Macbook pro 2017 version — keyboard problems… oh why {Part 2}

Brian CJC
Brian CJC
Aug 22, 2017 · 3 min read

Read part 1 of my troubles.

So I thought that I owed this article and whoever reading this a follow up after my visit to the Apple store at Orchard. This is not meant as a rant. I have purchased a 1 month old Macbook pro 2017 version, and the number 5 key on the keyboard seems to be overly sensitive, giving me double or triple ‘555’ on tapping.

My symptoms were:

  1. Typing my handphone number or credit card number (which had digit ‘5’ in them) tended to give me duplicate ‘5’ on screen.
  2. I isolated the issue to only this one key (hopefully)
  3. I realized that the keyup movement tended to register sometimes which gave the duplicates. Also, holding down pressure on the key while shifting my finger around without lifting off tended to also register as false key presses.

Right. So we have isolated the problem, managed to reproduce the issue, and we are ready to adamantly display the issue to Apple “genius bar” (which is how they call it).

Annnnd wrong. TRUTH BE TOLD. It always happens. I spent so much effort trying to reproduce the problem beforehand that finally when I got down to the store, it RESOLVED by itself. Excellent….tsk, when i finally got my butt down to the store. Even showed it to colleagues at the office. Darn, should have videoed the whole thing.

But as I said I was adamant about it and not about to just turn sheepish. Waited 20 minutes for the attended to serve my appointment (got to admit I was early), before I explained my issue. I was about to defer my appointment to next time to see if the issue returned, when the Apple staff explained to me that he had a number of customers in for this issue already today. Apparently it is a known issue. I was pressing my argument from the design perspective, as to how can they release a design that had issues when keyboards are fundamental to interfacing with the laptop! He was pretty stiff about defending that it was not a “design fault”.

Apple staff explanation was that Singapore’s weather was humid, and dust/dirt tends to get trapped and harden beneath the keys. Sheesh, I have been treating my lappy to the gentlest of environments. Not bringing it outdoors yet, nor subjecting it to wild temperature changes (since I hardly use air conditioning). “Are you implying that Apple did not design for Asia??”, was the line running through my mind. “So you are inferring that the issue can and will recur?!, and its not a design fault?”.

Well he said we could use an air canister to “blow” under the keys clean of dust. And he did bring my lappy to the back for a clean up anyways. So its all working right now. Keeping my fingers crossed…

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