Pain in fingers from new MBP keyboard?

After I started using the new keyboard on the MacBook Pro 2017, my finger joints are in pain!! I'm 100% sure that the new butterfly keyboard is causing the pains I'm experiencing in my fingers. And to all, the folks here saying "go to the doctor" "read about ergonomic" please stop, its totally irrelevant answers to the cause of the finger pain issue. The new butterfly KEYBOARD is in my case the root cause of my finger pains issues, and I would strongly recommend anybody that experience the same pains in their finger joints, as I, to stop using the new butterfly keyboard as you might very well end up with permanently damaged to your joints and fingers. Worst case you won't be able to perform your work if that includes writing on a keyboard! 😟 That new butterfly keyboard is HORRIBLY BAD, period! Apple should get rid of it immediately before they end up with a Class Action Law Suit from that of people potentially getting chronic and permanent damages to their fingers and joints preventing them from performing their work due to the use of that new butterfly keyboard!

If doing any activity with any particular device causes you pain, you should stop using the device involved AND do not ignore it and go see your doctor as well. 'Going to the doctor' is not intended as a solution -- it is just common sense advice from folks here who are other Users like you, Not Apple employees, who have broad general experience, and want you to NOT ignore body pain and DO take care of yourself, including getting a professional evaluation for anything that causes you pain.

In the meantime, get a USB keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard that has a better "feel" and suits you better, and place it at an ergonomic height so your wrists are in a Neutral position when typing. The frequent breaks to snap and move around (and stop tying for a few minutes). Get a Fitbit or an App that can remind you to move.

Try firing up dictation and see if it can work for some of what you need to do.

The feedback link has already been posted above.

If you initiate a class action suit, all it does is enrich the lawyers involved, and the Big Companies involved will respond by putting a warning sticker on the offending device.

We are users like you. We can not make modifications. If something is causing you discomfort then stop using it. Get a professional opinion as to the source of your discomfort. I know if something was causing me pain or discomfort I would stop using that thing.

Sadly, I have to agree. That is the suggestion given to me. They even mentioned that a lawsuit would do nothing but to line the pockets of lawyers requiring them to simply put a warning label on their products. It was a tad off putting. I will just go back to my ergonomic keyboard. But I am interested to see that this is a common complaint.

I agree. I would mark your post as helpful but it is not responsive from my iPhone 7 Plus. The only solution for those of us who type for a living is to switch back to just about any other keyboard.

The MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook computers are designed to be lightweight, and so portable, they can run on batteries. Additional features are nice, but secondary.

That includes keyboard travel, feel, and comfort for extended use. There is no warranty that says that keyboard is suitable for extended use.

I expect that for extended use, you need at least a keyboard that can be moved around for ergonomic placement of your arms, wrists, and hands.

It's not about making the MacBook lightweight, for travel or the ability to run on batteries. None of that has any influence on the keyboard's ability to absorb the force used to press down the keys, which is what's causing the pain issues in fingers for a lot of people. And to be clear, it has nothing to do with ergonomics! Also, yes, of course, the keyboard should be capable of being used for extended periods of time - a minimum a normal work day 9 hours for five days weekly. We're talking about the MacBook Pro not the entry-level Air of regular MacBook. The Pro is made for work, not for short periods of private web browsing or chatting with your friend on Facebook!

The mina issue is Apples's insane desire to profit optimize everything they do to such as degree that it ruins the integrity and functionality of their products! This is new to Apple and something Tim C is an expert in, as well as I. I make a living of profit optimizing products through manufacturing, product design, and supply chain. What Apple has been doing recently with their latest products including the MacBook Pro is a disgrace to the Apple brand and an insult to its users. If they continue like this, the only thing that will be left is a "rotten apple" so sour that nobody wishes it anymore and those that still do, end up hurting themselves by "eating" it!

The new butterfly keyboard has been profit optimized to such as degree that there is ZERO force absorbing left in the keys resulting in 100% of the energy being reflected directly back into your fingers and that is what cause the pains in fingers and joints for many users! Apple should be ashamed that they now focus more on their own profit than their user experience and product design! So sad!

That said, I'm now trying a soft silicone keyboard protector in the hope that the layer of added silicone will absorb just a fraction of the force and therefore reduce the amount of energy being reflected back into fingers and joints. I should receive the silicon keyboard overlay tomorrow and will update here to what degree it provides force absorption.

