8 ms·

Not a lot of people know this because most people will try to get the problem fixed, but the problem will actually fix itself after enough time and use. The pro

Not a lot of people know this because most people will try to get the problem fixed, but the problem will actually fix itself after enough time and use. The problem with the keyboard design is actually two fold: particulate AND keys slightly out of tolerances. You will notice that the problem almost always gets worse when the computer gets warm. E, C, X, R and a lot of keys on the left side of the keyboard seem to be the most troublesome when it gets warm. The keys expand and start to actually "click" different. The sound is audibly different. It actually drove me crazy when I first got it. It took almost a year for all the keys to have the same tone, and the S key is still ever so slightly softer than the rest. I have a 2016 MBP and after about 3-6 months I started getting stuck and repeating keys. I was going to take it to the Apple Store to get replaced, but just sort of struggled through it for another 3 months or so as I missed appointment after appointment because I was busy. The problem is now entirely gone and all the keys click the same. I actually had this same thing happen with another 2016 MBP. With enough use, the keys break in and no longer stick. This is, obviously, a ridiculous solution—if you can even call it that. But an aged keyboard is actually more reliable than a new one. The fix for this wasn't just adding in a layer to keep the dust out, but getting tighter tolerances on the butterfly mechanism itself and designed around the expansion issue or using different/better materials.

plttn 8y ago
I don't have the patience to go through that, especially considering I had my keyboard swapped last week and keys are already behaving differently again, and I've got a new Genius appointment for tomorrow.
- themagician 8y ago
  Oh, I feel you. It's ridiculous. I have an original keyboard without the membrane on my main machine and I've been thinking about taking it in to get the upgraded one. But I really don't want to go through breaking in another keyboard if I get a new one with a few wonky keys. If anything what Apple really needs to do is find either a new material or a new manufacturing process that allows for more expansion of the key and mechanism under heat stress without sticking. This doesn't fix the particulate issue, which ultimate triggers the problem, but it does allow for a lot more particulate to accumulate before the problem renders the keyboard unusable.
  - plttn 8y ago
    It's a corp machine, and we're the IT department, and my boss has already said that if it happens for a third time, he's going to tell our rep to swap it out for an 18 SKU with the butterfly v3. My understanding is that the best they can upgrade you to is if you're on the v1 keyboard is the v2, as the battery shaping on the v3 bottom case doesn't align with the 2017 logic board, so they can't actually upgrade you to the keyboard with the rubber crumb condom.
    - themagician 8y ago
      Oh interesting. I did not know that. I'll probably stick with the V1 then.
btown 8y ago
It's somewhat buried in the OP, but if you're having this problem as well (particularly with repeated keys, as I am with a brand new fully-loaded MacBook Pro 2018) and don't have time to wait for your keyboard to "bake," I've had some success with https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky as a customizable software debouncing solution. Having occasional "aardvark -> ardvark" errors from aggressive debouncing of my repeating A key is superior to haaving aall my text look like this. It's not perfect, though, and I've had to delete multiple words in this post even with it on. I hate how addicted I am to Apple's still-glorious desktop UI, font rendering, and trackpad dynamics. Their other hardware choices make me detest their brand. But there's no other way to get my "fix."
- jandrese 8y ago
  Maybe people could publicly shame Apple by bringing their brand new MBPs to various Cupertino coffee establishments and then plugging in big old Dell keyboards to actually use them.
  - btown 8y ago
    Maybe we could crowdfund a PR agency to package up an easy-to-publish news story on this phenomenon, per [0]? Bring more attention to the phenomenon in a way that's visible to actual Apple shareholders. [0] http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
    - jandrese 8y ago
      I could easily see a bunch of articles like "10 best external keyboards for your MacBook Pro". "Best laptops that don't sacrifice functionality for thinness."
n42 8y ago
I have a 2017 MBBp. I am alternating space and letter press: bb bb b b b b b b b bb b b b b b b b b b b b b k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k kk kk kk kk kk k k k b b b b b b b b bb bb b bb b b bb b b b b b b k kk k kk kk kk kk kk k k kk kk k k kk kk kk kk k this has been happening for more than six months. earlier in the laptop's life time, I could get these problems to go away. now I cannot.
- themagician 8y ago
  Spray the keys down with compressed air. You should notice a good amount of stuff actually accumulates in there.
  - driverdan 8y ago
    It doesn't make a difference for the newer keyboard style. The space between the keycap and the board is so small that it's very hard to blow anything out.
    - themagician 8y ago
      Uh, yes it does. It makes a huge difference. Your screen will be covered in white stuff as dust and dead skin gets blown out of the keys. Try it.
      - driverdan 8y ago
        I've tried it multiple times. It didn't fix any of the keys I have issues with.
  - tigershark 8y ago
    I never, ever, had to spray a laptop keyboard to make it work again in more than 20 years...
    - themagician 8y ago
      Well, with this one you do.
wavepruner 8y ago
I have two kinds of key problems with my MBP. The first is when pressing a key doesn't enter a character on screen. The second is when pressing a key enters two characters on screen. Like you, I have found continued use to be a solution for the first problem. To speed up the process you can press down very hard on an affected key. My guess is that this eventually breaks apart any particles that were blocking the key from working. I haven't found a solution to the second problem though.

