Unreliable MacBook Pro Keyboards
“If a single piece of dust lays the whole computer out, don’t you think that’s kind of a problem?”
In every other computer I’ve owned before I bought the latest MacBook Pro last fall, fixing this would have begun by removing the key and peering around in its well to see if it was simply dirty. Not this keyboard. In fact, all of Apple’s keyboards are now composed of a single, irreparable piece of technology. There is no fixing it; there is only replacing half the computer.
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The primary motivator behind the rise of the butterfly switch seems to be that Apple keeps trying to make all its products thinner, to a degree beyond reason at this point (MacBook Pros now weigh as little as three pounds).
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If Apple decides to replace the keyboard, it sends out the computer to replace the entire top case; there is no such thing as replacing an individual key or just the keyboard. On a Macbook Pro, the top case retails for $700, but the computers haven’t been around long enough for anyone to be out of warranty yet. In regular MacBooks, which were first available in the spring of 2015, Apple has quoted as much $330 to replace a top case out of warranty. The path from “a piece of dust” to “$700 repair” is terrifyingly short.
Make sure you buy AppleCare!
I, like the good kbase follower that I am, consulted and followed Apple’s directions for dealing with this[…]
After a couple days of light usage, the problem got worse. […] The bottom lip of the key began to flip up a little bit as the key tried sprinting back up after being depressed. […] One of the tiny arms that the key cap clips onto is broken. My nearly $2,000 laptop that I bought less than a year ago is now missing a key[…]
By the way, I know there will be some people suggesting that plenty of generations of Apple products have had their teething issues. I don’t deny that; the MacBook Pro was recalled for graphics issues, the first-generation iPod Nano scratched like crazy and the battery could overheat, and the unibody plastic MacBook’s bottom case peeled off.
But input devices should always — and I mean always — work, in hardware and in software. If a speck of dust affects the functionality of the most-used key because of an attribute inherent to the design of the keyboard, that’s a poor choice of keyboard design, especially for a portable computer.
We can feel free to disagree about whether Apple’s new laptop keyboard design with drastically reduced key travel is pleasant to type on or not—I don’t like the feel of the keyboard at all, but I recognize that reasonable people will differ.
But like them or not, these keyboards seem to be easily broken. I can’t tell you how many people I know who have reported some problem with the keyboard that has required a visit to the Apple Store.
My 2016 MacBook Pro Escape keys like to get sticky when I’m hammering away at the keyboard in the sun, probably due to the key caps expanding from the heat.
I find these keyboards — specifically, the tales of woe about keys getting stuck or ceasing to work properly — a deeply worrisome sign about Apple’s priorities today.
Maybe after today’s articles, Apple will finally be forced to admit to themselves that the butterfly MBP keyboard is fundamentally flawed.
That keyboard has no place in pro laptops, and Apple needs to deeply reconsider the process that led to it being brought to the whole line.
The compressed-air thing is like blowing on an NES cartridge: it doesn’t really fix it. Ask any Genius how many they’ve fixed that way.
Wait until the first 2016 MBPs fall out of warranty in a few weeks and people need to pay hundreds of dollars to repair one broken key.
Anecdotally, it seems to affect about 50% of the people I know with butterfly-key MBPs. When I ask on Twitter, I get similar numbers.
The really scary part is that most of these computers are only a few months to a year old. How will they age?
I’ve been saying that MacBooks have shitty keyboard since 2015. An acquaintance who got a 12” MacBook had to replace the keyboard 3 times.
Omit the word “pro”. All Apple laptops should (and for 15 years did) have excellent-feeling reliable keyboards.
This happens to me all the time.
It’s funny – I actually prefer the firmer feel of the butterfly keys, but this issue is madness.
“Our” crowd is finding out about this issue now, but MacBook forums have known about these butterfly keyboard issues since mid-2015
The iPad Pro Smart Keyboard has the same key switches as the new MacBook Pros, with none of the dust issues—fabric MacBook Pro, anyone? 😂
The key travel is so short the force of bottoming out travels up through my fingers and owwww...
