Your honest typing experience on MacBook Pro 2016+

[travelsheep]

I write a lot. I currently have a MacBook Air 2011 and I am very happy with the keyboard, albeit the print on the keys is a bit worn off on some keys and I'm thinking of finally upgrading. However, when I google for MacBook Pro and keyboard I only get to see the top 10,000 marketeers videos and blog post where they try to monetize the latest craze. Seems like none of them actually used the keyboard much.

Have you been using a MacBook Pro 2016 (or newer) for extensive typing? Do you write like a page or two of diary a day? Have you written a book on it? Many emails and letters per day? How is your experience? How's your finger joints? Comfort? Sourness? Willingness to type the next day again? What is your typing experience? Thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[deadworlds]

I have had my 15" 2016 MBP since release day, I am a programmer so I like to think that I do a lot of typing. The only issues I ever had with the keyboard cleared up in about a week or two. The main thing that took me some time to get used to was that I didn't have to pound the keys so hard anymore. Because they have reduced travel you do have to press as far down and they are also slightly easier to press. With the old style keyboards, you anticipated the longer key travel which, at least for me, resulted in me pressing a bit harder for each key. I see people on here complain about how noisy the new keyboards are and I think this comes down to the same issue if you're pounding because that's how you were used to typing then it's going to sound louder. Once I got used to it I'd say the noise issue was overblown.

I have not experienced any soreness or discomfort, then again most laptop keyboards are not very ergonomic, so your mileage may vary.

 

[AdamA9]

I love this keyboard and the fact that I can type a lot softer than on a regular pad. I don't like when I have to swap to my Windows laptop as the keyboard is shocking and more so since getting this one.

It's very easy to type on, the keys are bigger so easier to hit, they feel hard at first because of the reduced travel, but you get used to it really quickly.

 

[maflynn]

I'm not enjoying it, but I'll survive. Its not my most favorite keyboard, but as long as it stays defect free, I'll be happy. I guess part of the problem is that I don't type on it 24x7. I have the laptop hooked up to an external keyboard on my desk when I don't need to take it with me. so I'm using a more normal keyboard, then when I do need it with me, I have to adjust. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it will take me longer.

 

[smirking]

I have every reason to be part of the hate chorus. I've experienced all of the problems that people have reported with the keyboard. I just haven't had it to the same severity as other as my MBP has never been in for repairs and it's working just fine after some fix-it-yourself efforts to clear jammed keys and repeating keys.

I'm a mechanical keyboard enthusiast. I hate most laptop keyboards including all of the MacBook pro keyboards to date. I hated the keyboard on my 2016 MBP even more than I hated the ones on the previous MBP models.

Then something funny happened. I occasionally had to use the keyboard for extended stretches of time and I got used to it. I still hated it, but I noticed something remarkable. I type a lot and I type fast and I've developed chronic repetive strain injuries in both hands. I thought the super flat butterfly keys would be a nightmare for my RSI. They weren't. Quite the opposite, I'm able to type more comfortably on this keyboard than any other laptop keyboard I've tried.

Since then, I've gotten to like the typing experience on butterfly keys. I have a lot of keyboards I would still rank ahead of them, but you can count me among the converted. As far laptop keyboards go, I'd rank the keyboards on the classic Thinkpads as my top with this being second. Nobody comes in third on my scale. Every other laptop is tied for DFL (though I haven't sampled the gaming laptops that use newly introduced low profile mechanical switches).

 

[invisibleshoes]

In my experience, in order to keep the clicky-clack sound down, you have to type "gently". My s/o says I type like I have arthritis. Keyboard is overall really unpleasant.

 

[Mallocup]

I just got the 2018 and the new keyboard is very different to my other machines, but I am starting to love it!

 

[GerritB]

I have absolutely no problems with the keyboard coming from a MBP 2014. It's one of the things I was most afraid of switching due to all the bad stories, but I found that it it types fast and while I made a lot more typing errors when I just received it, I've seem to be adjusted now after only a few days.

 

[CreeptoLoser]

I have Macs dating back over 25 years. I have had just about every keyboard Apple has ever made.

My three favourites are the Apple Keyboard II (ADB), Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Pad 2017, and the latest MacBook Pro 2018’s keyboard.

They each are refined versions of their immediate predecessors. Very stable, solid and the right amount of softness.

 

[robvas]

I don’t like the arrow keys and touchbar but I like the rest of it

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I like the keyboard and the act of typing more lightly. I just have to readjust when I use my work keyboard because I start off pressing the work keyboard keys too softly to register a key strike.

I’m surprised I like the keyboard as much as I do because if I could attach an IBM Selectric to my computer and use that as my keyboard, I would.

I did also get struck by my first keyboard issue on my 2017 MBP last week. The Enter/Return key of all keys decided to get stuck. Banged on it for about 30 seconds with 2 fingers and it mostly came back, but it still feels different in bounce compared to any of the keys surrounding it. :-(

 

[Brian Y]

I hate the Touch Bar. That's my only real criticism.

I'm no faster/slower on this keyboard than any others - however I really dislike not having a physical escape key.

 

[mcaswell]

It's definitely different (my other keyboard is a Magic Keyboard 2), but I took to it surprisingly fast. I guess I'm not as heavy of a typer as some who have commented (mainly business correspondence, along with some long-winded forum/social media posts here and elsewhere ), but I find that I type very well on it, and actually enjoy it. Keep in mind, this is a 2018, which has the silicone thingie under the keys, providing a quieter / less sharp key sound (and also reportedly softening the feel just slightly).

