My MacBook keyboard is broken and it's insanely expensive to fix • Hacker News Board

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

#441

Post by aurareturn » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC

jijijijij wrote: post #335

aurareturn wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 F…

  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.

$1,170 for a laptop that uses one of AMD's lowest end laptop chip. The M4 Macbook Air can be had for $750 often. It's superior in every single way as a laptop including vastly superior performance, battery life, screen, touch pad, build quality, portability.

You can buy RAM and SSD for many other much cheaper Windows laptops too. I don't see why anyone should buy significantly overpriced Framework laptops.

  You are comparing dissimilar things, anyway. On a recent Macbook, you are hard stuck with MacOS.

macOS is excellent, much better than Windows nowadays. If you're a dev, macOS is also generally superior to Linux since dev tools often come out on macOS before Linux. macOS is also generally a much better machine when you're not doing dev work.

You can argue about how Framework is better here and there but in reality, Framework only makes sense for 0.001% of laptop buyers, maybe less.

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

#442

Post by TheLegace » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:02 PM UTC

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 don't understand this logic. If lightning connector had less issues than USB-C how could it the users fault for not being careful. This exactly how engineers/developers answer to problems they cause with bad engineering/design choices. Anyone that gives feedback is blamed. It leads to terrible engineering decisions like the USB standard, which frankly has always been bloated and terrible because of its design by committee. As much I would love a standard connection port for all my phones I won't accept substandard engineering. That's why I am still holding onto my lighting connector devices even though on principle I disagree with using them.

Who gets to decide that I have to treat my devices that I pay for like fragile glass vases.

I do both QA and Development and pretty competent at both. I almost never make broken things or poorly thought out because I know this negative feedback loop will continually make the situation worse. Lack of empathy for people that use products just leads to issues like Windows taskbar not even being able to search for applications. Its all the same thought process that leads to the result.

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

#443

Post by zapnuk » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:07 PM UTC

mittensc wrote: post #47

zapnuk wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Framework Laptop is more expensive than a Macbook Air with all around worse hardware. For a framework 13 I'd have to pay 1900€ with a 16GB setup. For 1450 I get a MBA with 24GB ram. Similar with a dell or lenovo who get smoked in performance comparisons. It might still be worth it for those who hugely value open source and repairability but as for value I think its save to say that Apple is currently in a league of t…

I can configure a 1400E framework 13 with a bring-my-own ssd + linux. I can drop it down to 1050E without the ram if i take ram from my older laptop. Upgrading or fixing this is very easy. RAM/SSD i can take with me over multiple generations of a laptop. I can't do that on a macbook, if anything breaks there (screen, ssd, ram, keyboard, battery bulging...) I might as well buy another. Then there's the issue of macos.…

Sure, a poweruser can bring their own ram/ssd. But again they pay almost as much and have a worse system performance wise.

Normal users don't profit from anything you listed. They do have to buy a notebook with all components, and thus currently have to pay more for linux/windows hardware compared to Apple.

Also, RAM isn't backwards compatiple. Literally had this problem with my old ddr4 not fitting in the newer ddr5 slots when my ddr5 acted up.

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

#444

Post by karussell » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:09 PM UTC

port11 wrote: post #363

Grisu_FTP wrote: post #308

While i think the usecase of a Macbook and a Framework are really different i will always be thankfull to framework for how easy they make it. Broke my keyboard, a few days later i had a new one that didnt even take a minute to swap. Wanted to upgrade my GPU twice, didnt even take 10 minutes. Biggest difficulty was swapping the motherboard, but even that was easy. The ports i need change all the time, and i can just…

A Framework running a sane version of macOS would be peak computing for me. Not that repairability isn’t great, but in 16 years of Apple devices my only needed repair was their atrocious butterfly-style keyboard, and Apple footed the bill thanks to the Class Action Lawsuit. We merely have to wait on Apple to continue debasing its OS, and then many other options will look preferable. Or perhaps Linux on Apple Silicon…

Linux on Apple Silicon is already stable and nice if you accept a few downsides: only M1 & M2 so far, max 8h on battery ('office usage'), max 30h with closed lid ('sleep'), external display via hdmi and no touch ID.