2017’s have a dampener that helps.
Dan Luu tested a bunch of popular keyboard models and recorded their latency. Something that might surprise you: Apple’s Magic Keyboard, when connected over USB, had the fastest response time — albeit imperceptibly so in actual usage.
That goes to show that Apple can build great keyboards.
Previously: New MacBook Pros and the State of the Mac.
Update (2017-10-18): Mike Zornek:
I’ve been typing with a broken b key for a month. Will take it in for repair soon. It will be the second time in in less than a year.
I guess I’m not the only with an MBP keyboard that gets sticky when the machine is hot.
Zac Hall (via Bad Uncle Leo, tweet):
Jonathan Mann of ‘Song a Day’ fame has a new hit on his hands. “I Am Pressing The Spacebar and Nothing Is Happening” is his latest jingle, and it’s a brilliant tune about keys on the MacBook keyboard having a tendency to get stuck when exposed to debris or crumbs or, well, in some cases, air.
The left shift-key on my 2017 MB needed fixing w/in 3 months.
Update (2017-10-19): See also: Reddit.
Speaking of keyboards, had to avail of [the repair program] — so much for Smart Keyboard’s wiring durability 😂 Didn’t age well, @iFixit
Update (2017-10-20): Juli Clover:
“Will we see an October keynote event?” Luke asked. “I think we’re all Keynoted out for the season! :-)” Federighi replied.
So new and improved MacBook Pros are apparently not forthcoming soon.
So, couple days later, here’s how MBP keyboard poll shook out—of over 2,500 responders, 450 people (22.5%) answered ‘yes’ to fix/replacement
A lot of folks are suggesting that the 2017 keyboards have fixed the issue, which is definitely not true from my responses. Helped? Possible
In early 2016, a friend of mine told me that she had to bring her 6-month old 12-inch MacBook to an Apple Store because the ‘V’ key had stopped registering, and the spacebar was stuck. I wrote her that this was troubling, but that somehow I wasn’t surprised. Later, when she asked me for advice (“Do you think I should try selling the MacBook after they fix the keyboard? I’m bummed, but I also love it for its lightness…”), I urged her to buy AppleCare if she wanted to keep it, because I feared the problem could return in the future.
It’s October 2017. She still has that Early 2015 MacBook. She had the keyboard replaced three times. She’s grateful to have followed my advice about getting AppleCare.
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Long story short, of these twelve friends and acquaintances that got in touch with me regarding this particular matter, seven had serious keyboard issues, and the remaining five told me that their MacBook/MacBook Pro keyboard feels different now than when they purchased their Macs: some mentions uneven feedback when typing, others say that certain keys — despite still working and being registered after pressed — have kind of lost what little clickiness they had at the beginning.
Update (2017-10-21): See also: Accidental Tech Podcast, The Talk Show.
Update (2017-12-15): Mike Bolich-Ziegler:
@caseyjohnston you should know I was in an Apple store this week & two Apple specialists were baffled on why their iPhone activation system passwords wouldn’t work while using a MBP. Both of their passwords contained an “n.”
The “n” key was broken on a display MBP. 🙃
Update (2018-01-19): Pieter Levels:
I bought a new MacBook Pro 15" on October 27, 2017 and it took 83 days for the N-key to break. So now I can’t type (P.S. Twitter you told me this was going to happen but I didn’t listen, yo soy muoy stupido)
Update (2018-02-22): Marco Arment:
I’ll “let it go” when they stop selling MacBook Pros with extremely unreliable keyboards.
Every other design decision (or flaw) can be argued or eventually tolerated. That one can’t.
No matter what you think of it, a keyboard has to work reliably, period.
“We get it now” is not a reason to stop publicly holding a company accountable for a massive flaw that betrays significant negligence in the process.
