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The New MacBook Pro Keyboard Resists Dust Much Better Than Previous-Gen, Reports iFixit (9to5mac.com)

iFixit tore apart the new 2018 MacBook Pro keyboard to see how well the silicone membrane works to protect the butterfly mechanism from dust and debris. After showering a 2017 and 2018 MacBook Pro in dust particles, the repair site found the newer generation holds up surprisingly well. 9to5Mac reports: As shown in the photo, the blue paint particles coat the outside of the keycaps and the edges of the membrane, but the silicon covers stop most of the particles from getting into the key mechanism -- which is what causes the sticky key issues on the previous models. However, the silicon covers have to have holes in them to allow the keycap clips to attach. Naturally, dust can and will get through these holes over time. iFixit placed some sand particles into the "danger zones" of the keycaps, and confirmed the keys will break/become-unreliable when that happens, just like the second-generation butterfly keys. The non-cocooned 2017 keyboard was "almost immediately flooded" in the particles, unsurprisingly. Clearly, the 2018 model is greatly improved in regard to reliability, but it remains to be seen just how much better it is in real-world use. Over time, you only need a couple specks of dust to get in the keycaps and the keys will get stuck. It's just the chances of dust getting in are greatly reduced with the 2018 models.

80 comments

  1. "silicon covers" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Wow, for a site run by nerds, it's pretty sad you don't know the difference between silicone and silicon.

    1. Re: "silicon covers" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      well, silicone is what boobs are made of.

    2. Re: "silicon covers" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      which explains why nobody here knows what it is

    3. Re: "silicon covers" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Donald Trump is a silicone-based life form?

    4. Re: "silicon covers" by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 0

      It's the stuff that Realdolls are made of.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    5. Re: "silicon covers" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, silicone does contain silicon.

  2. Re: Time to upgrade to silicone dildo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Silicone dildos last much longer. I'd expect nothing less from silicone keyboards.

  3. But... by sit1963nz · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Does it have :
    USB-A ports...NO
    Mag-safe connector ...NO
    Ethernet .... NO
    SDCard Reader .... NO
    Thunderbolt 2 port .... NO
    Proper Arrow key arrangement ....NO
    Upgradeable RAM .... NO
    Upgradeable SSD .... NO

    Ladies and gentleman, the NO's have it
    So NO I will not be buying one which is a problem because my 2011MBP has died and Apple has nothing I would pay for in their product line. This is a first for me since the mid 1980's.

    1. Re:But... by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      4 USB-C 1 headphone jack - was not a big fan of mag safe

      Missing RJ45 is a problem

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    2. Re:But... by nwf · · Score: 1

      You might be able to find some of the older MBP's with the normal ports and Mag Safe. They just discontinued them, so there's likely inventory somewhere.

      --
      I don't know, but it works for me.
    3. Re:But... by sit1963nz · · Score: 5, Interesting

      HUGE fan of the MagSafe , it has save my laptop from the grandkids and the dogs a number of times.

      And in the same time I have seen a number of PC laptops come in with damaged power connectors and broken screens .

      My PC owing friends say its the one thing they wish their PC had.

    4. Re:But... by Powercntrl · · Score: 1

      I'm surprised Apple bothers selling computers anymore at all. They're always stuffed in a corner in the back of the Apple Store, next to everything else that isn't a phone case.

      --

      ---
      DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
    5. Re:But... by kriston · · Score: 1

      Surface has some flaws, but not this many. We enjoy a USB-A port and SD Card reader, but, inexplicably, no USB-C.

      Come join us.

      --

      Kriston

    6. Re:But... by maglor_83 · · Score: 1

      Can you type on it without being made to hate life itself? ... NO

    7. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As long as it's thinner, thinner, thinner!!!

    8. Re:But... by sit1963nz · · Score: 1

      I have been to about 10-12 different Apple stores all over the world, and the only thing I have ever bought was the international travel adaptors

      I don't even bother going in these days, I can buy everything I want online, and cheaper

    9. Re:But... by dj245 · · Score: 1

      HUGE fan of the MagSafe , it has save my laptop from the grandkids and the dogs a number of times.

      My phone (Sonim XP7) has a magnetic connector for charging/USB. Instead of relying on a gasketed cover to make the port waterproof, it is just a waterproof port. The only reason I can think of why magnetic connectors never got wide market penetration is because they are slightly bulky.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    10. Re:But... by sit1963nz · · Score: 2

      Looking at a PC laptop and throwing Linux on it, or buying a 2nd hand early 2015 MBP, the last good laptop Apple made.