 

[A_ardvark]

I tried the 2017 model several times, 15 inch. I made typos constantly. I'm trying out the 13 inch 2018 model and it's pretty nice as long as you don't slam the keyboard. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two models, aside from the silicone barrier behind the keys. Maybe the size affects hand positioning? I think the keyboard is the same size.

Also, I used a 2011 for 7 years and I dreaded the switch. So far, so good.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

You can't get a reliable answer to your question here, because typing on a given laptop is a subjective experience that ONLY YOU can decide from actually typing on one.

You need to get to someplace the 2017/2018 models are on display, open up an empty WP doc, and type on it yourself for a while, to literally "get the feel" of the keyboard.

I don't know if the following will be any use to you, but my personal experience:
Mid-November 2016, and the 2016 MBP's were "new in the stores".
I went to the local BestBuy, which had both the 2016 MBP and the 2015 MBP side-by-side in the 13" size.
I was already familiar with the "older" keyboard on the 2015 model, as my 2010 MBP uses pretty much the same design.
I typed on the new 2016 and.... right away... didn't like it. Not enough "movement", I was making too many mistakes.
Tried the 2015 and... far FAR better.

I bought the 2015 and it has proven to be the wisest "computer buying decision" I've ever made.

 

[waquzy]

OP:

You can't get a reliable answer to your question here, because typing on a given laptop is a subjective experience that ONLY YOU can decide from actually typing on one.

You need to get to someplace the 2017/2018 models are on display, open up an empty WP doc, and type on it yourself for a while, to literally "get the feel" of the keyboard.

I don't know if the following will be any use to you, but my personal experience:
Mid-November 2016, and the 2016 MBP's were "new in the stores".
I went to the local BestBuy, which had both the 2016 MBP and the 2015 MBP side-by-side in the 13" size.
I was already familiar with the "older" keyboard on the 2015 model, as my 2010 MBP uses pretty much the same design.
I typed on the new 2016 and.... right away... didn't like it. Not enough "movement", I was making too many mistakes.
Tried the 2015 and... far FAR better.

I bought the 2015 and it has proven to be the wisest "computer buying decision" I've ever made.

It takes time to get used to the keyboard, once you do though, you will love it. I can type a lot faster than I did with the old keyboard. It's simply not enough to go to your local Apple shop etc and try the keyboard for a bit. 2015 models and older feel dated now, to me anyways. But each to their own.

 

[Sterkenburg]

It took some time getting used to it after almost 8 years using the old MBP scissor switches, but overall I'm now cool with the current keyboard. Compared to the previous one, I'm still not terribly fond of the lack of travel, but I like how the keys are firmer, less mushy and more precise.

Having used all the models from the last 3 years, I can also attest that Apple made an honest effort in improving the mechanism. My first 2016's was a trainwreck, felt like typing on cardboard and succumbed to KeyboardGate after a few months. The 2017 which replaced it was definitely an improvement, and my current 2018 feels even better.

 

[ascender]

Keyboards are always a very personal preference and so views are subjective. You really need to try them and see how you get on. I grew to really like the butterfly keyboards and I love their precise feel - reminds me of a mechanical keyboard in some regards.

I think the 2018 revision is by far the best version of the butterfly they've done - there's much more feel to the keys (due to the membrane maybe?) and the noise when typing has been reduced.

That said, I still think they're inferior to the Magic Keyboard - I wish they'd found a way to incorporate those in to the recent laptops.

 

[csurfr]

As they are completely personal preference, I have owned the 2015, 2016, 2017, and now a 2018 MbP and (for me), the 2018 has been the best. I could not go back to the 2015 after owning the new ones. The keyboard feels...mushy? Is that even a way to describe it? Sure the new one takes some getting used to so you’re not pressing so hard on the keys, but once I did, it has been a dream. And the 2018 (other than some of the larger keys (del, space, tab)) is essentially as quiet as can be expected.

I’ve seen a few people talking about the keys on the space gray magic keyboard being more like the (new) MacBook Pro...I always thought they were the same as the white one though?

 

[CreeptoLoser]

I was toying with one of our old PowerBook G4 Aluminium on Friday. That was a terrible keyboard in retrospect.

 

[robvas]

I find the 13" much, much more tolerable than the 15" for some reason. Maybe because it doesn't feel as flat/wide?

 

[stillone]

I have no issue at all with the keyboard on my late 2016 MBP.

 

[IngerMan]

I enjoy typing on the 13" 2016 MBP, never had any issues.

 

[macdudesir]

I used to have a 2012 MacBook Air and I enjoyed that keyboard. I too was worried going over to the new butterfly keyboard and when I first tried it in a store I thought it was terrible. However, now that I own my 2017 MBP, it quickly grew on me and I now love typing on it.

I would say I type a lot as I type most of my notes at school on my computer. Speed with few mistakes is important too considering how fast many professors talk and go through notes. This keyboard has me typing what I feel to be slightly faster with fewer mistakes (once I got used to it).

FWIW I also have had no issues with my keyboard and I don't treat it as nice as I wish I could say I did. I eat overtop of it, while using it, etc. Ive never blown it out with air or anything and it has been completely uniform since I bought it .

You need to try it out yourself though, as it often seems to be a love or hate kind of thing when it comes to these new keyboards.

 

[zedsdead]

- love the butterfly keyboard, especially the size of the keys and how the keys are more stable
- hate (can’t express this enough) the Arrow keys being full sized rather than an inverted “T”
- also, the older models had the space bar row be a little taller than other keys. That was better also
- miss the 2016 sound/tone compared to the dampened 2018 models
- also prefer wedge design over uniform bodies for easier typing, but that’s not specifically about the keyboard itself