(They knew these keyboards were unreliable and controversial in 2015, then brought them to the entire lineup in 2016.)
The MBP owners on their third keyboard, or the ones waiting weeks for backordered repair parts, or the ones paying for expensive repairs after their warranties have expired aren’t saying “We get it now, stop talking about it.”
Owen:
I’ll let it go when I don’t have to beg them to fix it for free even though it’s clearly a known issue
I have an unreliable 15”. Apple took 3 weeks to fix it. (They even tried to charge $600 for it, took me days to have them honor the warranty)
Bought a 13” meanwhile because I had no computer. It had a funky ctrl key right out of the box. Returned.
I lost a lot of days to this.
This issue is a daily thing for me. I dropped $4k on my 5th MacBook Pro, and have taken it in for new keyboards or repairs 4 times and they still do not acknowledge this to be a widespread issue.
Update (2018-03-09): Daniel Jalkut:
I’m using my old 2014 MBP while I consider my options for 2016 MBP’s defective keyboard. Oh my god, typing on this thing is such a joy…
Update (2018-03-12): Daniel Jalkut:
Probably the least common modern MacBook Pro complaint, but mine is that the command key surface is degrading after only 7 months.
(I neglected to mention: I do MOST of my work on this computer with an external keyboard. :-/ )
Macbook pro, a bit over a year in: 3rd time a key stops working. The build quality of @apple laptops has dropped so badly.
Update (2018-03-27): LaughingQuoll:
After 3 keyboard replacements, i’ll be returning my MacBook Pro soon.
It’s a major failure if the keyboard keeps jamming up every 4-6 weeks.
Update (2018-04-07): Casey Neistat:
what am i supposed to do when the space bar stops working. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING WITH THIS FCKING KEYBOARD
My replacement MacBook Pro keyboard is noticeably better than the “Rev A” was. It seems both quieter and easier to register keystrokes.
So, adding to complexity of the debate about the merits of “new MacBook Pro keyboards,” there are better and (fewer and fewer) worse ones.
Update (2018-04-17): John Dickerson:
Apple offers extended three year repair program for iPad Pro Smart Keyboards w/ sticking keys & other ‘functional’ issues
Yet still not even as much as a word on the MacBook debacle.
Update (2018-04-18): Cliff Kuang:
This issue’s been well known for almost two years, yet Apple still hasn’t fixed it. They probably won’t. The new “butterfly” keyboards were announced with great fanfare when the current MacBook Pros were unveiled. Their primary benefit, according to chief marketing officer Phil Schiller, who introduced the device in October 2016, was that they helped make the new laptops 3.1 millimeters thinner. At this point, Apple’s Geniuses seem barely fazed when another keyboard needs replacing. Repairs costing $700 are simply business-as-usual because the new MacBook Pros had to be thinner.
Update (2018-04-29): Casey Johnston (tweet, Hacker News, MacRumors):
Today, Best Buy announced it is having a significant sale on these computers, marking them hundreds of dollars off. Interesting. Still, I’d suggest you do not buy them.
Since I wrote about my experience, many have asked me what happened with the new top half of the computer that the Apple Geniuses installed, with its pristine keyboard and maybe-different key switches. The answer is that after a couple of months, I started to get temporarily dead keys for seemingly no reason. Again.
I know that we Apple-watchers sit around wondering if Apple will release new laptops with new keyboards that don’t have these issues, but Apple’s relative silence on this issue for existing customers is deafening. If these problems are remotely as common as they seem to be, this is an altogether defective product that should be recalled.
Apple can’t recall all 12” MacBooks and 2016+ MBPs — there’s nothing equivalent to replace them with except new copies of the same unreliable keyboards. At best, they’ll get a repair-extension program.
The only way out is to sell it while you can.
If Apple ever comments on the unreliable butterfly keyboards, I’d put VERY little faith in anything they say about how few are affected.