      Go look at the new ones.
      Headphone socket on the RHS at the rear, where as headphones have the cables on the left.
      This forced the cable to drape over the keyboard / trackpad.
      Jobs would have fired the idiot who made that decision.
      I think anyone that cared on the Mac side of things has left.

    11. Re:But... by dj245 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Makes me wonder what the heck Apple is doing with their tens of thousands of engineers and billions of dollars. They put out around 2 new phones a year, although arguably those phones are near or at the cutting edge. Laptops and PCs are refreshed on an industry-slowest timeline and targeting a narrower and narrower market with each revision.

      I guess if you can print money you don't need to design more than 4 products a year. Must be a very nice place to work.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    12. Re:But... by sit1963nz · · Score: 2

      They are working on ways to push users into their ecosystem deeper.
      Make SSDs too small to be useful but too expensive to upgrade, suddenly you want to pay for iCloud storage to store all your photos and music.

    13. Re: But... by datavirtue · · Score: 0

      ....and the chinese knock offs are better quality.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    14. Re: But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      No, the vast majority really aren't. They don't have the surge protection you'd expect from most AC adapters.

      It might work OK for an emergency situation, but god help you if you ever hold that thing in the middle of a thunderstorm while it's charging off an adapter with $10 worth of components instead of $50. Your life is *not* worth saving a few bucks for a cheap adapter. Some are good; the vast majority are crap. Tear a few open sometime and look for yourself.

    15. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Magsafe sucks. Smart people use an emergency breakaway cable between their PSU and laptop, a simple $3 cable (opposed to what for magsafe?) if you aren't using some shitty proprietary connector like Lenovo and their rectangular power plug. Same smart people do the same for headphones/headsets.

      Apple users - finally doing in 2010+ what us PC users were doing in the late 90s.

    16. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I haven't seen a single person use an emergency breakaway cable for any port on their laptop. Not one. Ever.

    17. Re:But... by krenaud · · Score: 1

      Curious question, what's wrong with the arrow keys? Having double height left/right does not make them harder to use IMHO. And don't forget: Digital Audio Out...NO External battery indicator...NO Proper escape key/proper function keys...NO

    18. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Out of the grandparent list above, the bad arrow keys are the only thing about the new Macbook Pro I really hate.
      It is just really hard to hit the up and down keys by touch. The keyboard is very flat, and because the left and right are now full size, there is no bevel to locate the up/down keys with. On the old keyboards you could find the gap between the left and up arrows easily by touch.

      If I had to try and defend Apple, I'd guess they thought most people navigate left/right more when writing a document. So make those keys bigger. But if you are coding, up/down are sometimes more frequent.

      Agreed about the proper function keys too. Not being able to locate the volume keys by touch is a big hassle.
      I remapped caps lock to escape though (you can do it via control panel). That at least solves a part of the problem

    19. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are USB-C breakaway power cables you can buy. Shame the one it ships with isn't one, they could have made it both mag-safe and USB-C.

    20. Re:But... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      iFixIt gave it a 1 out of 10 repairability rating too.

      https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...

      The keyboard is riveted to the top case. The battery and a few other bits are also glued to the top case. The SSD is soldered in so data recovery and replacement is practically impossible.

      The touch ID sensor, which doubles as the power button, seems to paired with a security chip too. So if it fails you may need a new logic board just to fix the god damn power button.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    21. Re:But... by danceswithtrees · · Score: 2

      My 15" 2011 MacBook pro died and was replaced with a 2017 MBP model. I hate the Touch Bar-- screw you to whoever greenlit that idea. And the keyboard is a sorry replacement for the 2011's.

      I did find out how to bring my 2011 model back to life! It involves a soldering iron to permanently disable the GPU. Two things don't work anymore-- external monitor support and brightness control. Otherwise, it works great. Here is the link:
      https://realmacmods.com/macboo...

    22. Re:But... by Misagon · · Score: 2

      That is why Microsoft licensed MagSafe tech from Apple for their Surface line.

      There are also third-party magnetic adapters for USB and Lightning that turn the connectors into magnetic connectors.
      However, I believe that magnetic adapters for USB Type C support only slow charging and slow speed over the USB 2.0 subset, making them not suitable for charging laptops.

      --
      "We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
    23. Re:But... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 2

      I guess other manufacturers are afraid of Apple suing them over their bullshit patents. The system was in use for years before Apple "invented" it, but they seem to have been granted a patent because it was for low voltage DC rather than high voltage AC as used in cooking appliances.

      Anyway, you can get USB-C magnetic connectors supporting PD that seem to get reasonable reviews on Amazon.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    24. Re:But... by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 2

      This is, ultimately, the argument against monopolies in a nutshell (and this includes monopolies owned by the government). With no competition, there's little reason to care, and we see that in spades with the current state of Macintosh.

