Macbook Air / Pro Keyboard Wear

Question

Level 1

4 points

Macbook Air / Pro Keyboard Wear

I have used several business MacBooks, starting from 2014.

I have noticed that the newer models have a very fast keyboard wear. After just two weeks of use the keys become shiny and faded.

My first MacBook of 2014, after 5 years of intensive use in the company and a further 5 years of less intensive use, has a level of wear on the keys in line with the years of use, but the new ones start to wear visibly after just two weeks of normal use.

Furthermore, in a short time, you notice that the imprint of the keys remains printed on the screen and some marks remain indelible. This could be caused by placing the MacBook in a backpack and resting the backpack on the shoulder. Due to the normal curvature of the spine, a slight and involuntary compression is produced on the central part of the body and the keys touch the screen leaving indelible marks.

To limit the damage, I always place a sheet of A4 paper between the screen and the keyboard, so that the sheet falls inside the rubberized edge of the screen.

Although a sheet of paper is very thin and enclosed within the rubberized edge, when closing the screen you can feel the thickness of the paper and this makes me assume that the space between the screen and the keyboard is less than a sheet of paper.

All the MacBooks I have seen, those built after 2020, more or less suffer from these "defects". I can assume that what can differentiate one model from another is probably the thickness of the glue that was applied during assembly to fix the keyboard to the body. These are small micrometric construction differences that, however, risk being more or less compromising for normal use of the MacBook.

These are aesthetic damages, so I understand that they are not covered by AppleCare+, but in my opinion it is a "design defect". Personal opinion, it would have been better to have a MacBook a millimeter taller but more usable, with the screen well spaced from the keyboard. Also the recent materials with which the keyboard is built should be reviewed, they cannot wear out after only two weeks of normal use.

Has this happened to you too?

I ask to Apple, what kind of support do you provide for these problems?

Thanks

MacBook Air 15″, macOS 15.3

Posted on Feb 10, 2025 2:35 AM

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Answer 1

gpmasterx Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2025 7:04 AM in response to John Galt

That's true, but as a user who owns a MacBook Air M3 + MacBook PRO M3 business, I noticed that a sheet of A4 paper prevents the keys from touching the screen leaving indelible marks.

Apple also puts a paper protection between the body and the screen in its sealed MacBooks.

I don't want to use microfiber cloths because they are thicker and can actually compress the screen

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

157,526 points

Feb 10, 2025 6:02 AM in response to gpmasterx

Although a sheet of paper is very thin and enclosed within the rubberized edge, when closing the screen you can feel the thickness of the paper and this makes me assume that the space between the screen and the keyboard is less than a sheet of paper.

That is correct.

I ask to Apple, what kind of support do you provide for these problems?

Apple is not here. If you wish to contact Apple then you need to Contact Apple.

Apple advises never to place anything between the display and keyboard: Using a camera cover, palm rest, or keyboard cover on a Mac notebook - Apple Support.

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Answer 3

gpmasterx Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2025 3:04 AM in response to muguy

@Mugury, Thanks for your feedback.

I respect your opinion, but if this is "normal wear", I notice that the materials and construction quality of the most recent models have significantly worsened (as already said, I can testify to this as a MacBook owner since 2014).

At this point I wonder how to prevent and slow down this "normal wear", I don't know if the corrosion of the keys is caused by the oily layer of the fingers or by mechanical rubbing.

Since I can't use the MacBook with wool gloves, I would like to ask based on the experience of others if it is sufficient to clean the keyboard every day with a damp microfiber cloth to prevent corrosion caused by the layer of oil or if unfortunately the wear is mechanical and is therefore inevitable

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Answer 4

gpmasterx Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 10, 2025 7:54 AM in response to John Galt

Thank you for the suggestion.

I would not want to keep a sheet of paper between the screen and the keyboard, I had to put it because without putting anything (as suggested by Apple) I realized that in less than a month I found the fingerprints of the keys on the screen with some indelible marks. Unfortunately Apple considers this condition as normal wear, but in my opinion these things should not happen in less than a month on a Premium product. Since I put the sheet of paper, I no longer have new marks on the screen, but the problem of premature deterioration of the keyboard (shiny keys) remains. I am not the only user to have highlighted these problems

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