Claiming widespread problems aren’t widespread is the easiest and most common thing for corporate PR to bullshit or lie about. Even Apple.
They’d need to have a replacement keyboard part that fixes the issue. They can’t handle battery replacement volume in stores so I don’t see how they could do this either.
Either way, don’t buy a new macbook hoping Apple will fix it later.
This keyboard has to be one of the biggest design screwups in Apple history. Everyone who buys a MacBook depends upon the keyboard and this keyboard is undependable.
New MacBooks are kind of crap. Work has given me one every few years for over a decade and I’ve never had a keyboard issue before. In less than nine months, my keyboard is dying. I’ve even worn a hole in a key…
In my experience the poor thermal properties of the skinny-awful-keyboard MBs/MBPs are every bit as much of a problem as the keyboards themselves; throttle down to sub-iPhone levels if you look at them funny.
In the ten years since I switched from Windows I have owned 34 Macs. None caused more worry or were harder to sell on than my 2017 MacBook Pro. And I won’t buy another laptop until they make sizeable changes. Too flakey, too expensive, too limited.
One side of my space bar (2016 MBP) stuck and I couldn’t get it seen to before my travel — it slowly freed up starting a week later. I’m nervous about this machine and have steered a relative away from the MBP explicitly because of the problem with sticking keys.
Because the keyboard is mission critical to a laptop, and because the latest MacBook pro keyboards are so unreliable, it’s turned into my least favorite compute device I’ve ever owned.
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I’m so nervous it will conk out on me I usually carry an iPad pro too, just as a backup.
Mine has been so horrible and unreliable i’m leaving Mac OS altogether! Never thought I’d say that!
@jasonfried is typing on an external Bluetooth keyboard right now. Disgraceful.
But the quality issues extend beyond just the keyboard. Far more crashes, far more issues on my MacBook 12. My wife is convinced she got a lemon. Apple needs to regroup.
I went to Apple Store 3 times this year. 2 of them to replace keys that were falling off and once to replace the whole top-case because the keyboard wasn’t working anymore. Worst Macbook ever.
Both tab key and caps lock burnt out. Can get a new MBA or MBP for basically 50% off. STILL don’t want to trade out ’14 MBA for “upgrade”. That’s how bad Apple quality issues have become.
I’m on my third late 2016 MBP15 keyboard replacement in a year. I make my living on this laptop… I get “fingertip fatigue”, it’s noisy and keys still double hit or miss every few sentences. Almost contemplating a Dell XPS 13, if I weren’t so married into Apple world.
Since everyone’s talking about, may as well chime in: yes, I’ve had to replace the keyboard on my 2016 MacBook Pro. The “S” key died, which sucks when your name is Stefan.
It needs to be recalled and replaced with a new MacBook Pro with a keyboard that’s not defective
Extending the warranty is not the right answer
When I talked to Apple Care about my stuck keys they told me they had no reports of the issue. None. Zero. They’re not just being silent, they’re straight up lying. As the video Zac posted the other day shows, awful hardware quality in Macbooks is nothing new.
See also: The Menu Bar, The Talk Show, The Menu Bar.
Update (2018-05-01): Josh Centers:
There should be a total recall and an apology from @tim_cook to fix this keyboard thing.
Clearly, the increase in number of keyboard events in a decreasing population of first-year service demands is notable. While first-year service calls have gone down with the introduction of the new models, at the same time the incidence of keyboard repairs has gone up, notably.
Apple has a second-generation MacBook Pro keyboard. It is in the 2017 MacBook Pro, and repaired 2016 models. The repair percentages on those are up from the 2014 and 2015 keyboards as well, but not nearly as much as the 2016.
The “popping sound” happens when the keyboard gets too warm and some keys start making a different sound. They also feel marginally stickier when pressed.
