I do, but I’ve always preferred less travel.
Outside of the moaning online bubble (like HN) the MBP is a raging success.
I don't wanna play no more. Because of the atrocious nature of things vis a vis MBP2017, and onwards, I'm leaving for something else.
I say this, typing uncomfortably on a MBP2017 with a touchbar I never use, making constant typos, and feeling just plain ripped off.
So I'm curious how you find it so useful?
I have no feeling with it.
So yeah, for the first time in years, I'm looking around at other brands.
I'm just locked in with iPhoto.
Large key travel is only good for those hitting they keys way too hard imo
(Laptop keyboards also don’t have the space to properly raise the keycap tops on keys in further rows, because they don’t have space for it; this makes reaching for the top 2 rows of the keyboard noticeably slower and less comfortable)
The best keyswitches actuate about halfway through the stroke, have a distinct drop in force at the actuation point, and have a significant mechanical bounce to them on the upstroke, launching your fingers up toward the next keypress. My all-time favorites are Alps “plate spring” switches used on certain Japanese IBM computers and some IBM luggables in the late 1980s (I can type about 20–30 wpm faster on these than on any laptop keyboard). You can also get this effect (with a very different overall feel) from Topre switches (still produced), or from IBM beam spring keyboards (from the 1970s). Some other keyboard enthusiasts have different preferences, e.g. for simple springs with no additional tactile mechanism (“linear switches”) optionally with a clicker or buzzer to give audio feedback of key actuation. Such switches are slower to type on than a snappier alternative, but some people prefer the feeling.
Nobody should be hitting any type of keys “way too hard”. You want to use just enough force to actuate the key and not push the key hard all the way through the bottom of the stroke. This is much easier to judge when the switch has relatively dramatic tactile feedback and a lot of post-actuation travel which ramps up in resistance toward the bottom.
For example: the IBM Model M is one of the single worst typing experiences imo. The only way to type on that thing is use about 5x the force I normally do.
No wonder our industry is plagued by RSI - it lionizes horrible things like this due to misguided nostalgia.
In any event, actuation force is an orthogonal concern to travel distance, tactile feedback, post-actuation force curve, upstroke bounce, keycap shape, etc.
Relatively fewer people typing on a such IBM keyboards got RSI compared to other keyboards, because the extreme tactile snap makes it very obviously unnecessary to type with much force more than barely required to actuate them.
But the cause of RSI is largely down to posture and typing style more than keyswitch design, though the latter can contribute (the worst are cheap rubber dome boards from the 90s-2000s, which often force a hard smashing typing style). We would have much less RSI if computer users kept their wrists straighter, pulled the keyboard closer, tilted it parallel to their forearms, and stopped slouching as much.
“Nerve issues”, hah, what a trolly answer.
Could it have a slightly better power/price ratio? Yes. But it’s so much better than my pervious model MBP it’s rediculous (previous was two releases behind but one physical revision).
Neither has any developer I know at my work. Are you somewhere with a lot of dust or something?
I’ve seen issues like that with literally every laptop or regular pc keyboard since the 80s. Regular maintenance of a computer (any one) includes gentle cleaning of debris like that.
The problem is not whether your environment is pristine. The mechanism is just unreliable. Some people end up with keys not working after a few weeks of limited and careful use. My guess is that the tiny parts relatively easily get into some kind of subtle misalignment.
The basic design is sound enough. I think with another few generations of engineering tweaks they can get these keyboards working as expected. In the mean time it’s pretty frustrating though.
Most of these MBP users are what I call new users, they are new to the Apple ecosystem. Mainly pulled in by the iPhone hollow effect. That is why Mac as a segment is still doing so well, there are lot of new users coming in, especially from China.
The sales data doesn't tell how angry some of these old Apple users are. If it wasn't a friend of someone within the Apple executive circle told them how they were planning to leave the Mac ecosystem because the current Mac Pro didn't work, they will never have known they had a problem.
It took 2 years for Apple to release a new product after they knew its has problem. Once Steve Jobs knew how many people hated the Apple Mouse, they had news and Interview saying they knew people didn't like it, and they are working on it.
The new Apple now, it is coming up to 5 years and Mac Pro hasn't seen a update.