plttn 8y ago

I don't have the patience to go through that, especially considering I had my keyboard swapped last week and keys are already behaving differently again, and I've got a new Genius appointment for tomorrow.

themagician 8y ago
Oh, I feel you. It's ridiculous. I have an original keyboard without the membrane on my main machine and I've been thinking about taking it in to get the upgraded one. But I really don't want to go through breaking in another keyboard if I get a new one with a few wonky keys. If anything what Apple really needs to do is find either a new material or a new manufacturing process that allows for more expansion of the key and mechanism under heat stress without sticking. This doesn't fix the particulate issue, which ultimate triggers the problem, but it does allow for a lot more particulate to accumulate before the problem renders the keyboard unusable.
- plttn 8y ago
  It's a corp machine, and we're the IT department, and my boss has already said that if it happens for a third time, he's going to tell our rep to swap it out for an 18 SKU with the butterfly v3. My understanding is that the best they can upgrade you to is if you're on the v1 keyboard is the v2, as the battery shaping on the v3 bottom case doesn't align with the 2017 logic board, so they can't actually upgrade you to the keyboard with the rubber crumb condom.
  - themagician 8y ago
    Oh interesting. I did not know that. I'll probably stick with the V1 then.

btown 8y ago

It's somewhat buried in the OP, but if you're having this problem as well (particularly with repeated keys, as I am with a brand new fully-loaded MacBook Pro 2018) and don't have time to wait for your keyboard to "bake," I've had some success with https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky as a customizable software debouncing solution. Having occasional "aardvark -> ardvark" errors from aggressive debouncing of my repeating A key is superior to haaving aall my text look like this. It's not perfect, though, and I've had to delete multiple words in this post even with it on. I hate how addicted I am to Apple's still-glorious desktop UI, font rendering, and trackpad dynamics. Their other hardware choices make me detest their brand. But there's no other way to get my "fix."

jandrese 8y ago
Maybe people could publicly shame Apple by bringing their brand new MBPs to various Cupertino coffee establishments and then plugging in big old Dell keyboards to actually use them.
- btown 8y ago
  Maybe we could crowdfund a PR agency to package up an easy-to-publish news story on this phenomenon, per [0]? Bring more attention to the phenomenon in a way that's visible to actual Apple shareholders. [0] http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
  - jandrese 8y ago
    I could easily see a bunch of articles like "10 best external keyboards for your MacBook Pro". "Best laptops that don't sacrifice functionality for thinness."

n42 8y ago

I have a 2017 MBBp. I am alternating space and letter press: bb bb b b b b b b b bb b b b b b b b b b b b b k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k kk kk kk kk kk k k k b b b b b b b b bb bb b bb b b bb b b b b b b k kk k kk kk kk kk kk k k kk kk k k kk kk kk kk k this has been happening for more than six months. earlier in the laptop's life time, I could get these problems to go away. now I cannot.

themagician 8y ago
Spray the keys down with compressed air. You should notice a good amount of stuff actually accumulates in there.
- driverdan 8y ago
  It doesn't make a difference for the newer keyboard style. The space between the keycap and the board is so small that it's very hard to blow anything out.
  - themagician 8y ago
    Uh, yes it does. It makes a huge difference. Your screen will be covered in white stuff as dust and dead skin gets blown out of the keys. Try it.
    - driverdan 8y ago
      I've tried it multiple times. It didn't fix any of the keys I have issues with.
- tigershark 8y ago
  I never, ever, had to spray a laptop keyboard to make it work again in more than 20 years...
  - themagician 8y ago
    Well, with this one you do.

wavepruner 8y ago

I have two kinds of key problems with my MBP. The first is when pressing a key doesn't enter a character on screen. The second is when pressing a key enters two characters on screen. Like you, I have found continued use to be a solution for the first problem. To speed up the process you can press down very hard on an affected key. My guess is that this eventually breaks apart any particles that were blocking the key from working. I haven't found a solution to the second problem though.