      Phones are still being innovated because it's a highly competitive market. But it's clear the Mac is simply an afterthought at Apple now. They've allowed the entire line - desktops, laptops, mini - to completely stagnate and become borderline irrelevant. I am heavily invested in Mac hardware and software, but I'm considering going Windows/Linux at some point.

      I require Photoshop, and don't care to drop $50/month for it since I own CS6 on a Mac. But I can do development just as well on a Linux desktop, and have a Windows machine around for Photoshop and testing with IE/Edge.

      I require USB ports on a laptop. I will always use external hard drives regardless of how good the cloud is or how fast my internet connection is. I strongly desire magsafe power connectors. That was such an incredibly useful innovation and one of the best hardware advantages that the MacBook lineup had. I'm simply dumbfounded that they would give that up along with useful ports and such.

      If they were trying to kill the Mac off completely, I can't think of something they would be doing beyond what they're doing now.

      It's obvious that Tim Cook was a good CTO and everybody says his supply chain knowledge is top notch. But it's also more obvious that his place is as a CTO on a team with a good CEO, which he'll never be. I say that with confidence because if it was going to happen it would have by now.

      I know Apple's stock is high, and that's one measure of the CEO. But their longer term prospects are hurting. Macs are required for iPhone/iPad programming. They need to get serious about Macs again.

    25. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      USB-C is here to stay, and everyone will phase out USB-A. Fortunately for you, life is not eternal, the pain will be over soon.

      The new generations will be happy to use USB-C only. I don't think anyone is looking to inherit your closet full of USB-A bubble jet printers and DVD burners.

    26. Re:But... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      If these trade-offs bother you then don't buy a MacBook Pro.

      The last MacBook Pro I owned was purchased in 2006. It still works well 12 years later. That said, when it was upgrade time, I wasn't comfortable with the new models not having replaceable batteries. As the biggest problem my MacBook Pro was the battery dying on my also that was the problem with the previous Powerbook I had. So the next laptop was a ThinkPad.

      I know I am not the standard person for most of these markets. Apple moved their laptops to Thin, self contained units. This means that ports are the first to go, and Apple never really like ports. I am not hating Apple because they went to a direction I didn't want to go. I just didn't buy their product and went with one that was still going the same direction as I was.

      I really do not understand your Rant on everything the Macbook pro doesn't do. It does do a lot of things well too. And if you are going to spec similar devices you will find they will cost about the same as well. You are not getting ripped off if you bought an Apple laptop, however if it doesn't suit your needs, then don't get it. But you should also go back and look at all these NO's and figure out how much of these things are something you really going to be using.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    27. Re:But... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      That and Apple Patents. They may get big in 10 years, assuming that devices will still need wires then.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    28. Re:But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Ahh yes. The apple way. Throw out all your existing devices or buy our overprices dongles. Its the future. Courage!

    29. Re:But... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      For the past 8 years there hasn't been such a demand for the traditional computer. They were more of a business thing (that sector Apple has a hard time in) not a Personal Computer.
      So Apple put their money in the phone market and other mobile stuff while the market was shifting away from Personal Computers.
      This year the demand for traditional computers started to go back up so they put more effort behind their PC lineup.

      During this time a lot traditional PC makers were more or less just weathering the storm, and focusing on the business market. If you are in laptop hunting mode now, you see a lot of the models are really business focused, vs home, even the gamer laptops put a business twist to them, showing off their CAD ability.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    30. Re: But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Donâ(TM)t be disingenuous, I was at the Apple store last night and the desktops and laptops were right in the center of the store. You could not avoid them.

      Criticize Apple all you want, but at least be honest about it

    31. Re:But... by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      As a PC guy myself, I concur. My girlfriend's MagSafe connector was the only part of her Mac that gave me envy. I had a higher resolution display and better processor than you could even get in a MBP, but those MagSafes really were a brilliant idea.

    32. Re:But... by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      I hate the Touch Bar

      I think it's super innovative and awesome. I wish my HP had one.
      Where I think they completely failed in critical thinking was making it replace the damn function keys.

    33. Re: But... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Until you actually use one. The thing is constantly coming unhooked if you use it anywhere but on a desk.

    34. Re:But... by rnturn · · Score: 1

      Ha!

      After so many years of using a Model M keyboard, the thing I produced most when typing on a Macbook was red squigglies. Did they really have to make Mac so small that adults have trouble typing on them? Eventually, I found my old USB-to-PS2 adapter and life returned to normal though I wound up with a snarl of adapters and cables strung across my desk. But at least I could type again. (Darned muscle memory.)

