For quite some time now, Apple’s top of the line MacBook Pro has been the source of a lot of controversy and criticism. And with good reason, the new keyboard design Apple introduced on its late 2016 MacBook Pro lineup has been widely derided for being frustratingly unreliable.
For quite some time now, Apple’s top of the line MacBook Pro has been the source of a lot of controversy and criticism. And with good reason, the new keyboard design Apple introduced on its late 2016 MacBook Pro lineup has been widely derided for being frustratingly unreliable. While Apple initially boasted that the machine’s new butterfly keyboard design resulted in a more stable typing experience, many users have observed the exact opposite. Indeed, there are no shortage of horror stories from users which detail how certain keys simply stop working if even the tiniest piece of dust happens to wedge itself underneath the keyboard.
Speaking to the severity of the issue, Apple last month launched a new service which allows MacBook and MacBook Pro owners with the butterfly keyboard design to enjoy free repairs. What’s more, users who already shelled out cash for a repair can expect to see a refund from Apple.
Earlier today, Apple introduced a refreshed line up of MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models. Amid a slew of hardware upgrades — including support for 32GB of RAM — Apple also relayed that the new machines feature an “improved third-generation keyboard for quieter typing.”
Now seeing as how the keyboard was seemingly the main source of complaints on the 2016 models, it will be interesting to see how the company’s next-gen keyboard design functions out in the real world.
While we’ll have to wait a little bit before we can get a complete picture of the new machines, a few of the early reviews have already started rolling in.
A few of the more interesting excerpts regarding the new MacBook Pro keyboard can be viewed below.
Rene Ritchie of iMore writes:
The Verge, meanwhile, notes that the new keyboard was designed to be quieter, not to address complaints about reliability.
Other reviews relay a similar perspective, namely that the new keyboard is in fact quieter but may not alleviate some of the complaints some users had with the 2016 design. Per usual, we’ll have to wait till the machine gets in consumer hands before we can ascertain if the reliability issues that plagued the 2016 refresh persist.
