
The MacBook keyboard fiasco is way worse than Apple thinks - marvindanig
https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-macbook-keyboard-fiasco-is-surely-worse-than-apple-thinks/
======
richinfante
This was previously discussed at:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19547352](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19547352)

~~~
flycaliguy
Personally this is around the 15th MacBook keyboard discussion I’ve started
reading. I’m not sure why I keep coming back. I wonder if the ghost of Steve
Jobs experiences schadenfreude.

------
djtriptych
This issue (and to be fair, the removal of the escape key (I'm a vim user))
have absolutely kept me from upgrading.

I have a 2018 macbook (from work). I love how fast it is, and the touchID
built in. Almost everything else is a regression:

\- No USB ports

\- No magsafe connector

\- Useless touchbar (for me anyway). Actually worse than useless as it
disrupts my previous workflows.

\- Terrible keyboard even when working to spec.

It's a shame. I still have my 2009 MBP and mid-2013 rMBP and had already
budgeted ~$3000 every 4-5 years for a brand new machine. As my 2013 is
starting to show it's age I really have no idea what I'd get, but there's no
fucking way I give Apple $3000 for a computer I know I don't like.

Wish Lenovo could match up with form factor and screen quality.

~~~
craz8
It might just be me, but my USB-C ports were also physically failing. And
since this is also the power port, charging up was becoming trickier

Apple replaced them during my update too

I’ve not heard about anyone else having this problem with loose USB-C sockets

~~~
bushido
I have had this problem occur with both my MBPros, turned out to be a tiny
amount of. lint. that made its. way into. the ports. Now. I use. usb-c port
covers to keep it in check.

I. of course have. keyboard. issues. as well – in case the random periods. and
multiple spaces thing did not. make it obvious.

Figured this would. be a good time to. not correct the. issues. Along with the
space bar my left command key doesn't always register, its shit.

~~~
ricketycricket
Try [https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky](https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky)

~~~
bushido
Thanks for pointing this out. Seems to have instantly fixed my issues!!

------
epoch_100
I had a MBP in 2017, and then—unsurprisingly—the keyboard began to have
issues. I didn't even bother asking Apple for a fix; I knew the new keyboard
would have issues as well.

Instead, I got myself a reliable upper-tier ThinkPad for 2/3rds the price of a
MBP (and superior hardware), installed GNU/Linux on it, and now I'm living
happily ever after.

I don't know if I could go back to a MBP after this, honestly. The ThinkPad is
spill-proof, sturdy, has an _excellent_ keyboard, and is pretty much the anti-
MBP in every way. And it's been a dream.

This keyboard issue _is_ way worse than Apple thinks. It caused longtime
customers (myself included) to entertain the thought of leaving the Apple
ecosystem. And speaking for myself, I haven't looked back.

~~~
pault
The touch pad is what keeps me on my macbook. Has any other manufacturer
managed to create something comparable?

~~~
pembrook
Researched this for many hours last year before upgrading to the 2018 MBP and
the answer is...no.

I was super worried about the upgrade after all the complaining about this
latest gen hardware. To be honest, the 2018 is still the best machine I've
ever had. My theory is that most people posturing here as if they're going to
switch to a ThinkPad or other windows machine _don 't remember how much using
windows and non-apple hardware sucks._ I remember quite vividly as I recently
switched from a Thinkpad to the Apple ecosystem just a few years ago.

Now if you have the time to fool around with Linux, more power to you, but now
that I have kids I've realized spending countless hours fiddling around with
drivers and trying to find alternative software was never a good use of my
time.

My anecdotal experience: Touch Bar mostly useless but also harmless, the 3rd
gen keyboard isn't as bad as people say, USB-C is awesome (buying a
replacement USB-C cable for my old external HDD actually gave me better speeds
even though the new cable is longer), and I don't miss MagSafe now that I can
plug into either side of the machine. Oh, and the audio quality is now good
enough for watching movies in bed with the wife w/o an external speaker.

------
craz8
When you DO a decide to give it to Apple for a week to fix the problem, do NOT
rely on TimeMachine as a backup

Mine came back with a new Logic Board, with new SSD, and would not recognize
my TM backups at all. (I have 2 separate TM disks)

I decided to rebuild from scratch, and pull down most files from Dropbox, but
my Github code will get reloaded as needed, and apps installed when I miss
them

Who has time for another 2 days of downtime trying to work through why the
TimeMachine backup was “empty” (it still takes 3TB of disk space)?

Not really happy with Apple at the moment

~~~
dan_hawkins
One TimeMachine server or disk can be used by multiple computers. TM
distinguish between them using computer name (System Preferences -> Sharing ->
Computer Name.) If your computer came back with a different computer name then
TM would show you no backups for this machine.

~~~
craz8
They matched

I even ran a chmod to remove all old access control data in case it was some
internal user id mismatch

Still not visible

------
batmanthehorse
Personal anecdote, but Apple could have made an extra $2-3000 off me in the
last few years if there was a MBP with a good keyboard. My 2014 MBP still
works well, but I definitely would have succumbed to the temptation of new
gear if I wasn't so worried about the keyboards.