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    35. Re: But... by DamnOregonian · · Score: 1

      I used it plenty.... It definitely came off sometimes, like if I'd bump the cable near the connection point against my leg or something, but I don't recall it ever leaping off of the laptop of its own accord. The alternative, is that force is transferred to a connector on the mainboard of your laptop. I'll go with the disconnecting.

    36. Re:But... by avandesande · · Score: 1

      What you say is true but mobile phones have cannibalized sales of desktop/laptop for casual users. So the customers you have left for computers are professionals. If this is the case stop dumbing down/marketizing your professional machines! They should just get rid of the line completely if they plan on continuing their current path.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    37. Re:But... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      I found the arrow keys way too small, myself. Also, why are the up and down keys so tiny compared to the left to right keys? It's really kind of a silly configuration.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    38. Re:But... by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      Yes, your 2006 MacBook will probably outlast my 2017 one. That's the point being made here.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    39. Re: But... by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      No. I can find chinese stuff that is better quality than the items that come in the Apple box. If you go total bargain basement I can see where you have a point. I look for standard priced items that are of proven better quality. Amazon is your friend. (Disclaimer: I don't work for Amazon.)

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    40. Re:But... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      Professionals are cheap too.

      So if they need a new laptop they don't want to spend extra for it. Mostly because computers devalue so quickly. That 3k system you buy today would sell for 2k (new) the next year and will drop quickly after that.

      Also these companies are still in a culture of selling to the individual, that is often the hardest part to get over with.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    41. Re:But... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      I am not sure if it will outlast it. I rarely use that 2006 laptop. I save it for watching a few shows I have bought on iTunes. It battery had died and it only works on wall power. The software isn't going to get updated much any more...

      I am currently using its replacement which I got in 2012 and it is started to feel its age too, I am not able to find replacement batteries (unless via some 3rd party) and it isn't keeping up as well as it use to. For being a small light system at its time, it is rather big and bulky too.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  4. Courage by ChoGGi · · Score: 3, Funny

    Not using a decent spring is courage.

  5. Sad, yes. Run by nerds, no. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    It's not a site "run by nerds" any longer. The current editors are latte-toting iHipster millennials who barely know what gets them clicks, but haven't a clue what actually matters. Doesn't help that they limit themselves to reading utter tripe, of course.

    1. Re:Sad, yes. Run by nerds, no. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The thing that makes me laugh the most on Slashdot these days is when BeauHD misuses the DIGITAL (DEC) logo for topics that are about something "digital".

      But it's also a reminder that people get older and new generations come in. DEC died 20 years ago.

  6. Re:Time to upgrade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Right... Apple built a machine that doesn't suffer from an issue previous machines suffered from... totally planned obsolecense right there.

    I mean, if I wanted to build planned obsolecense into my systems I'd totally just fix issue that most commonly causes people to buy a new system...

  7. And best of all... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It throttles itself constantly for seven grand

    https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/core-i9-cpu-in-macbook-pro-thermal-throttled

  8. But what about *after* it gets in there? by dgatwood · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Resisting dust may or may not be an improvement. After all, once the dust gets in there, those silicone membranes also almost certainly make it harder to get the dust back *out*.

    Crumbs under keys cause problems. Nothing surprising there. There are only two possible design changes that could significantly improve things:

    • Crumb tolerance, so that even if crumbs get in, the key can still depress enough to close the keyswitch (probably requires a thicker laptop).
    • A removable keycap to make it easier to blow the dust out.

    Any other change is likely to be largely meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

    --

    Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    1. Re:But what about *after* it gets in there? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The tear down pictures showed a big guitar pick style thing being used to remove a key - so it seems feasible to do so.

  9. Doesn't matter. by NoobixCube · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Doesn't matter if it "resists dust much better". Doesn't change the fact a multi-thousand dollar investment can be rendered useless by a dusty room. Apple may have their "keyboard replacement program" for out of warranty machines, but you know what it takes to remove that obligation? A sticker on the box, making sure buyers are aware of the flaky keyboards. Under most countries' consumer protection laws, you're only entitled to a remedy if you can claim the seller didn't make you reasonably aware of an issue. It's like when you buy the shelf model from a shop, if the salesman points out a cosmetic scratch, agreeing to buy it is agreeing you're fine with the scratch. At some point, Apple can successfully claim that agreeing to buy their defective product is agreeing you're fine with it.

    --
    Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
  10. Good to hear that it's almost fixed. by cyn1c77 · · Score: 1

    Hopefully, the MBP keyboard will soon be as good as it was three generations ago!