If you use a computer for nine hours a day, using a lightweight, battery operated computer whose keyboard is fixed in place relative to its display screen is nonsense. That is an extremely poor decision on your part.

Here is an even more extreme case: Apple sells iPhones as well, and they have a keyboard displayed on the screen. Using that to type nine hours a day is difficult for anyone to justify -- it would obviously do you damage. But they still sell it, and a word processor, and you could use it for that purpose.

For typing nine hours a day, I recommend a desktop computer, placed is a workspace optimized for proper typing height that leaves your wrists in a neutral position and your arms and shoulders in a natural comfortable position. That is NOT a MacBook of any description, unless you compromise the display position, in which case we can move our discussion over to any of several "eyestrain from using MacBook" threads.

Get a desktop computer. Or get a full sized additional keyboard that can be placed in a position optimized for your good health. I do not speak for Apple, but in my opinion, the butterfly keyboard is not suitable for all day typing.

I got the new keyboard and it hurts my fingers as well. I have seen a doctor and am going to get a more ergonomic keyboard and mouse but wish Apple would do better testing on their keyboards before releasing. The keyboard is also very loud as you type - but that does not matter when compared to the pain it causes in my hands.

It isn't nonsense if it is the platform your employer purchases for you and tells you that you have to use. Not everyone is buying these themselves for personal use ...

I am on a 2015 vintage MBP, it replaced a Lenovo W530 ... I love the retina display and trackpad, so I moved my MBP in a position that allowed me to use these with my additional monitors. It's OK ... I can feel the metal edge cut in my wrists after a while, but if I take a break ... it works. Anyone new in my area is getting the new 4th gen MBP's. They cannot replicate my setup ... unanimously they are declaring the keyboard too painful.

We have given feedback to Apple, hopefully they listen ... I work in an industry that we have found if you don't listen to your customers, you are history ...

I have a similar problem with my new MacBook. It is painful to use after a short period but for me the problem is the trackpad rather than the keyboard. It feels like there is an electrical current which is running through my fingers which causes numbness, tingling and pain after a short period. Very annoying because I really like the machine. The EMF's coming off it are also really high compared my older macbook.

Obviously, I can use a mouse but it would be nice if Apple would be more mindful of health and safety with their products.

the problem is the trackpad rather than the keyboard. It feels like there is an electrical current ...

The trackpad surface of this trackpad and those used by Apple for several years now are made entirely of glass, an excellent electrical insulator. The sensations you are feeling are not caused by electrical leakage, which would have to be impossibly high (thousands of Volts) to jump across the glass.

Do not continue to use this (or ANY) trackpad. The pains you are feeling may be caused a very serious medical condition, and you should get examined by your Doctor as soon as possible.

Comparing to an old Macbook Pro about 2010. Units of measurements are uT. No peripheral devices.

What is the serious medical condition you are suggesting I might have that I cannot put my fingers on a trackpad for more than a few minutes before feeling pain. I think the problem is the trackpad and not my fingers! I don't have problems with anything else.

Electrical conduction through a trackpad made of glass is not a possible cause. EMI/RFI interference issue, even at very high levels, are not known to cause the symptoms you describe.

What is the serious medical condition you are suggesting I might have that I cannot put my fingers on a trackpad for more than a few minutes before feeling pain.

I come from medically-oriented family, but I am not doctor, and am not licensed for any practice of medicine.

If you are having pain in your fingers you need a Medical Expert (preferably a Hand Specialist) to tell you that everything in your hand and wrist is OK, and you are not doing damage to yourself through the repetitive motions involved in using a Trackpad.

Possible causes include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (in your wrist) and similar issues with nerves in your fingers. For example, numbness in the Index AND second finger (and sometimes the adjacent side of the ring finger) may be correlated to nerve damage.

Marcall wrote:

I use a simple EMF detector app on my iphone. It may not be 100% accurate but it goes from a reading of 45 to over 4000 when I put it near certain parts of my macbook keyboard.

45 to 4000 what? What is the scientific evidence that there is a causal relationship between EMF radiation and hand pain? The information I'm able to find indicates an extremely low likelihood of such a relationship (see PMIDs 28900736, 15784787 and 16520326 as examples). Rather than self-diagnose based on an iPhone app, take Grant's advice and see a doctor.