Build Quality

Hiya,
had a macbook for about a week and a half now and I'm a little dissapointed with the build quality. Just wondering if others agree with these gripes or if I just am unfortunate.

1st, the keyboard is absolutely rubbish. Keys have randomly fallen off since day 2. It also misses lots of key presses which bugs me a lot.

2nd, the trackpad mouse is also rubbish, doesn't matter what settings it has the pointer goes where it wants and not where i tell it. It's particularly bad when only moving a small distance.

Other than that I'm really into my new toy, but I'm really considering taking it back to swap for a pro because of the keyboard and the mouse being not good enough

Has anyone had the same problems?
How do the mbp keyboards and trackpad compare to the macbook ones?

I have no problem with keyboard. No keys have popped off and it doesn't miss any key presses. You may want to take it to apple and explain the problem as it seems to me it shouldn't be happening

Yours was built on a Friday in China......mine is beautiful.

I've also had none of these problems and LOVE my MacBook. You should definitely ask Apple about your issues.

You clearly have a defective unit. I would take it back and ask for an exchange. NO Apple product should behave like that.

Thanks, I thought as much.
My friends one which I use now and then doesn't have any of these problems as far as I know.
I'll ring them tomorrow and take it back next week

It's the frequency of things like this I read on the internet about MacBooks that worries me since I'm planning to make the switch to Apple later this year.

I don't think I can fork out the extra for a MacBook Pro either..

There are a LOT of users here on Mac Forums with Macbooks. This is the first I have read about the keyboard and Trackpad.

If I get rough I can make the keys fly off any laptop but then again, that kind of use would void the warranty anyway.

Well, I'm new to this particular message board, though on a couple of others I've heard of a few people mentioning the poor quality of their MacBooks. Also there's a blog somewhere that lists a good 30 or so issues he had with his MacBook including cracked keyboards, poor backlit displays, bad fixings etc.

It's just a little worrying when you're looking to buy..

I love IBM Thinkpads. Next to a Mac it's my favorite laptop. I can go all over the internet and find horror stories about IBM Thinkpads doing everything from cracking to blowing up. Every Thinkpad I have owned and still own has taken more abuse from me and their owners and still kept on working. That is why I do not believe even 50 negative reviews on something when you consider all the people who have never had an issue. With every brand I have ever seen there are always some unhappy people who either got a Lemon or really don't know what they are doing.

Not trying to argue with anyone here but just pointing out what I have noticed in my almost 20 years working with various computers and Operating systems.

We've got 4 macbooks at the office and no problems like that. Just the usual creaky plastics like with the iBooks, but hardly unacceptable. Regards

That's a good point actually. I didn't really think how many people were satisfied with their MacBooks, since they wouldn't be as swayed towards blogging about it.

The bad reviews online never changed my decision to buy a MacBook, but if anything did go wrong I'm assuming I can always take the MacBook back anyway and have it replaced.

The Macbook is easily Apple's most popular line at the moment. They're also very sturdily built

My gf had one key pop off when she first got hers, but I've never heard of tht happening apart from that. The trackpad gets a while to get used to, but it's definitely also possible that yours is defective.

Get Apple to replace the keyboard and they'll change the entire top case, including the trackpad.

Aptmunich said:

The Macbook is easily Apple's most popular line at the moment. They're also very sturdily built

Click to expand...

I will agree that its their most popular line, but it is not sturdily built. The first thing I noticed when I bought mine nearly a year ago was the fact that the left side of the bezel can be depressed in. When I went to the Apple store to inquire they specifically told me that its how the whole line is across the board. That is horrible. How could you sell a laptop where the bezel can be pressed in and clearly show that its not screwed (those screws on the left side are fake - don't secure into anything).

The trackpad is alright, I've used better and worse. I only get irritated when it takes a few seconds to sometimes come to life. But I have a feeling that's a software problem. I've never had keys pop off (and I use my laptop every day at college, I type near 90wpm). I actually love this keyboard on a laptop. My only wish is that I would have spent the extra money and purchased the Macbook Pro with the better case design and better keyboard. These keys feel a little odd being a flat plastic.

But I have to say, this has been my favorite laptop thus far. What comes in second (a very, very, very close second) is the IBM Thinkpad (as someone else has already said). They are built better than this laptop and generally, for the same price, have more functionality (e.g. not needing to buy a $20 cable to connect to a projector, etc). The only reason I didn't buy a Thinkpad was because I wanted to have a native UNIX and I figured this was the easiest (complete) solution.

I never said its not a bit creaky - just sturdy

All I'm saying is I can sling this sucker in my bag with or without a protective sleeve every day and tug, drag and shove it all around university and never feel worried about it.

The plastic feels less likely to crack than the iBook's case and the hinge design just doesn't seem as though it could snap either (unlike some PC laptops).

elma said:

...
1st, the keyboard is absolutely rubbish. Keys have randomly fallen off since day 2. It also misses lots of key presses which bugs me a lot.

2nd, the trackpad mouse is also rubbish, doesn't matter what settings it has the pointer goes where it wants and not where i tell it. It's particularly bad when only moving a small distance.

Click to expand...

OMG - I purchased a refurb MacBook pretty much 1 year ago and not had the problems with the mouse or keyboard that you've had.

If you can afford the Pro and have a need for it then go for it - if not then take your MacBook back to Apple for them to replace!