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Update on 2019 Butterfly Keyboard?

kht410

kht410

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2016
120
112
It’s been about 5 months since it came out, so can anyone who has any of the 2019 MacBooks confirm whether the butterfly keyboard issues are still there or not? Is it completely fixed in this refresh? Is it finally reliable?

Ps: I’m specifically talking about the 2019 keyboard with the new material in the mechanism.
 
K

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,255
8,209
kht410 said:
It’s been about 5 months since it came out, so can anyone who has any of the 2019 MacBooks confirm whether the butterfly keyboard issues are still there or not? Is it completely fixed in this refresh? Is it finally reliable?

Ps: I’m specifically talking about the 2019 keyboard with the new material in the mechanism.
Click to expand...
It’s definitely quieter. I also have a 2017 MacBook 12” and have not had a problem with the keyboard.
 
Soulflower

Soulflower

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2011
185
29
kht410 said:
Nice! How do you like the feel of the keyboard while typing?
Click to expand...

I'm wondering too how you like it. I went to test one and I didn't like the feel at all. My computer may be on it's last leg but I don't really want to replace it yet.
 
L

lixuelai

macrumors 6502a
Oct 29, 2008
965
335
BootLoxes said:
i can believe the first one to a degree but the second topic i honestly think the person had very dirty or greasy hands to have a failure rate that high across multiple keyboards.

still these issues seem to be significantly less present on the newest keyboards. Guess we have to keep waiting to see
Click to expand...

Some people just hit their keyboards harder when typing, especially if they are used to old mechanical switches. With the little key travel there is, there isn't much dampening when the switch is hit and will surely introduce more wear and tear and debris ingestion.
 
kht410

kht410

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2016
120
112
So would it be okay to say that the 2019 models are safe to buy? I just want to make sure it’s reliable for the amount of money I’m about to splash out for a 15” Macbook Pro soon.

A part of me wants to wait for the rumoured 16” Macbook pro with a new keyboard mechanism. But I really need a laptop soon and the uncertainty of when the 16” will be released is driving me nuts.

I’ve tried the keyboard on the current 15” model and honestly I actually like the feel of it. It feels really nice and I can glide through the keys pretty fast. It‘s just a matter of reliability of the keyboard that I’m still worried about.
 
Howard2k

Howard2k

macrumors 603
Mar 10, 2016
5,596
5,515
I wouldn‘t buy the current keyboard unless it was a spectacular deal. It seems that they are improved but it’s still too much risk for me. But if you really need something, you have no option.

I may be wrong but I expect we’ll see a stronger depreciation on the used market, especially when the new keyboard is launched. Yeah the 2019 has a four year keyboard replacement program, but there’s no way I’d pay significant money for one that’s 3.5 years into the program, knowing that there is potentially an imminent and very hefty repair bill coming up if it all goes wrong. If replacement keyboards were reasonably priced then that’s one thing, but we’re not talking about a $50 repair.
 
E

erkanasu

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2006
724
644
Zero issues. 2019 version is SOLID. I get annoyed by all the media freaking out. Look at the reviews on amazon or Best Buy people love this machine
 
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kht410

kht410

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 4, 2016
120
112
erkanasu said:
Zero issues. 2019 version is SOLID. I get annoyed by all the media freaking out. Look at the reviews on amazon or Best Buy people love this machine
Click to expand...
That’s good to hear.

Do you have a 2019 version? What’s your experience like with the keyboard?
 
Sital

Sital

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2012
2,137
917
New England
My daughter and I both have 2019 MBPs and neither of us are having any keyboard problems (knock on wood). In fact, I'd have to say I like the butterfly keyboard better than the keyboards on older models.

Of course, if I start having issues I will delete this post and deny I ever wrote it.
 
M

Mainsail

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,419
3,223
erkanasu said:
Zero issues. 2019 version is SOLID. I get annoyed by all the media freaking out. Look at the reviews on amazon or Best Buy people love this machine
Click to expand...

Agreed. Zero problems with my 2019 MBA. I don't see nearly as many complaints on tech forums about the 2019 Keyboard, so I think the keyboard has definitely become more reliable with each iteration. Even if Apple used a scissor mechanism, there would still be some keyboard issues and problems. At this point, I don't see much evidence that the 2019 keyboard is significantly less reliable than the keyboard on my old 2014 MBA. Besides, to easy customer's concerns, Apple provides a 4 year warranty on all of their butterfly keyboards. I just don't think it's that big of a deal anymore.
 
kp98077

kp98077

macrumors 601
Oct 26, 2010
4,274
2,750
Whistler, BC
kht410 said:
So would it be okay to say that the 2019 models are safe to buy? I just want to make sure it’s reliable for the amount of money I’m about to splash out for a 15” Macbook Pro soon.