~~~
kendallpark
I have a 2015 MBP. First model with the haptic touchpad and the last model to
have a sane keyboard. It has a physical ESC key.

I'm waiting for Apple to get over its design anorexia and fix the damn
keyboard. I had a brief stint with a brand new MBP from my workplace. Keyboard
broke within a few weeks.

Here's to hoping my 2015 MBP lives a long and happy life.

------
mcv
Top comment there has a 5 year old Macbook he's afraid to replace. My MBP is a
late 2011 model, and I'm not sure what to buy when it fails. I'm really not
happy with Apple at the moment.

I'll probably get a Thinkpad and put Linux on it, but I'm not convinced any
Linux is ever going to be quite as pleasant an experience as OS X used to be.

~~~
lnz1
The keyboard is a big issue on Thinkpads as well. I have a X1 Carbon 6th gen
and I am on my 3rd keyboard already (also, display has been replaced once as
well as the motherboard) - and it's 6 months old and I babysit this thing.

Commonly known as the "keyboard lottery", some units get a decent keyboard and
others a crappy one. And it's still a $2k+ machine.

~~~
mcv
Sounds like Thinkpads are not as reliable as they once were. Should I look
elsewhere? Is this different for other Thinkpad models?

~~~
mi100hael
The Dell Precision developer edition w/ Ubuntu from the factory is a great
package worth considering.

------
zelon88
> Is Apple going to accept that they’re currently alienating and undermining
> decades of goodwill by shipping broken computers in mass quantities?

That's exactly what they've been doing for 10 years. iPhone 6 battery-gate.
6-Plus bending in half when you sit with it in your pocket. The 2016 butterfly
keyboard, the one with 58 screws holding it in. Firmware that slows your phone
for seemingly no reason. Home button's that stop working and a virtual one to
replace it. Screens that won't pull down anymore unless they do it by
themselves. And getting them to admit a problem exists has ALWAYS been pulling
teeth. Lets face it, you signed up for this. All signs for the last 10 years
have pointed to a really nice OS with an overpriced, over-rated machine
underneath it. Don't get me wrong, the inside of an Apple product is like
electronic-poetry, but when something is poorly designed no amount of build
quality will make something last.

You got taken. You should have known this was going to happen because they did
it to you last year. And the year before. And the year before. Stop whining
about your $3k laptop already. You could have bought 6x i7 powered Dells for
the price you paid on one Apple. You asked for this.

~~~
bgeeek
Not keen on the coil whine and Mad WiFi. Put me off the XPS 13.

------
Evidlo
A bit off topic, but how do Macbook users perceive typing on their keyboards
relative to more business-class laptops? Coming from an older Thinkpad, I
genuinely have problems when I type on a friend's 2018 Macbook. There's almost
no key depth.

~~~
modzu
i got used to it pretty quick and actually prefer it now

~~~
skohan
Same. The old keyboards feel like they have too much tolerance now.

------
kenneth
I thought I would hate the new MBPs and it kept me from upgrading for a while.
But after making the switch last year, I'm pretty much fully onboard.

The USB-C ports are great, and I am looking forward to the future where old-
school USB ports are dead and everything is USB-C. There's the occasional
frustration with not having all cables be equal (you could have a USB-C to
USB-C cable that transfers power, slow data, or Thunderbolt-3 data… it's
unintuitive).

The lack of ESC-key doesn't bother me as much as I thought either. I finally
made the switch and remapped caps lock to escape and will never look back. I
use BetterTouchTool to get the ideal touchbar with shortcuts to my 5 most used
functions, a Spotify player and a couple system controls. It's perfect,
customized to my liking, and beat the previous FN-key setup I had. TouchID
rocks. I never see Apple's crap TouchBar implementation.

