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My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

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Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#331

Post by 999900000999 »

streetfighter64 wrote: post #286
999900000999 wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half the responses in this thread are from people who replaced the keyboard for about 50$ or so. Even then, if I want a new ultra thin device that doesn’t have replaceable storage or user input devices, that’s my right to buy. Who is going to magically determine what replaceable means ? From the post it looks like OP tried to fix it incorrectly. Does apple owe op a new laptop even if they damaged it ?

Well yeah, you can probably fix it for pretty cheap if you've just got some know-how. But why do Apple need to make it more difficult to fix for no reason? Riveting the keyboard to the frame doesn't make the device "thinner", and as proved by people being able to fix it without rivets, doesn't even really serve a purpose. Your last sentence is a total non-sequitur; as far as I can tell it does not relate to anything…

I don’t understand this authoritarian need to ban everything you don’t like.

Should the government have a reparability board ? Who gets to be on it ?

If it pleases the King , may I buy a laptop while traveling and bring it home.

An argument could be made for a refundable recycling fee. Say 5% that gets returned when you take the device to a recycling center after your done with it

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#332

Post by jawilson2 »

throawayonthe wrote: post #204
deaux wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if anyone has hacked it (in the "Hacker News" sense of hack) so that the above keyboard can be used in an external casing, without inserting it into the Macbook body. I'd pay a lot of money for that. The Magic Keyboard is different.

i mean it's pretty nice for a laptop keyboard, but i've never thought of it as good enough to use externally tbh or do you mean integrating it into a different laptop a la framework? that could be cool, but would also have to think how much the chassey stiffness/specific construction contributes to the feel p.s. has anybody here tried (the external) magic trackpad? the macbook trackpad is infuriatingly good

I have the external Magic Trackpad. It is wonderful. I use it with my split Moonlander keyboard, and keep it in the middle. I honestly can't use a normal keyboard now, MacBook Pro included.

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#333

Post by hbs18 »

Dusseldorf wrote: post #310
hbs18 wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've never seen the male part of the female USB-C break, but I'm sure it's possible I know anecdotes don't mean anything, but I have. Every USB-C phone I've ever had, apart from my iPhone that I currently use, ended up with having completely worn out connectors after two-three years of use. They stop holding cables in firm enough and start only making the connection when holding the cable at an angle.

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but have you considered that you might need to improve your putting/unplugging habits? I used to have connectors and cords break after around that much time. Around 2018 or so I bought a new set of chargers and decent quality cloth sheathed cables. Because all my cords were new, I was much more diligent about carefully plugging and unplugging (no mashing the port, no flexing across…

I treat my phones carefully, I've literally never cracked a screen on any of them, the same goes for handling the charging cable and port. I'm always quite gentle with it, never leaving it propped up by the cable or at a weird angle, and the cables I used were the original ones that came with my devices. Mainly because my phones spend a lot of time plugged in acting as a hotspot for half a week, so I try to minimize the harm I cause by the extra (un)plug events.

The Lightning port iPhone that I used for 3 years however handled my usage just fine (just tried it now and it feels just like it did new), and the USB-C one I've had for half a year seems to be holding up fine as well. These I used with a mix of cheap Aliexpress cables and the genuine Apple ones.

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#334

Post by hbs18 »

catlikesshrimp wrote: post #265
hbs18 wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've never seen the male part of the female USB-C break, but I'm sure it's possible I know anecdotes don't mean anything, but I have. Every USB-C phone I've ever had, apart from my iPhone that I currently use, ended up with having completely worn out connectors after two-three years of use. They stop holding cables in firm enough and start only making the connection when holding the cable at an angle.

Could you mention what phone models were those. I haven't seen one port go bad.

They were an LG Nexus 5X, a OnePlus 3T and a Xiaomi Mi 8. The ports became loose on all of them over time, especially on the OnePlus where the cable would just fall out if you held the device upright, and in its final days the Xiaomi would need the cable pushed at an angle to make a connection.

