ELP! First keystroke often ignored on MacBook Pros

so the fix didnt even last me a week... it came right back just about an hour ago. this is getting beyond frustrating. i dont understand how no one can figure this issue out. i mean, if a pc doesnt have this problem then it cant be a huge bug to fix.

audiomixer wrote ; "Lucky I guess that I only have it when I have my USB mouse plugged in using the apple stock drivers. "

hmmm - I just about ALWAYS have a USB mouse plugged in when I'm using the machine - and it seems like it could make some sense that might have an effect on this issue... I'll have to see if it's better without the mouse... and are you saying you were able to switch drivers and avoid the problem (while still using your mouse) ? I need to be able to use a mouse but identifying that as the source of the problem might help lead to a solution

wow - just now experimenting with and without the mouse and at least in the early testing that seems to have something to do with the problem (least least on my machine)

steps to reproduce the problem
(1)
with USB mouse connected, hit reply to a message on the forum
(2
click into the message field and start to type
(3)
the first character is ignored
(4)
hit the back button on the browser
(5)
disconnect USB mouse
(6)
hit Reply, click in text field and type
(7)
works as expected

That's what I'm seeing here based on a quick test. I wonder if other USB devices would have the same effect ?

I'm using a Logitech USB mouse and so I went to the Logitech website and downloaded and installed the Mac OSX software for this mouse and following the steps from the previous message I no longer seem to see the problem. I'll post later saying whether or not it really seems fixed after using it for awhile. Hopefully, it's a solution for me and others who are having the problem.

BTW - Logitech downloads can be accessed from here ; http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/support_downloads/downloads/

I was asking for this test quite a few times in various threads, finally see some response. From my experience disconnecting mouse helps but does NOT eliminate problem. First I thought it's a driver conflict (nothing non-Apple is installed) but I have the same effect with wireless mouse as well. Most likely we see the difference because we more often touching trackpad. Here is two possible explanations. First and obvious, it prevents keyboard to go to energy saving mode (sleep). Second, and it is a pure speculation, first keystroke or trackpad touch discharge static or something in poorly assembled laptop. I don't believe in conflict of oldest stock drivers. But I do believe in bad labor in Shanghai. I predicted a while ago that software updates wouldn't fix this problem. If not warranty, I'd be poking inside my MBP a long time ago. For now can not get help from Apple and can not help myself.

Alexander Zhelkovsky wrote;
"First I thought it's a driver conflict (nothing non-Apple is installed) but I have the same effect with wireless mouse as well."

Wireless USB or Bluetooth ?

im currently using a bluetooth mouse so the problem is there too.

Wireless USB or Bluetooth ?

Bluetooth, I guess. It is Apple Wireless Mouse model# A1015.

Continue on my "conspiracy" theory... I am pretty sure all of us have W87XX...... serial number, which means Shanghai, 2007. I am wondering about XX. It is a production week. My original MBP and replacement (unfortunately) were manufactured on week 39 (October). Interesting if ELP manifests around specific weeks.
Cheers.

so - FWIW...

been working all day so far with my new Logitech USB Mouse software installed and I've concluded that while the problem probably hasn't completely gone away, it seems better in this configuration. The mouse I was using is a Logitech MX310 (not a cordless mouse). For the heck of it just now I switched to a cordless USB mouse I have (Logitech V320) and suddenly the problem was 100% reproducible again...(doing the simple test of following the numbered steps I listed in a previous post) - switch back to the other mouse (MX310 not cordless) and the problem doesn't seem to occur.

While it may not turn out to be truly solved, at the very least I'm beginning to believe that the mouse/USB situation does have an effect on the symptom (on my machine at least) - maybe the communication with the mouse can create some kind of timing problem where the OS fails to completely catch the fact that a text entry field has been entered (although the blinking cursor is where it should be etc...) When I first started noticing this happening, I thought maybe it was more likely to happen if the text entry started really quickly after entering a text field or clicking the cursor to another location - but that's actually not the case. It's either going to work or it's not - and it doesn't matter how fast or slow you are going - I find that it can happen when I first click in a text entry field, but it can also happen when I move the cursor to somewhere else within a text entry field I've already been typing in - where I want to insert or delete text - and it can also happen when you select some text for deletion or replacing...

I'm hopeful that tweaking things in the mouse/USB area at least can maybe help avoid or minimize the problem for now. I'm also going to try disabling the "Illuminate Keyboard in Low Light Conditions" setting to see if that has any effect. Besides Mac OS, I frequently run Windows XP on this machine and I don't think the problem happens there - although I'll have to pay closer attention to when it happens to say that for sure.

I'm hopeful for a software update from Apple that could solve it for real - the machine is only a couple months old and I got the 3 year warranty on it but the last thing I want to do is waste a lot of time going round and round with the "Geniuses" (their actual job title) at the Apple store - especially if it's an issue that really can't be solved that way.

kingluma wrote;
"I'm hopeful that tweaking things in the mouse/USB area at least can maybe help avoid or minimize the problem for now."

so yeah - as others on this thread kind of predicted, none of the stuff I did really made the problem go away - it's still there - still really annoying - maybe a little less frequent depending on USB config etc. - it's really too bad because it's my only real complaint about this machine so far - but it's a terrible thing

I took mine back for a refund and don't think it is right I should have to eat a $200.00 restocking fee because of this issue!.
I would like my 200.00 back.

they charged you a $200 restocking fee? thats ridiculous... it's not like they'll actually restock it. haha

Well it is 10% so the more you spend the more they screw you 😉