I have been having the keyboard issues, usually it materializes in the form of
double impressions of keys I type. I'll end up with `ee` instead of `e`, and a
couple other letters like that. Doesn't seem to be happening as much as it
used to (after a "top case" replacement for an unrelated TouchBar issues).

~~~
nothis
I keep forgetting that they killed the ESC-key. Wow. What I never got is: Yea,
add a touch-bar if you want, Apple, but why not stick it _above_ the F-keys
row? It's standardized for decades, programs actually use it. Why _remove_ the
F-keys for it? It's not like on a MBP there isn't enough space for both.

------
ramphastidae
I just can’t believe it. I’ve been holding on to my 2013 MBP and iPhone SE for
years, ready to buy, waiting for the time when Apple comes to its senses, but
it looks like there’s no upgrade path in sight and never will be.

------
bradhoffman
I know this article highlights the problems with 2018+ keywords, but even my
2016 Macbook, which is one of the first with the butterfly mechanisms, has
given me plenty of problems: keys sticking, keys not pressing without a
tremendous amount of force, double printing characters, etc.

It is frustrating because I love macOS, but having keyboard problems makes me
reluctant to get another Macbook in the future.

~~~
seltzered_
Have you tried getting it serviced under
[https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-
for-m...](https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-macbook-
and-macbook-pro/) ?

------
russellbeattie
I wonder what the latency of low quality products is? Apple wouldn't be the
first company to go through this - I can think of car and clothing
manufacturers which were known for quality only to abuse their reputation and
eventually lose sales, sometimes catastrophically. I wonder if there's some
B-school stats or case studies which show how long customers are willing to
give a business the benefit of the doubt and continue to buy products based on
a company's old reputation before their new reputation takes over and sales
drop?

------
james_pm
Yep. I have a 2016 MacBook Pro that's had two top case replacements for bad
keys. It's been a year since the last one, and that's because I am EXTREMELY
careful with this one specifically around heat.

I strongly believe that heat under the keys is the cause, and not dust. I
never, ever let the CPU temp spike (using iStat menus to show the current temp
and disabling Turbo Boost).

I also never charge an external device like a phone or iPad using the USB-C
ports to avoid creating heat.

Lastly, this computer never, ever sits on any surface that isn't solid. No
bed, no couch, no lap. I use a tray or something similar if it's not on a
desk.

If you heat the computer to the point that you feel that trademark snapping
sound in the membranes of the keys, you are screwed. You might as well make
the appointment right then since your keys will fail soon.

I might just fail this one on purpose because I could use a new battery which
you get with the keyboard switch. Oh, and my camera no longer works for some
reason.

------
ben7799
I have a 2018 MBP 15" w/Touchbar at work. I have not had any issues but I use
the internal keyboard only as a last resort.

I really hate the internal keyboard, and I hate the touchbar.

For my personal use I went and bought a Surface Pro at a way lower price than
a MBP and have been happy with that because I hate these MBP Touchbar
keyboards so much.

It blows my mind that the "Type cover" on the Surface Pro has more travel and
feels better than the MBP keyboard. If I was developing on it a lot I don't
know if I'd be that happy with windows but I mostly don't do development on it
and for that windows & OSX are basically a wash for me. I do some hack type
stuff with it, music stuff, photo/video, etc.. both OSes work fine for me with
a slight edge to windows occasionally for some of the hacking projects.

------
Damogran6
I'm wondering if this is going to royally bite them in the ass. I have a Gen 2
keyboard in a 2017 13 MBP that needed an Apple Store visit to remedy the
spacebar under warranty.

$700 to replace it out of warranty will mean I relegate it to a desk and NEVER
BUY ANOTHER APPLE COMPUTER AGAIN.

Because someone, somewhere in their vast organization needs to find a solution
where a stuck key doesn't require brain surgery to replace the keyboard, top
plate, and battery.

I was already sore at the dongle requirements, but willing to overlook in
light of the dozen or so OTHER dongles they've made me buy over the years. The
subtle differences in OSX that sold really expensive hardware are no longer
there.

(And don't get me started on the walled garden permanent phone lease they're
easing us into.)

------
stewbrew
The keyboard of my sister's brandnew mbp is literally falling apart. She uses
a cheap bluetooth keyboard she puts on top of the mbp's keyboard. She still
claims Apple makes the best notebooks. I'm totally enthralled by how Apple
keeps their users locked in in their parallel universe and pay the premium
price.

------
tyleo
I've never owned a MacBook but I've been thinking of buying one over the last
year. This single issue has prevented me from making the purchase. I can't
help but think how upset I would be if I bought a MacBook and they improved
the keyboard several months later.

