3 ms·

So is this a not-broken keyboard design? I have the (now) previous-generation Air, and need a keyboard repair. Would be seriously tempted to just buy a new one

by donw 7y ago

So is this a not-broken keyboard design? I have the (now) previous-generation Air, and need a keyboard repair. Would be seriously tempted to just buy a new one if I was confident the keyboard wasn't absolute garbage. Typing on it was fine when it worked, but it double-spaces, and a couple of the other keys are now wonky. Never had a keyboard die on me before this -- Mac or otherwise.

saagarjha 7y ago
Supposedly. I don’t think anyone has any of these yet.
bun_at_work 7y ago
This is essentially the same type of keyboard from before the crappy design you ended up with. I've had a MBP 2014 since release with that keyboard and I love it. I can't express enough how good it feels to type on (although some personal preference). I also tried out the new version of that keyboard on the recently-released MBP. It feels almost the exact same as the old one, just a slightly more shallow depth. Hopefully that's helpful.
- gurkendoktor 7y ago
  Conversely, I went from a MBP 2015 to the 16" model, and I think the "fixed" keyboard is still terrible. I've used all sorts of keyboard, and it's the first one where I regularly have doubled or missing letters when typing. Maybe I'm not hammering the keys hard enough?
dangus 7y ago
Yes, this is what you should do: 1. Get your keyboard repaired (free, I assume) 2. Sell that thing online 3. Get this one. I mean, this has a quad-core option, too. It's a no-brainer better machine. I have the 16-inch that has the same keyboard mechanism as this. It's 100% an evolution on the previous design. While it is early, it's a proven design and there's no chance of it having any of the issues that the butterfly keyboard did. I feel like my 16-inch is the computer I intended to buy in 2016. If you can afford the upgrade cost after you sell your current one, you won't regret it.
- yourapostasy 7y ago
  I use my laptops for my business for 3 years under AppleCare and Joint Venture protection, buy the top of the line, and migrate the old one to the rest of the family. For children, the laptops are fine for another 5-7 years. The current laptop has the old scissor keyboard, and I'm waiting for Apple Stores to open again to pick it up from depot-sent-parts Genius-repair under an AppleCare that just ran out end of February. Unfortunately, Apple will only replace the butterfly keyboard for 4 years after initial retail purchase of the laptop. I dread the eventual breakdown of the new butterfly keyboard after the end of February next year, when I'm on my own. I hope iFixIt will start selling DIY repair kits, or the cost to repair at Apple makes such a frequent failure a non-starter (in which case I'll turn it into a fixed-place computer in the house, with an external keyboard).
  - dangus 7y ago
    Don't hold your breath on repair kits. It's a very difficult repair and you can't separate the butterfly keyboard from the top case. You have to replace the whole top case. The best you could maybe do is not replace the battery - but it's all glued. Good luck. I wouldn't attempt that sort of thing, and Apple doesn't. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple bended that 4 year rule, though. But also realize that Apple will eventually stop repairing all computers just due to time passage. And also, eventually, from a financial perspective it's more cost effective to find a working used computer (after heavy depreciation) than to actually do a repair even if that repair is doable. I do think that their replacement keyboards have better reliability than the early models. I didn't have any problems after getting mine replaced - I believe I used the replacement keyboard for around two years. But I still wasn't willing to keep the computer longer. I went straight from the 2016 to the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro. In any event, it was a nice opportunity for an upgrade. My 2016 was still worth $1000, and I ended up with 4 more cores, double the storage, and an absolutely massive increase in graphics performance. Using the education store and picking up in a state with no sales tax did a lot to make that price more palatable.

by donw 7y ago

saagarjha 7y ago

Supposedly. I don’t think anyone has any of these yet.

bun_at_work 7y ago

This is essentially the same type of keyboard from before the crappy design you ended up with. I've had a MBP 2014 since release with that keyboard and I love it. I can't express enough how good it feels to type on (although some personal preference). I also tried out the new version of that keyboard on the recently-released MBP. It feels almost the exact same as the old one, just a slightly more shallow depth. Hopefully that's helpful.

gurkendoktor 7y ago
Conversely, I went from a MBP 2015 to the 16" model, and I think the "fixed" keyboard is still terrible. I've used all sorts of keyboard, and it's the first one where I regularly have doubled or missing letters when typing. Maybe I'm not hammering the keys hard enough?

dangus 7y ago

Yes, this is what you should do: 1. Get your keyboard repaired (free, I assume) 2. Sell that thing online 3. Get this one. I mean, this has a quad-core option, too. It's a no-brainer better machine. I have the 16-inch that has the same keyboard mechanism as this. It's 100% an evolution on the previous design. While it is early, it's a proven design and there's no chance of it having any of the issues that the butterfly keyboard did. I feel like my 16-inch is the computer I intended to buy in 2016. If you can afford the upgrade cost after you sell your current one, you won't regret it.

yourapostasy 7y ago
I use my laptops for my business for 3 years under AppleCare and Joint Venture protection, buy the top of the line, and migrate the old one to the rest of the family. For children, the laptops are fine for another 5-7 years. The current laptop has the old scissor keyboard, and I'm waiting for Apple Stores to open again to pick it up from depot-sent-parts Genius-repair under an AppleCare that just ran out end of February. Unfortunately, Apple will only replace the butterfly keyboard for 4 years after initial retail purchase of the laptop. I dread the eventual breakdown of the new butterfly keyboard after the end of February next year, when I'm on my own. I hope iFixIt will start selling DIY repair kits, or the cost to repair at Apple makes such a frequent failure a non-starter (in which case I'll turn it into a fixed-place computer in the house, with an external keyboard).
- dangus 7y ago
  Don't hold your breath on repair kits. It's a very difficult repair and you can't separate the butterfly keyboard from the top case. You have to replace the whole top case. The best you could maybe do is not replace the battery - but it's all glued. Good luck. I wouldn't attempt that sort of thing, and Apple doesn't. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple bended that 4 year rule, though. But also realize that Apple will eventually stop repairing all computers just due to time passage. And also, eventually, from a financial perspective it's more cost effective to find a working used computer (after heavy depreciation) than to actually do a repair even if that repair is doable. I do think that their replacement keyboards have better reliability than the early models. I didn't have any problems after getting mine replaced - I believe I used the replacement keyboard for around two years. But I still wasn't willing to keep the computer longer. I went straight from the 2016 to the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro. In any event, it was a nice opportunity for an upgrade. My 2016 was still worth $1000, and I ended up with 4 more cores, double the storage, and an absolutely massive increase in graphics performance. Using the education store and picking up in a state with no sales tax did a lot to make that price more palatable.