beamerblvd
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Will rearranging keys void my warranty?

I just bought a brand new 2.5GHz quad-core i7 MBP with 8GB RAM, 7200 RPM HD and the anti-glare high-res display to replace my 6.5-year-old MBP (which, by they way, is still running pretty well, and which I used to order my new MBP). I'm also going to buy AppleCare to protect my investment in this baby. Yes, I'm stoked.

 

I have been a Dvorak (instead of QWERTY) keyboard user for over a year, and I love it. I used to have terrible pain in my lower arms and wrists, and switching to Dvorak has alleviated all of the pain and made me a faster typer.

 

On my old MBP, I changed the keyboard layout to Dvorak and then rearranged all of the keys (I didn't open the computer or replace the keyboard, I just popped the keys off and back on in a different order). However, my warranty was LONG expired by the time, so I didn't worry about it.

 

Now that my new computer will ship at any minute, I'm making arrangements for setting it up as Dvorak as soon as I turn it on. What I want to know is, will simply rearranging the keys (not replacing the keyboard, not opening the computer up) void my warranty? I am very familiar with the process, and I've done it to several other keyboards and computers. I just need to know that my warranty is safe. Should I take it to the Genius Bar instead? Will they even do that for me?

 

It seems to me that the ability to switch keyboard layouts in the OS would render the built-in keyboard completely useless if there weren't some warranty-safe method of rerranging the keys as well.

 

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3), 2.5G i7, 8G RAM, 7k RPM, Antiglare

Posted on Mar 12, 2012 10:24 AM

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beamerblvd

Q: Will rearranging keys void my warranty?

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  • by dominic23,

    dominic23 dominic23 Mar 12, 2012 10:51 AM in response to beamerblvd
    Level 8 (42,105 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 12, 2012 10:51 AM in response to beamerblvd

    It is better to take it to the Genius Bar, to make sure that no warranty problem arises in the future.

     

    Changing keys is different from upgrading memory and HD.

     

    Best.

  • by Courcoul,

    Courcoul Mar 12, 2012 11:07 AM in response to beamerblvd
    Level 6 (14,193 points)
    Mar 12, 2012 11:07 AM in response to beamerblvd

    My reading of the Apple hardware warranty would appear to indicate that such a mod will void it:

     

    (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple;

     

    (http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/cpuwarranty.pdf)

     

    And I highly doubt a Genius or AASP will accept to undertake such a mod. Having researched the standard Apple keyboard layouts ( http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2841 ), there doesn't seem to be a DVORAK option in any language, even for the wireless keyboards. So I would suggest you purchase one of those ( http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC184LL/B?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg ) and modify it instead. If you screw up, at worst it is only $69 and your multithousand dollar MBP's warranty will be intact.

     

    If you want to attempt to do it on the Mac anyway, good luck! The unibody keyboard is the first component installed in the case and, hence, if replacement is needed all the guts have to be taken out. The keycaps go flush into the metal case when pressed and popping them off may be more prone to damaging the scissors mechanism underneath than on the old keyboards that were screwed on top. I have not been able to find replacement keycaps for these Macs in any of the usual suppliers.