Update (2018-05-03): Matt Kelly:
My wife’s six month old MacBook Pro’s keyboard suddenly stops working. Genius Bar guy says it’s all they are dealing with these days but @Apple refuse to accept a fault, blaming owners, even with Applecare. Charge to repair is £400.
Update (2018-05-08): Alex Cranz:
So a word to the wise from someone who just had her own 2016 MacBook Pro completely replaced (fortunately it was all gratis due to the extended warranty for the display). Always, always, always opt for an extended warranty if you’re going to be dumb enough to buy a device that’s just had a major redesign.
Update (2018-05-10): Rene Ritchie:
The numbers (below) show that there was a spike in repairs in 2016 but that they looked to have normalized in 2017. I’m not sure if this changes anything from Apple’s perspective. Last I heard, which was a month or so ago, they were keeping an eye on it, given the attention, but the numbers just hadn’t passed their threshold for a replacement program, much less a recall.
But, as I’ve been saying for a long time now, the negative sentiment could force action numbers alone could not, and the issue has become toxic. Also, a vocal portion of Apple’s customer base still hates the new butterfly-switch keyboards. For a single-vendor product, that’s a problem.
Update (2018-05-11): Matthew Taylor (via Marco Arment, Tim O’Reilly):
Apple, it’s time: recall every MacBook Pro released since Late 2016, and replace the keyboards on all of them with new, redesigned keyboards that just work.
Because, these keyboards don’t work.
Every one of Apple’s current-gen MacBook Pro models, 13" and 15", is sold with a keyboard that can become defective at any moment due to a design failure.
The problems are widespread, consistent, and infuriating.
Update (2018-05-14): Mikey Campbell:
A class action lawsuit filed in federal court on Friday takes Apple to task over an allegedly flawed keyboard design deployed in MacBook models from 2015, claiming the company knew about the defect at or before the product's launch.
Late Friday night, Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit over the finicky butterfly-switch keyboards that have plagued its customers since they were released in 2015. The suit, filed in the Northern District Court of California, cites forum complaints going back to 2015, and substantially describes the difficulties of two named plaintiffs, one of whom experienced a failed keyboard after only one month.
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The suit alleges repeatedly that Apple “promoted and sold laptops it knew were defective in that they contain a keyboard that is substantially certain to fail prematurely,” and that selling these computers not only directly to its customers but also to third party retailers constitutes a violation of good faith.
The new MacBook Pro’s comically fragile keyboard has made me absolutely terrified of small crumbs. I was at the grocery store earlier and caught myself specifically picking out items that don’t produce crumbs.
Me a month ago: I don’t know why everyone is so angry about the new MacBook keyboard
Me today:
Update (2018-05-16): Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe:
We are investigating whether the keyboards on these MacBook Pro models are defective. If purchasers received a laptop with a defective keyboard design, they may be entitled to a refund of their purchase price, the cost of past and future repairs, and injunctive relief for Apple to properly disclose the problem and extend the applicable warranties.
If you purchased one of the MacBook Pro models listed above and would like to help us investigate this issue—or would like to participate in a potential class-action lawsuit—please complete the form below for a free legal consultation.
Update (2018-06-02): Charles Hart:
I’m at a dev conference (few hundred people) and the presenters 3 month old MacBook keyboard failed during presentation... ‘O’ key.
The presentation became an anti new MacBook Pro ad.
I’m getting these “ads” so frequently : family, friends, podcasts, work, media..
See also: The Talk Show.
The “T” key stopped working on my 15-inch MacBook Pro keyboard last week.
This is how much Apple quoted me to replace the key:
$871.42
A second class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple over problematic keyboards in recent MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
Update (2018-06-11): Stefan Reitshamer:
Second MacBook Pro keyboard replacement in 2 weeks. Do not buy a new MacBook Pro. Or buy one with AppleCare and throw it in the trash after 3 years I guess. Keyboard replacement is $700 without AppleCare.
