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Apple makes great long-lasting Hardware. That being said the unreplaceable battery design is obviously driven by a clear Market Force to sway you into buying a

Apple makes great long-lasting Hardware. That being said the unreplaceable battery design is obviously driven by a clear Market Force to sway you into buying a new phone

inferiorhuman 9y ago
> Apple makes great long-lasting Hardware. Six months ago I would've agreed with you. After getting a touch bar MacBook Pro for a work computer? Not so much. I don't like the ergonomics at all, but I'm more concerned about out-of-warranty costs. Thunderbolt glitches aside (it used to kernel panic fairly regularly upon resuming from sleep, more so if I had plugged/unplugged it into the TB3 hub), it took about two weeks before the keyboard started acting up. About 50-75% of the space bar actually works. The left command key isn't centered in its bore properly and sticks with some regularity. There's something rattling inside now too. I'm in the market for a replacement personal laptop and, for the first time, I've doubts about the longevity of the Apple product. Also recently I finally dumped my old black MacBook off at a electronics recycling place. Apple keyboards have really gone to crap. Yes, the non-touchbar MacBook Pros had really mushy, nasty keyboards... but the touch bar slim keyboard pales even in comparison to the keyboards the polycarbonate MacBooks got.
- eltoozero 9y ago
  At least the aging MacBook Air, while not retina, is still available and is evidently the last machine with the "old" style (good) keyboard. I've used the new keyboard, and the reduced travel doesn't bother me, but the numerous reports of failed keys to the degree of "I just wanted to clean the fan"[0] level[1] is keeping me away. My 2013 Air is still an excellent machine though...so is the Mac Mini, if only a cheaper NUC wasn't a better option in every regard other than it doesn't (natively) run macOS. :( [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCJzdWxEbQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCJzdWxEbQ [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdS3tjEIqUA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdS3tjEIqUA
  - inferiorhuman 9y ago
    Nah, the chicklet keyboards were all crap. Even the polycarbonate MacBook ones. That old MacBook chassis was at least serviceable so that when the keyboard died on mine (after about five years) I bought a stack of top cases and replaced it. The early MacBook Pros and the aluminum and titanium PowerBooks had excellent keyboards. I put up with the subpar keyboards because the rest of the machine was generally pretty nice and OSX is/was leaps and bounds above the alternatives.
- mrgordon 9y ago
  The new keyboards are totally defective (especially v1)
  - inferiorhuman 9y ago
    This is a known issue? Great... And, yes, the work machine is a 2016 model.
    - mrgordon 9y ago
      Yes they reinforced the keys on v2 not too long after initial release because they have low durability especially when dust gets in as it causes the connectors to break when the keys are depressed. Not sure how nice Apple is being with replacements. My IT department was lazy and just ordered some replacement keys off the Internet for $20/each...

Apple makes great long-lasting Hardware. That being said the unreplaceable battery design is obviously driven by a clear Market Force to sway you into buying a new phone

inferiorhuman 9y ago

> Apple makes great long-lasting Hardware. Six months ago I would've agreed with you. After getting a touch bar MacBook Pro for a work computer? Not so much. I don't like the ergonomics at all, but I'm more concerned about out-of-warranty costs. Thunderbolt glitches aside (it used to kernel panic fairly regularly upon resuming from sleep, more so if I had plugged/unplugged it into the TB3 hub), it took about two weeks before the keyboard started acting up. About 50-75% of the space bar actually works. The left command key isn't centered in its bore properly and sticks with some regularity. There's something rattling inside now too. I'm in the market for a replacement personal laptop and, for the first time, I've doubts about the longevity of the Apple product. Also recently I finally dumped my old black MacBook off at a electronics recycling place. Apple keyboards have really gone to crap. Yes, the non-touchbar MacBook Pros had really mushy, nasty keyboards... but the touch bar slim keyboard pales even in comparison to the keyboards the polycarbonate MacBooks got.

eltoozero 9y ago
At least the aging MacBook Air, while not retina, is still available and is evidently the last machine with the "old" style (good) keyboard. I've used the new keyboard, and the reduced travel doesn't bother me, but the numerous reports of failed keys to the degree of "I just wanted to clean the fan"[0] level[1] is keeping me away. My 2013 Air is still an excellent machine though...so is the Mac Mini, if only a cheaper NUC wasn't a better option in every regard other than it doesn't (natively) run macOS. :( [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCJzdWxEbQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpCJzdWxEbQ [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdS3tjEIqUA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdS3tjEIqUA
- inferiorhuman 9y ago
  Nah, the chicklet keyboards were all crap. Even the polycarbonate MacBook ones. That old MacBook chassis was at least serviceable so that when the keyboard died on mine (after about five years) I bought a stack of top cases and replaced it. The early MacBook Pros and the aluminum and titanium PowerBooks had excellent keyboards. I put up with the subpar keyboards because the rest of the machine was generally pretty nice and OSX is/was leaps and bounds above the alternatives.
mrgordon 9y ago
The new keyboards are totally defective (especially v1)
- inferiorhuman 9y ago
  This is a known issue? Great... And, yes, the work machine is a 2016 model.
  - mrgordon 9y ago
    Yes they reinforced the keys on v2 not too long after initial release because they have low durability especially when dust gets in as it causes the connectors to break when the keys are depressed. Not sure how nice Apple is being with replacements. My IT department was lazy and just ordered some replacement keys off the Internet for $20/each...