Dead spot on space bar

It's true, the sensors on the sides of the spacebar appear to be missing the rubber nipple things. They do work, meaning I can press them directly to enter a space, but the spacebar isn't hitting them ever, only the middle sensor. Compare with the key on the right.

This is no doubt the reason the spacebar is a little dodgy. I suspect the rubber things were removed late in the design process to solve some other problem. Perhaps I will try to substitute something back in.

Experiencing the same thing on here. Frustrating enough to make me search for others with this issue. Looks likes there's also a dead spot on the bottom left corner as well (though i never use that spot). Definite design flaw with this keyboard. Guess it's something we'll have to dealwith...

Sorry to hear that the keyboard is acting like that for you. I find it to be the best feeling and most responsive laptop keyboard I've used and haven't had any problems yet. As fast and smooth as this computer is, having a faulty keyboard would be like trying to race a sports car with tires that sometimes go flat.

I hope Apple can resolve it for you quickly...

Sly

I also had this problem on my new Macbook Air. The spacebar would not register if I pushed on the right or left sides (about a half inch in on either side). I eventually got so frustrated that I popped the spacebar off with my fingernails and a screwdriver. It seems that there are sensors on either side as well as the one in the middle, but they do not have a rubber thing over them. Im not really sure how it happened but if you take the spacebar and bend it -slightly- so that the edges curve up and the middle is the lowest point it should work. The curvature is barely noticable but it means that the spacebar registers along the whole length.

So to fix this,

take the spacebar off and bend it carefully so that the ends curve up slightly

put it back on, pushing down in the middle first and then pushing the sides on (make sure everything clicks in)

enjoy.

(the very ends still dont work but it is not noticable when typing)

I'm experiencing the same issue on my new generation (Lion) Macbook Air 1.8GHz i7. I haven't removed the spacebar since the machine is only a week old, but I'm thinking it's a safe bet that Apple has used the same construction. A big boo since my thumbs naturally sit on those corners when typing 😟

Confirming the issue was resolved by replacing the keyboard on my new MBA. I also tested the keyboards on the MBA they had in the store, and those didn't have the issue.

The Genius Bar rep mentioned they generally have the part in stock if you're in a US location. I happened not to be, so took 2 days instead of 1. The feel of this keyboard is different than the one I had before, keys are harder to press down, but at least it works 🙂

Same here, and I didn't realize exactly where the spot was until I read the replies to this post. Now it turns out I can reproduce the problem at will. The only question is, can I figure out how to KEEP it from happening! Drives me a little nuts.

Same here. This is making me crazy! im coding with this machine and its making it usless!

happend twice while typing this short comment... erggg.

Apple, you guys need to call these units in for a fix or something...

Updating my own comment about the space bar dead spot -- like others who have posted, I brought my new MBA in to the Apple Store in Richmond, BC and a full keyboard is being ordered in and installed under warranty this week. My space bar definitely had a different feel than the MBAs in the store with properly functioning space bars. Mine feels like either a part is missing underneath the key. There's tactile feedback for my space bar is much more faint (for lack of a better way to describe it) when I press the bottom right corner of the bar.

I took my MacBook Air to the computer store, and they couldn't replicate the problem. The technician said sometimes it's just a crumb that gets caught under a key, and maybe I'd joggled it loose on my walk there. Strangely, the problem really has been gone ever since! So I recommend turning the computer upside down and tapping it a few times, and shaking it around. (Just be careful not to drop it!)

I'll be curious if that helps.

Had the same problem with my 13" MacBook Air (preordered new, and arrived end of July, so one of the first off the line).

Finally got around to taking it in today to the Genius Bar, and they replaced the whole top assembly with new keyboard, and I am sad to report the problem didnt really go away, though it is better. They had the part in stock, so I got it back in less than 24 hours.

It seems that in real world typing, it is better; I dont see as many faults as before. But you can still tap the lower right or left corners and they will be unresponsive.

So in a nutshell, the dead zone is now smaller, but not totally fixed.

The Genius didnt need much convincing, but I asked if there was any known issue like this, and he said he had not heard of anything official or unofficial, so YMMV.

It is hard to demo a random issue, though. What failure rate will the store deem worthy of repair.

Doesn't help that the only place to go in Denmark are third-party premium resellers, which provide atrocious customer support compared to the real Apple stores in other countries.