I got mine replaced immediately after I opened the box, and got replaced again 1 month later. This is how we define “garbage”
Update (2018-06-21): Phil Baker:
I found my MacBook keyboard to be just too difficult to use and unreliable, as well. Even after a replacement, random keys continue to become mushy and don’t reliably register. In speaking with friends using recent Macs I hear much the same issue.
For the first time in twenty years, it got me to consider moving to a Windows 10 notebook. I never expected that to happen, because I think the MacOS is elegant, easy to use and visually appealing. It also works well with the iPhone I use. The tipping point came with my spending 2 to 3 hours a day at the keyboard working on a new book.
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I still prefer MacOS, which I’d rate a 90 vs an 80 for Windows, using my arbitrary wine rating scale. The Windows computer hardware, however, beats Apple by a larger margin, 95 vs 70. If I were an Apple MacOS software engineer, I’d be unhappy that my fellow hardware engineers are shortchanging the software by offering products that are well behind the competition. There’s no doubt in my mind that Apple has lost its edge with its latest line of notebook computers and is way behind the Windows offerings. I’m likely not telling them anything they really don’t know. Last time I was at the Apple Store to repair my keyboard, they suggested I’d be better off with a MacBook Air.
Update (2018-07-24): Maciej Cegłowski:
Cautionary tale: I took my MacBook Pro in to get the defective keyboard replaced. Apple store techs broke the logic board when opening the case, then sent the machine to a third-party vendor who replaced the SSD without authorization. The whole process took 10 days.
Update (2018-08-17): Renaud Lienhart:
I’ve spoken previously about the 2016’s MBP keyboard working just fine for me. I take it all back; I now want to burn this laptop to the ground.
Update (2018-09-03): Natasha Lomas (via Hacker News):
Yes I am very late to this. But I am also very annoyed so I am adding my voice to the now sustained chorus of complaints about Apple’s redesigned Mac keyboard: How very much it sucks. Truly, madly, deeply.
Update (2018-10-03): Wojtek Pietrusiewicz:
I had my 2016 MacBook Pro Escape’s keyboard replaced in April 2018, because some of the keys were expanding under heat, making them “sticky”, e.g. when using it in the sun.
I’m extremely happy to report that today my Control key has gone on strike and will only work when it feels like it should, which translates to registering maybe one in ten presses.
Update (2019-01-14): Steve Lederer:
Well, looks like it’s time to get my MacBook Pro (2016) keyboard replaced for the third time in 25 months. Another key completely stuck. Maybe they’ll actually replace my laptop this time? Or next time when it inevitably happens in a few months? (probably not)
Update (2019-01-16): Steven Peterson:
My 2016 15” MacBook Pro arrived with a dead keyboard backlight. The one I replaced it with had keyboard issues and had to be repaired 3 times before I finally gave up and got a refund.
I really don’t understand what’s going on with the Mac at Apple. It makes me really sad.
Update (2019-01-23): Jonas Lekevicius:
Argh stupid MacBook Pro keyboard. Now “b” key types twice every time I press it.
I’ll try blowing compressed air, as usual. If that doesn’t help this would be a third repair (all keyboard-related) in 3 years.
Update (2019-01-24): Maxwell Swadling:
well now my 2017 macbook’s return key doesn’t work, and I’m in NZ which doesn’t have Apple stores
Keyboard on my MacBook Pro broke so while it’s getting fixed IT gave me an old MacBook Air loaner and it is amazing how much more comfortable it is to type on the older style of Mac keyboards.
Update (2019-03-21): TJ:
Had to type on wife’s 1st gen MacBook keyboard today. MY WORD THAT KEYBOARD IS AWFUL. I hadn’t used it in a while but it has several keys that aren’t typing properly INCLUDING the enter key. She’s only had it for a couple years. I’ve never had any other Apple keyboard do this.
The E key on my touchbar macbook pro stopped working but it’s ok because it’s not like it’s one of the important ones
Via Marco Arment.