------
sandbags
I have a 2016 MBP that’s had one keyboard replacement, I am living with the
stuttering that I now have in the replacement. I have refused to upgrade and
will continue to do so until they fix this (and the T2 issues, and the audio
issues, and the overheating issues).

~~~
human20190310
Words cannot describe the level of anger I would have experienced if I had
"upgraded" to a new MacBook Pro that had the USB audio glitching.

I'm broadening my horizons beyond Logic Pro for recording music, in case my
2013-vintage laptop fails before Apple fixes that problem. If Apple's hardware
can't support typical audio peripherals, they should just stop shipping Logic
Pro and Garageband as well.

------
benologist
The Macbook keyboard problems only have three possible endings:

1) Apple is able to be evasive and dishonest until it goes away, probably days
after they cancel the free keyboard replacement program and people buy new
computers instead of paying Apple $795 to fix Apple's mistake once or twice a
year

2) Apple is able to permanently fix it retroactively, but like the trashcan
Mac Pro it seems they have painted themselves in to a corner where they cannot
proceed and cannot move quickly either

3) Apple offers to replace the affected laptops when they do have an
alternative, this is really the best case scenario except 4th gen is coming
and if it doesn't fix the issue then it's a long wait to 5th...

Even if they fix it on the next iteration I don't think they would seriously
entertain number three without substantial legal action demanding they do the
right thing, affected people should consider the $0 resale value on these
turds when they're a bit older and get rid of these devices now instead of
wait for a $100 settlement in 8 years.

One thing that's quite funny to see is nobody _else_ is able to fix their
design flaw either because of how hostile they made the machines to opening up
and repairing things.

------
geophile
My rant about the state of Apple: [https://github.com/geophile/reality-
distortion-field](https://github.com/geophile/reality-distortion-field)

------
013a
Its way worse than Apple _admits_. Its impossible to believe that they don't
actually have a grasp on the scope of the problem; just because they're not
coming out in a press release and saying "yeah failure rates are above 30%, we
fukd up, sorry team"

------
statictype
This.

I have one with a broken keyboard but Apple needs to keep it for at least a
week to repair.

Thats a complete non-starter. I dont have backup laptops hanging around to
use.

~~~
Kpourdeilami
They have a 2 weeks no questions asked return policy. Apple store employees
usually suggest buying a new one and then returning it once the repair is
complete

~~~
andbberger
That is... less than ideal

------
heavymark
Had issues issue with the second to latest MBP keys sticking. Got the lates
MBP when it was released and keyboard has been flawless since. But imagine
there are a lot of scenarios for other people were that could not be the case.

~~~
martin_bech
Matches my experience aswell.

------
two2two
As much as it pains me to say this, Apple is having much trouble juggling
their endeavors. Apple's website is usually pixel perfect, but look at
[https://www.apple.com/mac-pro/index1.html](https://www.apple.com/mac-
pro/index1.html) and you'll see it isn't even responsive. Viewed on their own
iOS devices renders the desktop nav. No one at Apple even goes to their own
flagship desktop marketing page anymore.

~~~
mistersquid
I think the website is responsive but it may be doing something different than
a straight media query like detecting the user agent.

FWIW, it loads and looks fine on both my mobile device and desktop.

------
api
Maybe Apple doesn't really care that much about the Mac. The iPhone ate the
company. They're a mobile phone and services company now. Macs are an
afterthought.

~~~
cotelletta
What computers do you think all those iOS apps get built on?

~~~
zrobotics
But if Apple decides the laptop market isn't worth it vs. IPhone/iPad, then I
see no reason for them to continue requiring a Mac to develop iOS apps.
Android apps can be developed on systems other than chromebooks, and it's even
possible to compile a Linux elf binary from windows (although I don't know why
you would want to).

At this point, Apple is expending a lot of effort maintaining a desktop OS,
and significant effort designing the hardware. If they weren't making adequate
money on that portion of their business, then I see no technical reason to
continue to require a Mac to develop for iOS.

------
accountantbob
Items I keep on my nightstand:

Phone and charger

Reading glasses

Can of compressed air

~~~
DoofusOfDeath
Choose wisely.

------
bfrog
I don't get how people don't consider the power cords apple gives also a
fiasco. I've literally never seen one last more than a year before the outside
rubber breaks. Shortly after the internal wires. Meanwhile I've had the same
power adapter for my x220 for nearly a decade now and its just fine, no signs
of any insulation breaking what so ever.

~~~
canaus
I've had my original power chord for my 2012 MBP. No wires showing, or rubber
coming off. Lasted me through college.

------
_pmf_
It's not a huge problem if you consider the Mac an expendable part of the eco
system, as Apple does.

------
kotutku
I can live with the new Macbook keyboard, missing function keys and a
malfunctioning key only because I always use external Apple keyboard.

The only time I use Macbook keyboard is at cafes or meetups. After 2 years I
still don't like and I haven't find a single good use for the touchbar.

