Various Keyboard Issues Are Plaguing the 2016 MacBook Pro
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Reports have surfaced citing allegations that the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is plagued by various keyboard flaws and glitches.
The latest crop of MacBook Pros, launched late last year, feature a revamped keyboard with flatter keys that use an upgraded butterfly mechanism. But this next-gen keyboard is apparently not working the way it’s supposed to, though it’s unclear whether the sensitive butterfly mechanism is to blame for this random series of bugs.
A growing number of customers have taken to Apple’s online support forums and voiced complaints of issues ranging from repeating keystrokes, to unresponsive keys, and high-pitched clicking noises being emitted by some keys.
One customer complains that hitting the enter key causes his 2016 MacBook Pro to behave as if it has been hit twice, which can be a major pain when typing or coding: “Pressing the ‘enter’ key will often behave as pressing it twice (i.e. it will repeat the press once more). This is a very severe issue / problem / bug especially if you’re coding, editing text or using Terminal as much as I do.”
Others have reported similar issues coming from other random keys as well, including the “R” key: “Right out of the box, this laptop has shown a prropensity to rrepeat the rr button. Not everry time but enough to be annoying. As others have done on earlier models, I’m letting the typos go unchecked.”
On the flip side, another user has noted that the “K” key will stop responding at random intervals: “What I have noticed is that sometimes, very rarely, the k key is not functioning quite correctly. Sometimes I have to hit it 5 times to make it work.”
Beyond repeating and non-responsive keys, customers have reported other relatively minor issues including an inconsistent feel across the keyboard. “A certain key on the keyboard tends to get more stiff yet a bit spongy, it feels like something is getting in the way of the key being pressed. It takes more pressure to press it and it lacks that clicky feel when pressed,” writes one user on the MacRumors forum.
Most of the complaints seem to be coming from owners of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, though owners of the 13-inch models have had problems as well. Any customers with keyboard issues are advised to visit the Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.