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

#445

Post by userbinator » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:27 PM UTC

kristianp wrote: post #250

userbinator wrote: post #171

They do this by riveting the entire keyboard assembly to the top case. Meaning you can’t just replace the keyboard, you have to replace the entire top case. As others have already alluded to, drills and self-tapping screws exist, as do replacement keyboards without the top case. In many other machines, it is common for the factory to use rivets on initial assembly, but to service you drill them out and replace with b…

> In many other machines, it is common for the factory to use rivets on initial assembly, but to service you drill them out and replace with bolts or screws That's surprising. I haven't had many brands of laptops, but I haven't seen rivets where screws should be. Not talking about Macs here.

Not talking about laptops but machinery in general.

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

#446

Post by 1718627440 » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #372

ToucanLoucan wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're all problems and they all contribute to the reality of our government being unable to actually do anything beyond tax cuts. * People elect morons because we have been slowly destroying our education system since the 50's and we can barely turn out anyone who can think worth a shit. That's by design, as local elections overwhelmingly swing Republican, and Republicans on balance gain from an ignorant electorate…

People aren’t electing “morons” out of ignorance. They are electing people that hate the same people they hate. You are blaming ignorance where it is active malice.

Electing people for the things they hate is ignorance for politics as a serious field.

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

#447

Post by 1718627440 » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:42 PM UTC

mrguyorama wrote: post #421

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The voters aren’t stupid. They are actively malignant and cheer what the administration is doing.

Okay but what solution lies down that road? That's the problem. People don't want to blame the voters because there's no solution. We are grasping for something that is possible to fix that isn't just "Somehow americans are especially bad at doing very basic things for no reason"

The large citizenries that later (19th century) forced administrations into constitutions and participation in policy started out with state mandated education and a class consciousness that is based on being knowledged and sophisticated. You need to make the next generation as smart as possible as you can, optimally also on topics concerning the society and economics.

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

#448

Post by alchemism » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:42 PM UTC

phil21 wrote: post #418

Gigachad wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Insurance for things you can afford to replace never makes sense anyway. The expected cost of insurance will always exceed the expected cost of replacement in the long run. Unless for some reason you know you will be breaking your device much more than the average person. Insurance is for things that are unlikely to ever happen but would financially ruin you if they did.

Definitely agreed, to a point. Phones I used to break so often it seemed worth it, although a lot seemingly had to do with device quality vs. me being especially clumsy. My iPhone has been dropped, dunked in the bath, etc. just as much as my past Pixels but is going on 3 years now. I never made it a year previously. My laptop I'm on the fence about. It's a $3,000 machine that isn't especially robust if dropped, but I…

As a longtime iPad Pro (large) user that always gets the AppleCare, I have walked out of the store with a brand new device a half-dozen times with only a few questions asked.

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

#449

Post by wvenable » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:42 PM UTC

bloppe wrote: post #413

wvenable wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. The lack of repairability has external costs not born by the purchaser or the manufacturer -- more toxic trash unnecessarily added to the environment. Forcing a particular trade-off on everyone is entirely the point. It's the point of car safety, it's also the point of minimum warranties, electrical emission regulations, safety standards, etc.

It's much more effective and economically efficient to deal with externalized pollution costs with deposits to incentivize proper disposal. A ton of normal users will simply never bother to repair their own laptops no matter how easy it is, but you don't even have to recycle your own bottles and cans to see the effectiveness of bottle deposits work. Someone will usually come and recycle them for you in any big city.

I already pay a deposit and "recycle" all my electronics. And some recycled electronics are already repaired and repurposed. If that was easier, more electronics would get a second chance at life.

Right now if you have two broken MacBook Neos, one with a broken motherboard and the other with a broken screen, you can make one working MacBook Neo without even needing to solder anything in just the time to takes disassemble both and reassemble one (which has been demonstrated in minutes).

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

#450

Post by 1718627440 » Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 7:44 PM UTC

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #437

naikrovek wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well we can’t recall the voters, so there is no point in addressing them. They are a problem because in the US there used to be an FCC rule that said “if you call yourself a news program, you must tell the truth,” and that was overridden by the Supreme Court during Reagan’s term.

No there was never a rule about “telling the truth” the rule was “equal time”. So if one party said “vaccines keep people from dying” and the other party said “vaccines would cause you to grow extra limbs” you had to allow them both on. Second, it had nothing to do with the Supreme Court. The theory was that the airwaves belong to the public and the FCC has jurisdiction. It never applied to cable channels like FoxNew…

> The theory was that the airwaves belong to the public and the FCC has jurisdiction.

Now most things go over the shared network (InterNet) so that problem should have fixed it self, no?