~~~
djtriptych
It's not just not useful.

In some applications, like Chrome, I noticed that I rest my hands above the
number line on the keyboard when I'm thinking, which sometimes opens a new
tab.

It's infuriating. Apple broke keyboards. It feels arrogant.

~~~
skohan
It feels like a move which was completely born out of the business side of the
company. Like: how can we make it _more_ expensive to own one of our
keyboards? What if it were destroyed by dust and had an OLED display built in?

There's no chance for the touchbar to get developer attention if _only_ people
who were able to drop 2K+ on a laptop in the past couple years have access to
one.

------
graeme
I was a mac laptop user. I’ve now switched to an imac pro and ipad pro, and am
much happier for it. My mad has ports and I can use my own keyboard. The ipad
is much nicer for work around the house away from my desk.

(Mac mini + the new ipad air would probably work as well for many use cases
while being cheaper)

The laptops are a huge error though. They’re the most popular type of mac, and
they’re all flawed. My macbook air from 2011 still runs perfectly. I couldn't
confidently tell someone their butterfly keyboard model would last that long,
and desktop + ipad is a more expensive, niche combo. Not everyone can do that.
Really bad for the ecosystem in the long run.

------
fmajid
I am very careful with my gear and one of the only people I know who don't
fray their lightning cables. So far my 2015 MacBook keyboard is fine, but I am
holding on to my 2012 MacBook Pro for dear life. When work issued me a new
computer, I asked them for a 2018 Mac Mini rather than a disposable MacBook
Pro.

I have also accelerated my Linux migration contingency planning. If I were to
get a laptop now, it would be one of the System76 Linux models.

Apple will eventually have to make it right, if nothing else the class-action
lawsuits will ensure that, but their complacency and bad faith has already
caused irreparable damage to the brand.

------
mtolan
Could the link be edited to not jump to the #comments anchor in the article?

------
JustSomeNobody
> Apple keep insisting that only a “small number of customers have problems”
> with the MacBook keyboards. That’s bollocks. This is a huge issue, it’s
> getting worse not better, and Apple is missing the forest for the trees.

No, Apple knows exactly how bad it is. They _always_ [0] say "a small number
of ..." for every[0] issue they have. They're just stubborn. They'll fix a few
as they are brought in and they'll continue iterating on this design and
letting new buyers beta test it.

[0] Never use a definitive.

------
pqdbr
I can't believe that the 2018 membrane version didn't fix the issue. That was
my last hope. Time to look for a Thinkpad alternative. Which Linux should I
install? Ubuntu?

~~~
canaus
Install gentoo

------
jdlyga
I would've definitely gotten a Macbook Pro if the keyboard wasn't so terrible.
Not only the reliability problem, but the flat keys. Just not good for
programming.

------
bitwize
1) Bring Matias Tactile Pro keyboard from home.

2) Realize that the MBP _only_ has USB-C ports.

3) Buy or requisition a USB-C combo dongle (i.e., a computer wart).

4) Plug keyboard into computer wart, plug computer wart into laptop.

5) Fixed!

Thanks, Apple!

------
dguo
Even if the keyboards weren't notoriously unreliable, I would still hate how
they feel to use. My $15 wireless iPad keyboard feels better to use than my
MacBook's.

And that's on top of all the other issues that have been discussed. At this
point, the only thing holding me back from switching to a Thinkpad is
iOS/macOS development. Maybe I should just get a Thinkpad and a Mac Mini. It
wouldn't even cost that much more than a MacBook Pro..

------
burlesona
There’s a problem with DHH’s survey, which is that nobody whose keyboards are
working cares to seek out and vote in it.

Anecdata of course, but my 20 person engineering team has been using MBPs with
the new keyboards for the last three years (various models), and so far no one
has had a keyboard problem.

I’ve got a 2018 at home which I hammer pretty hard every day and no issues
either.

It’s not a popular opinion on HN but I actually like how the keyboard feels.