    1. Re:Good to hear that it's almost fixed. by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      The best keyboard ever was quite likely the 1960 era IBM Selectric typewriter. The fact that Apple doesn't ship with an inexpensive, user replaceable, dirt and grit resistant, keyboard with similar touch and feel should tell us a lot about the skills and priorities of Apple designers.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    2. Re:Good to hear that it's almost fixed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rip a laptop with such a keyboard out of your hand any time, at almost any price!

    3. Re: Good to hear that it's almost fixed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get a unicomp keyboard for mac. You'll love it. Clickity click.

  11. why is this a thing? by datavirtue · · Score: 1

    I have owned a lot of Dell and Lenovo laptops and have never had a single keyboard issue. A lot of them had keybaords you could remove and stick in the dish washer.

    --
    I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    1. Re:why is this a thing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because apple!! Ecosystem! Innovative! Magical! Retina!

  12. Not just keyboard, thermal throttling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSvp9MjqnZE

  13. Durability by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So. How many presses will thisbsilicone film withstand before it wears out and becomes a tangled mess?

    1. Re:Durability by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So. How many presses will this silicone film withstand before it wears out and becomes a tangled mess?

      I don't know. Let's ask your mom for her real-world testing results.

  14. Re:Time to upgrade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it breaks during warranty, it just becomes expensive for the manufacturer.
    If it breaks too soon after the warranty expires, people will buy a new system - from someone else.

    Fixing stuff that breaks too early makes sense.

    Apple still has perfectly working planned obsolescence in that the RAM and SSD are hideously expensive and have a low maximum available, so chances are that owners will outgrow the machines before they break or the batteries get too dull.

  15. In the year 2018 by Daralantan · · Score: 1

    Apple is bragging about their newest keyboard not being as crippled by dust.

  16. fixed? yes, for apple. by sad_ · · Score: 1

    what you have now is the ultimate insult to their customers.
    the keyboard has been improved, but are still not safe from dust.
    however, it will take longer before the dust impacts the keyboard functions.
    i'm guessing it will take just about long enough to fall outside the warranty.

    --
    On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
  17. Youâ(TM)re dusting it wrong ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See above

  18. Oh let's celebrate! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How sad that Apple fanboy's must celebrate such nonsense which should have never been a issue in the first place.

  19. SILICONE God Dammit!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Silicone is a rubber polymer.

    Silicon (No 'e') is sand It may be used in the manufacture of siliconE but, the two are NOT the same for fuck sake.

  20. Doesn't matter by sremick · · Score: 1

    It's still a piece of shit, throw-away, overpriced, fashion-statement status-symbol device masquerading as a computing tool.

    The "fixed" keyboard design isn't being used for repairs for the 2016/2017 models. They just swap in the same faulty part which will fail again.

    The battery is still glued in, so you're fucked after just 2-3 years.
    The screen still costs $500 which is 5-10 times more than a normal repairable laptop.
    The RAM and SSD are still part of the motherboard, so you can't just add more to your "Pro" computer when that's all you need. Sorry, buy a new fucking $2K-4K computer (yes, I know the SSD is "technically" removable but it's locked to the motherboard and proprietary, even though standards SSDs are smaller so there's no reason for it).
    And the keyboard is still one of the most-damaged part of a laptop, even the best designed ones. To make the keyboard part of the main frame/chassis is just a way to increase repair cost/pain to the point where you can get users to just buy a laptop every 1-2 years. Which is ultimately what all these "courageous" design choices are designed to do.

    And I'm an authorized Apple service technician. I've been fixing these pieces of shit for years. But I pity the gullible sheep who continue to bend over and let themselves get fucked every time they shell out 50% more than they should for a junk computer from a company that has more contempt for its customers than even Microsoft ever had. And I hate Microsoft.

    1. Re:Doesn't matter by Vadim+Makarov · · Score: 1

      While I agree Apple stuff is pain in the ass when it breaks, the problem is, it is amazing when it works. Understandably you may not be seeing much of the latter perspective :). Name me another notebook that

      - has 4 or 2 TB SSD (Microsoft surface is still 1 TB maximum)
      and
      - does not blow the fuse in an airline seat on a long-distance flight. That fuse triggers at around 80 W (just at the edge with the previous MagSafe 85 W adapter), while most "pro" machines with reconfigurable everything at this level have 200 W power consumption.

      --
      17779 eligible voters in a district, 17779 'vote' as one. This is Russia.
    2. Re:Doesn't matter by avandesande · · Score: 1

      If they gave up a tiny bit of thinness and lightness their laptops would be even more amazing.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
  21. Fanboys deserve it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When on earth would I get worried about DUST affecting my keyboard?
    While using expensive Apple products. Geez.