop to the Apple store and all you're going to get is grief when they tell you that you will have to pay out more money to have them "fix" your butterfly keyboard, no thanks!
Regardless of the reliability, Apple has refunded or made free any repairs to these keyboards. It doesn't fix the lack of reliability, but I got zero grief when I brought my wife's 2015 MB to the Apple Store and the whole thing was comped because there was no water damage.
I'm not looking to spend 3K or more on laptops that will fail and be fixed for free.
My time is a LOT more valuable than the time I wasted sorting out bad keyboards. I won't make the same mistake twice.
RB
So, if she was just feeding me a company line, why did she mention keyboard problems with other MacBooks without my prompting? I am to believe that this young store employee is part of an elaborate corporate head-fake to admit problems with some laptops but not others? I think some of you guys spend too much time dreaming up conspiracy theories.
Sometimes, things are just the way they seem to be. There are problems with the gen 3 butterfly keyboard, but it might not impact all laptops in exactly the same way. It is possible that some of the Apple tech have not encountered the problem with the new MBAs.......perhaps in time they will.....but that doesn't mean these people aren't being truthful.
I work in customer support. There are things you can say and things you can't say. The Apple Store representative is likely allowed to mention and discard the keyboard issue but they're likely forbidden from admitting fault on behalf of the company. It's not conspiracy. It's business.
Apple wants their employees to be translucent but at the same time not admit fault on behalf of the company.
I think all of the folks who bought Apple notebooks since 2016 pricing are clearly still Apple fans, otherwise they would not have bought at the new pricing. The least Apple should have done was given them the quality they trusted Apple to deliver for the prices.
The issue is two-fold, one that Apple products are failing in quality so badly, and two that we have to pay that egregious premium for that lack of quality and reliability.
The issue is two-fold, one that Apple products are failing in quality so badly, and two that we have to pay that egregious premium for that lack of quality and reliability.
Do you guys imagine Apple in 2000-2010 having an issue with the keyboard? So many things Apple does is so pathetic these days. Broken keyboard is a serious issue, imagine making a booking and having your details typed wrong. Say hello to the booking correction fee. Or when you type the password and you don't see what you type. With these keyboards it's more than likely to have it typed wrong twice, the same way.
While I'm writing this post, I got 3 double E's. Thank you so much for this amazing device, Apple.
While I'm writing this post, I got 3 double E's. Thank you so much for this amazing device, Apple.
Not to mention that the keyboards suck to type on, even if they didn’t fail so often.
I think you mean transparent. ;-)
[doublepost=1551432289][/doublepost]
Not everyone dislikes the new keyboards.
This is why I moved to a Thinkpad. Apple simply didn't have an 'upgrade' from my 2012 rMBP, which I considered a downgrade from the 2010 one anyway because of less ports and no matte screen option. I needed more RAM for VM's and what was delivered was a machine with even less usable ports and quite possibly the worst keyboard in computing history and still only 16GB RAM. It was thinner and prettier though. I would have possibly bought one if it were released with 32GB, but in hindsight I know I would have regretted it with all the keyboard issues.
I really like Mac OS, but Windows 10 running on a ThinkPad P51 has proved to be great. I can count on one hand the number of times it has crashed in the past 18 months.
Actually, whenever I've complained about something in an Apple store - translucent is great description...
The employees mouth says one thing but the facial expression says quite a different thing...