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#335

Post by jijijijij »

aurareturn wrote: post #185
mattbillenstein wrote: post #9

Framework Laptop + some form of Linux - MacOS keeps getting worse and the hardware exceeding hard and expensive to repair.

FYI, for those who are consider Framework, you are usually getting a laptop that is 2x as expensive as a Macbook but slower, with a worse screen, far worse performance and battery life, and likely not as reliable as a Mac long term. You can basically buy 2 Macbook Airs for the same price as Framework 13 and keep one in the draw if you are ever scared that one breaks. That's how bad of a deal Framework is or how much…

The recent base Framework 13 would cost you $1,170, Ryzen AI 5 340, with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and 4 full featured (USB4) USB-C ports. Note: You can buy the RAM and SSD separately, Framework even links PCPartsPicker (no price for 2x8GB RAM, so price is for single 16GB). How much storage space does your last gen M4 Macbook Air come with? 256GB would be irrelevant for most anyone, as you cannot upgrade... unlike with a Framework, where you can upgrade everything.

You are comparing dissimilar things, anyway. On a recent Macbook, you are hard stuck with MacOS. If you don't want MacOS (or ARM for that matter), Macbooks could be free and it's still the worse deal. Macbooks are subsidized by pushing you into the increasingly locked-down software/hardware ecosystem, where Apple is rent seeking. Paying for a firewall, or virtualization environment is mostly unheard of in the Linux world. It's like a cheap printer, where the real cost is DRM protected ink.

On a Framework you have excellent support for both Windows and Linux. You are free to do whatever you want.

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#337

Post by corndoge »

Gigachad wrote: post #84
MostlyStable wrote: post #42

>Here’s hoping governments regulate laptop manufacturers to actually make repairable machines in the future. No, this is a bad solution. If you want a repairable machine, buy one. They exist. Others have already mentioned Framework, but there are other options that aren't that far down the spectrum either. One of the things macbook users praise the most is "build quality", which often means the solidity of the device…

Decades of HN users finger wagging and suggesting FOSS hardware has progressed society nowhere. 12 months from EU mandatory replaceable batteries and products across the industry are being redesigned with repairability, usb-c, and user friendly designs. It’s time to accept regulation actually does work when you have a competent government.

Both you and GP are correct!

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#338

Post by e_i_pi_2 »

Gigachad wrote: post #84
MostlyStable wrote: post #42

>Here’s hoping governments regulate laptop manufacturers to actually make repairable machines in the future. No, this is a bad solution. If you want a repairable machine, buy one. They exist. Others have already mentioned Framework, but there are other options that aren't that far down the spectrum either. One of the things macbook users praise the most is "build quality", which often means the solidity of the device…

Decades of HN users finger wagging and suggesting FOSS hardware has progressed society nowhere. 12 months from EU mandatory replaceable batteries and products across the industry are being redesigned with repairability, usb-c, and user friendly designs. It’s time to accept regulation actually does work when you have a competent government.

We've also seen this within the US - California generally makes the first move and then companies just follow that law because they know others might change and it's easier than doing it by state. One relatively small law can have a big impact, we also follow GDPR in the US because a lot of companies operate in europe too

Re: My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix

#339

Post by hilliardfarmer »

Gigachad wrote: post #84
MostlyStable wrote: post #42

>Here’s hoping governments regulate laptop manufacturers to actually make repairable machines in the future. No, this is a bad solution. If you want a repairable machine, buy one. They exist. Others have already mentioned Framework, but there are other options that aren't that far down the spectrum either. One of the things macbook users praise the most is "build quality", which often means the solidity of the device…

Decades of HN users finger wagging and suggesting FOSS hardware has progressed society nowhere. 12 months from EU mandatory replaceable batteries and products across the industry are being redesigned with repairability, usb-c, and user friendly designs. It’s time to accept regulation actually does work when you have a competent government.

People need to stop buying apple products. Anyone dumb enough to have already done so deserves what they get.
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