So I’m not sure the despair is as widespread as it seems on HN. That said it
does still seem like the failure rate is unreasonable, and I can easily see
Apple losing the class action suits. More than that, this is a PR nightmare,
and I’m not sure their “silent treatment” culture is an effective way to
handle it.

~~~
xutopia
I too know too much about the bias in online polls. But this one touches home.

At my workplace we only have 2 of the new MBP with the new keyboards... 100%
of these people have issues with at least one key. They're the most frequent
users of the air blowing keyboard cleaner so much that the IT department
decided to just leave it out on a counter for us to use without asking.

I'm about to do some moonlighting and cannot use my work computer for this so
I'm building a Linux machine to do this. I've been using only Macs for 20
years and I'm going back to Linux for the first time since switching.

------
nautilus12
I gave up on apple last year. I did not buy one for my personal work when I
needed a computer. I use an Hp Spectre and ubuntu now. I miss mac os x. Ubuntu
sucks majorly sometimes. I may turn my computer into a hackintosh, though I
see apple's recent decision to become a "media" company indicative of the
reality that apple may soon be going the way of the dinosaur.

------
protez
Absolutely true. I started migrating to Linux when I had to bring an external
keyboard all the time. The keyboard sucks, extremely. I loved reading on
iBooks, but I even coded its alternative with the identical theme in Emacs. I
hate "that" keyboard so much. It's extremely embarrassing.

------
kevin_nisbet
+1

Just confirming the survey which is great, I did exactly like in the article.
I primarily use my 2017 MBP at work/home where I have keyboards, so haven't
been willing to lose the laptop for 2 weeks to be replaced with a keyboard
that is reported to have the same faults.

As such, I actively discourage anyone I know thinking about it from buying an
apple laptop.

------
protomyth
I'm one of those "just plug in a keyboard" folks. Took it to an Apple Store
and they couldn't fix it. We have AppleCare and I will send it in, but its
such a pain since I have to blank the drive before sending. I guess I will put
my stuff on a Mac Mini until it gets back.

Not buying a new Mac until they get this actually fixed.

------
black-alert
I bought the latest version of the MBP with the 'fixed' keyboard last year
September. I have sold it 2 months later because one of the keys didn't work
well anymore, I had to push that key hard for it to respond. It is amazing
that Apple seem to completely ignore all the issues with the new MBP..

------
kharms
I miss the escape key as well, here’s one way I addressed it: using BTT I
added another button to the Touch Bar. This was a second escape key, placed
right next to the original. Now the first two inches from the left are one big
escape key, making it easier to touch-type.

------
no1youknowz
I just came across this and it sums up what many of us think about Apple.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iXEMtmITw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iXEMtmITw)

I wish they did better for us customers.

------
bgeeek
2011 MBA here. Waiting to buy a new MBP,... but not on your nelly with that
keyboard, touchbar, and lack of ram on the smaller model.

Also budgeted for one. I've also become very cautious over Apple, which is a
shame.

------
Aissen
> a staggering 30% are dealing with keyboard issues right now!

I'm guessing this is the effect of hardware monoculture ? If your single-
source provider has an issue, there's not much you can do.

------
aqibgatoo
The macbook keyboard sucks. I have 2018 Macbook pro and i believe 5-9 keys
have dust inside them and they behave erratically.

------
joncrane
Are Hackintoshes still a thing? I remember building one with a friend in the
mid oughts (2005 maybe?).

------
TYPE_FASTER
The keyboard and the case flex are bad. I like having one USB-C connector for
everything.

------
roflchoppa
Hey how often do y’all clean your computers?

Like alcohol wipe + vacuum out the keyboard?

~~~
sithadmin
I have to wonder if cleanliness and care for the device is a big contributor
to this issue. The people I personally know that have been impacted by this
keyboard problem are the same folks that seem to treat their devices pretty
badly: grimy keyboard/trackpad, outer case has all sorts of visible evidence
of minor damage, and/or the device is carried around without a sleeve in a bag
where it's jumbled up with other misc items and debris.

~~~
handzbagz
My £400 Dell Latitude is 5 years old, gets 12 hours of use a day and is
dragged through some very dusty, dirty environments on a daily basis. All the
keys are working.

If you make a consumer product that can't withstand basic consumer use then
you're doing something wrong.

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draw_down
I recently bought a 2018 MacBook Air. I don’t know if this revision has a
different keyboard than the one in question, or what, but I find it totally
fine to type on. Prior to this, I was using 1013-2015 era laptops; I know
these came before the problematic keyboards and I don’t really find the newer
or the older ones worse in any real way.

However, that’s just speaking of what they’re like when they work. The failure
rate is a major, major problem and they are not doing enough about it, at all.

