Keyboard Letters Wearing Off!

It's a known issue on the G4s and it was covered under apple care. If you had it, it's probably expired by now, but I would still take the iBook to the apple store and be really nice and they will likely fix it for you. They KNOW it's a problem although why it took so long for yours to start wearing off is a bigger mystery.

FYI, if you end up buying a new keyboard, which you can on ebay for $40 or less, the G3 is the same size, but the ribbon curves at a different angle and therefore won't sit flush, you'd have to kink the ribbon a little. The G3 keyboards are 100% better than the G4s, and the keys are not interchangeable. But FWIW, the G3s will work.

From others I've spoken to who have the problem, you may need to either live with it, or purchase another keyboard off eBay to install. If you pay to have Apple repair it, they will charge you for a new keyboard installation. I have an old G3 Blueberry iBook where most of the letters in the middle row had worn off. But if you know how to type, and can get your fingers to the home position (F & J with the bumps) it doesn't matter too much if the letters are worn off. If you are a hunt-and-peck typist, a cheap solution might be to use a permanent marker to replace the letters. This probably wouldn't be permanent over time, but it would be a cheap and easy fix.

I had this problem with my keyboard while under warranty, and Apple replaced it. There seem to have been a batch of keyboards that was like this.

If you're out of warranty and don't want to replace the keyboard, you can get some clear peel and stick letter decals at Target which will hold up better than marker.

Good luck!

If this is for kids, then you should have plenty of choice as they also come in all kinds of colors and designs. I'll give you the
manufacturer's web site, but I think you should be able to find these locally, as they are used for scrap booking among other things. It's been a few years, but I got mine at Target and I think they were around the school and office supply department. But Walmart should have them too. Maybe office supply places as well. The ones I got are clear and about 9/16 inch in diameter with black letters and numbers about 3/16 inch tall. But there are hundreds of choices in all kinds of colors and designs, although it's hard to tell size on the web site.

EK Success

http://www.eksuccess.com/products_list.php

Just clean the keys of any skin oil residue before applying so that they will stick well.

Good luck!

That's a great idea S.U. I hadn't thought of that. Two other people I know also have this problem so I'll start looking for them too. Certainly a cheaper option.