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Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

cnet.com

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Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#2

Post by binarynate »

When I heard about the 2018 MBP today, my initial thought was that I would consider investing the cost and time of migrating from my 2017 MBP just to have a reliable keyboard. That Apple prioritized quieting the keyboard over fixing its reliability issues seems crazy to me.

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#3

Post by Someone »

binarynate wrote: post #2

When I heard about the 2018 MBP today, my initial thought was that I would consider investing the cost and time of migrating from my 2017 MBP just to have a reliable keyboard. That Apple prioritized quieting the keyboard over fixing its reliability issues seems crazy to me.

We don’t know whether they prioritized things. They’re more than rich enough to pay two teams working in parallel, and this may have been faster to fix, given the constraints they set themselves (weight, cost, materials, size, etc)

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#4

Post by danShumway »

It could be that they are hoping the keyboard will be more reliable, and they're just covering their bases while they wait to see how it performs in the wild.

On the other hand, if it really doesn't make a difference for reliability, I wonder if their keyboard service program will be extended to cover this model as well.

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#5

Post by satanicAdvocate »

binarynate wrote: post #2

When I heard about the 2018 MBP today, my initial thought was that I would consider investing the cost and time of migrating from my 2017 MBP just to have a reliable keyboard. That Apple prioritized quieting the keyboard over fixing its reliability issues seems crazy to me.

Oh, I'd say the calculus here is trivial to comprehend.

Apple's external keyboards are high-priced accessories, and are trivially attached to laptops. As with dongles, this is one more nickel to nickel-and-dime you with.

If, perhaps, your idea is to resell your laptop, well then you should buy a keyboard, because gee, that will help keep it in good condition. Meanwhile, Apple doesn't really care about the resale value of your device, and would prefer that it have none.

Proof of that can be noticed, if you took a minute to consider that the battery is epoxied to the unibody shell. RAM and SSD sticks are soldered to the motherboard, and of course, dongles for everything.

The battery, though is the worst of it. That chemical expiration date is inexorable, and well, there's no better way to ensure that you keep buying Apple products from Apple, brand new. So, mean time between failure for these keyboards? Who cares? Won't you be buying according to their upgrade treadmill anyway?

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#6

Post by fiatpandas »

binarynate wrote: post #2

When I heard about the 2018 MBP today, my initial thought was that I would consider investing the cost and time of migrating from my 2017 MBP just to have a reliable keyboard. That Apple prioritized quieting the keyboard over fixing its reliability issues seems crazy to me.

Speculation: I don’t think Apple will be able to fix the keyboard in this generation of MacBooks (generation meaning body type). It’s all about clearances, key travel, tolerances. The system doesn’t have room for a drop in replacement that could leave room for debris. That’s why they gave it a 4 year extension — because that’s probably when we’ll see a newer body generation with redesigned keyboard.

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#7

Post by karmakaze »

> Technically, Apple has admitted only that "a smaller percentage of the keyboards in certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models" have demonstrated the sticky key issue. If you buy one, you may likely never have that problem.

Couldn't Apple have said 'a small percentage of keyboards...'? Just what are we talking here, 10%, 25%, 49%?

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#8

Post by satanicAdvocate »

binarynate wrote: post #2

When I heard about the 2018 MBP today, my initial thought was that I would consider investing the cost and time of migrating from my 2017 MBP just to have a reliable keyboard. That Apple prioritized quieting the keyboard over fixing its reliability issues seems crazy to me.

Jesus Christ, why was my comment flagged?

Re: Apple says new MacBook Pro keyboard won't fix sticky key issue

#10

Post by serpix »

karmakaze wrote: post #7

> Technically, Apple has admitted only that "a smaller percentage of the keyboards in certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models" have demonstrated the sticky key issue. If you buy one, you may likely never have that problem. Couldn't Apple have said 'a small percentage of keyboards...'? Just what are we talking here, 10%, 25%, 49%?

Our IT is backlogged with broken keyboards and I'm waiting for. backup laptops to become available so I can send mine for replacement. We have upwards of 200 of these sorry devices. The percentage is well above 10%
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