When apple updated the MacBook Pro series in 2016, I immediately ordered a 15-inch version to replace a nearly 5-year old MacBook Pro that I had been running Linux on for the last two of those years. I received it on November 16, 2016. About two and a half years later, I’m still using it, and it still works great.
But I have to hop on the keyboard complaint bandwagon for a moment, since my experience seems to be a bit different than many others. I did experience the “stuck key” due to a piece of dust only a week after the new machine arrived — but that problem worked itself out soon after, and the affected L key has been fine ever since.
The problem I ran into was that the key caps themselves began to detach from the butterfly mechanism. It took a year and a half (ish) for the first key cap to loosen up (it was the left CMD key, immediately followed by the F key); but after those first two, I’ve been replacing them at a steady pace ever since. I’ve created a table showing the dates I ordered key replacements and which key I needed. Notice that as of the end of May, I’ve come full circle and the F key has come loose again.
| Date | Key |
|---|---|
| 5/22/2018 | F, left CMD |
| 9/20/2018 | T |
| 12/17/2018 | J |
| 2/24/2019 | R |
| 4/2/2019 | G |
| 5/29/2019 | F (again) |
| 7/19/2019 | D |
| 1/22/2020 | T (again) |
| 4/16/2020 | T (again, wtf?) |
| 5/8/2020 | left CMD (again) |
| 8/26/2020 | E |
| 8/31/2020 | F (again) * |
I’ll update this post when new keys fall off, until I give up and get a different laptop anyway. Oh, and did I mention the screen discoloration?
PS: The supplier I’ve been using to get replacement keys is http://replacementlaptopkeys.com/. I’m not endorsing them, but I have to say so far the replacements have worked well. For me, it’s easier just to replace them myself than to make the trip to the closest Apple Store, but if you have one close by you should make use of Apple first, obviously.
Update 1: July 19, 2019: D key.
Update 2: January, 2020: T key (2nd time).
Update 3: April, 2020: T key (3rd time). I probably should have bought the updated 16-inch MBP by now…
Update 4: May, 2020: CMD key (2nd time).
Update 5: Aug, 2020: E key. I wonder if those Apple Silicon MBP’s will be coming any time soon?
* Update 6: Aug, 2020: F key again… E key hasn’t come in yet, and as I was moving the laptop to my work desk for the first time since COVID-19, I noticed that the battery has swelled to the point the whole thing rocks when on a flat surface, and the top doesn’t close completely! That was it; I ordered a refurbished 16" MBP which came in yesterday and now I’m getting it all set up. I’m looking forward to the upcoming ARM Mac transition (hence the refurb, not a new purchase), but I’m pretty happy to close this particular chapter with Apple laptops. Oh, and that new keyboard feels much nicer. Fingers crossed…