A part of me wants to wait for the rumoured 16” Macbook pro with a new keyboard mechanism. But I really need a laptop soon and the uncertainty of when the 16” will be released is driving me nuts.

I’ve tried the keyboard on the current 15” model and honestly I actually like the feel of it. It feels really nice and I can glide through the keys pretty fast. It‘s just a matter of reliability of the keyboard that I’m still worried about.
Click to expand...
yes, I think it is "safe" to buy... especially for the sales on Amazon and Costco or Best Buy (1,999) US. I have had no issues on mine not have not heard of any real issues. anything you hear here will be considered isolated compared to the population.
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erkanasu said:
Zero issues. 2019 version is SOLID. I get annoyed by all the media freaking out. Look at the reviews on amazon or Best Buy people love this machine
Click to expand...
I agree its just solid a stunning machine really... everyday I am amazed (despite the size ?)
 
Cruz3LT

Cruz3LT

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2019
113
28
Seattle, Washington
No issues whatsoever with the new 2019 MBP keyboard in the few months that I have owned it. I went from a 2015 to 2019 so I got to skip all the problem keyboards.
 
E

erkanasu

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2006
724
644
kht410 said:
That’s good to hear.

Do you have a 2019 version? What’s your experience like with the keyboard?
Click to expand...

yes I do have the 2019. Feels WAY better than the 2016 keyboard. Feels like a polished product. Really enjoy my machine
 
Jimmy James

Jimmy James

macrumors 603
Oct 26, 2008
5,489
4,067
Magicland
I’ll be watching how these keyboards hold up over time. Personally, I’m not buying anything with a butterfluff keyboard.
 
globalmatt

globalmatt

macrumors member
Jul 9, 2016
71
56
kht410 said:
So would it be okay to say that the 2019 models are safe to buy? I just want to make sure it’s reliable for the amount of money I’m about to splash out for a 15” Macbook Pro soon.

A part of me wants to wait for the rumoured 16” Macbook pro with a new keyboard mechanism. But I really need a laptop soon and the uncertainty of when the 16” will be released is driving me nuts.

I’ve tried the keyboard on the current 15” model and honestly I actually like the feel of it. It feels really nice and I can glide through the keys pretty fast. It‘s just a matter of reliability of the keyboard that I’m still worried about.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you kht410. Still rocking a 2010(!) MBP 17-inch which is slowing to a crawl (and, ironically, the keyboard has finally started failing after 9 years). Desperately holding on for this rumoured 16-inch which, if it comes out next month and isn't terrible, I will buy instantly (for its big screen and decent scissor keyboard).

Failing that, I'll probably have to pick up a refurb May 2019 MBP butterfly in the next month or so - assuming the keyboard is a lot more reliable than previous butterflies (which it sounds like it might be). At least it will be significantly cheaper than a new 16-inch.
 
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donawalt

donawalt

Contributor
Sep 10, 2015
1,255
615
Zero problems with 2019 keyboard. I love using it, I type much faster with it now. You can find 1-3 online complaints about any hardware component of any computer being sold today. Look at the bigger picture, the '19 MacBook Pro has been very well received by most.
 
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MrGunnyPT

MrGunnyPT

macrumors 65816
Mar 23, 2017
1,313
804
kht410 said:
So would it be okay to say that the 2019 models are safe to buy? I just want to make sure it’s reliable for the amount of money I’m about to splash out for a 15” Macbook Pro soon.

A part of me wants to wait for the rumoured 16” Macbook pro with a new keyboard mechanism. But I really need a laptop soon and the uncertainty of when the 16” will be released is driving me nuts.

I’ve tried the keyboard on the current 15” model and honestly I actually like the feel of it. It feels really nice and I can glide through the keys pretty fast. It‘s just a matter of reliability of the keyboard that I’m still worried about.
Click to expand...

I'd wait till the end of the year and wait for further reviews... We need people like writers to comment on the topic. So far I have a friend who is a writer and he owns the 2019 15" Tb and had to replace the keyboard.. But he goes to the tv show sets and gets tons of dust and crap on his computer
 
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