Apple on Friday said it is launching a Keyboard Service Program for customers of the MacBook and MacBook Pro computers. Apple told me that the issue was affecting only a small percentage of these units.
“Today we launched a keyboard service program for our customers that covers a small percentage of keyboards in certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models which may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors: letters or characters that repeat unexpectedly or don’t appear when pressed or keys that feel “sticky” or aren’t responding in a consistent manner,” an Apple spokesperson said.
“Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will examine the customer’s device to verify eligibility and then perform the service free of charge. Service may involve the replacement of one or more keys or the whole keyboard. For more details on the program customers can visit: https://www.apple.com/support/keyboard-service-program-for-macbook-and-macbook-pro/.”
If you have already paid for keyboard service done by Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, you can contact Apple and request a refund for the service cost.
I know that there has been a lot of discussion about these keyboard issues over the last several weeks, but it’s not something that has affected any of my computers.
Count yourself lucky, Jim! Rene Richie used to say the exact same thing, until it affected him. 🙂
“Small percentage” is misleading. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s single percentage points. But it clearly has to be a lot more than previous keyboards, none of which had an extended replacement program.
What does “The program covers eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit.” mean? Does that mean 4 years after initial release? That’s definitely a nice step up from a 1-year warranty (i.e., even the original 12″ MacBook will be covered until next year).
I wonder if thy’ve got a Rev C of the keyboard, or if they’ve got the numbers to show that Rev B is a good fix.
I think it’s first sale of YOUR unit. If you bought it in January 2015, four years after first sale is January 2019. If you sold it to someone else in January 2017, four years after first sale is still January 2019.
Could be wrong, though.
Yeah, this is what I really want to know, too. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. It could also be the 2017 rev, which while not perfect, is better than the original 2016 2nd gen…
Also, would 1st-gen butterfly keyboards be replaced by 2nd (or 3rd) gen?
I’ll be interested to see if anyone ferrets out such specific hardware information.
My non-touchbar MBP from 2016 was eligible for a battery replacement and that necessitates a top section replacement so I got a new keyboard. This one feels like it has slightly more travel but it’s early days.
Under System Information, this is what I see:
Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad:
Product ID: 0x0276
Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
ST Version: 8.96
MT Version: 4.69
Serial Number: FM7805206WCGJCQAJ+WEN
Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
Location ID: 0x01000000
For me, and a whole lot of people, their laptop is their lifeblood. I use a MacBook Pro as my primary now. It needed repairs in it’s first year so I was down for a few days but it luckily it was right at Christmas so low impact.
But I need a backup strategy. I can take a new Mac and be up and fully running in a couple of hours. Ironically, reinstalling new apps is the biggest time spent. I remember when it was data.
However I do need a backup plan for hardware if it dies. I can get by for week or two with Google Apps (Chrome or iOS), Bear, Ulysses, and Office. I need a Pro for various JetBrains products and plethora of command line tools through iTerm.
I bought MacBook but it has three wonky keys and a battery that went dead after a 1.5 years. I bought an iPad Pro for Smart Keyboard but both of those died ~4 months. At this point none of them are worth fixing in my view. I miss the form factors for those weeks when your ass is in a plane seat for 20+ hours. This is tougher with my MBP.
I love MacOS and iOS plus the wonderful apps. I am much more productive in this ecosystem. I even like the feel of the keyboards on current MacBook Pros and Smart Keyboards. The problem is reliability and downtime. That’s the problem that people are struggling with.
I work with a large corporate client and many of their managers would like to use iPad Pros for their primary and the IT department would like to support them. However, they’ve had so many reliability problems that they don’t recommend it. They are a nice bunch of people so they gave me a Microsoft Surface Pro as a backup. I hate the apps, the OS, and overall form factor. But damn, the keyboard is reliable and it fits easily on a plane tray so in a nutshell I use it.
Even if they have fixed the reliability issue, Having tried the butterfly switch keyboardsin an apple store, I know that I will never buy a laptop with one. The feel of the keyboard is all wrong.
Yet another reason for me to avoid current generation Apple macs like the plague.
Sounds a lot like a Microsoft product promotion! Jesus, The 1st iPad I bought is iPad 2 and to this day not a single one fails.
My Macbook Air is on year 7. My girlfriend Macbook Pro is also on year 7. My Mac mini is year 6. All of these are still going strong.
25 years of using Windows PC, no PC I was using can last this long.
agreed…my desktop mac is a 2011, running the latest OS and pleasant to use. this could never be said of a windows machine.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, and even my TV. I think the iMacs look great. I’ve had really bad luck for the last 3 years with all my portable hardware but I’m sure that I’m in the minority.
I was asked yesterday by a friend if they should buy a new MacBook/Pro. I honestly didn’t know what to say about the current hardware. So he asked if he should wait for the next hardware release. I had to be honest, I didn’t know if Apple would release any new hardware this year. It wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t.
It sounds like my 2015 chiclet key MBP will run like a dream on Mojave. Here’s hoping it will run for another 5 years.
I’m sure they’d use rev C if it physically and electrically fit, and I doubt they’ve changed *that* much. But I’m definitely not certain. 🙂
I have an early 2015 12″ Retina MacBook, and I’ve had no issues with its keyboard. I also like the feel of its keys. It’s been a great little machine which I still use daily. It’s currently running High Sierra beta 10.13.6.
I also did an online chat with Apple to see if I could bring it into my local Apple Retail Store for a check, anyway, and was told, “No. It’s only for machines with issues.”
Note, John is specifically talking about keyboards on recent iPads and MacBooks, as is germane to this thread.
The iPad Pro Smart Keyboard has connector issues. It’s broadly known. Try a Google search. I’ve had to exchange two before I found one that seems to be holding up (but plenty of people suggest that issues will introduce themselves in the 12-month window).
(By comparison, the iPad Pro hardware itself is immaculate and precisely engineered.)
Arguably, the keyboard issue is secondary to the fact that Apple’s notebook lineup simply doesn’t make sense in several segments, especially on the low-end.
If someone asked me today, my guess is that the MacBook Pro 13″ non-touchbar is the sweet spot for a lot of people: more than 1 port, not much bigger than the MacBook, nice hardware, decent battery life, OK price point, and now you get an extended support if there are keyboard issues.
As soon as you try to look /below/ that category the product lineup is badly fragmented, and it’s really hard to choose between the MBA and its atrocious screen and the MB that’s still pretty slow.
I’m hoping the next refresh will bump the MB (admittedly, this is partly on Intel) and help us get out of the weird MB/MBA choice.