MacBook Pro keyboard sensitivity

December 11, 2007 8:31 AM

Can the sensitivity of a MacBook Pro keyboard vary? Can it be changed?

A friend bought a MacBook Pro almost exclusively for its keyboard. He's a writer. Because typing is his livelihood and can do a real number on his hands, this sort of thing makes more difference to him than it does to me and to most other people.

So he spent some time on a MacBook Pro keyboard at a store, decided it was OK and then took the plunge.

But now that he has the machine at home, it doesn't seem right. This sort of thing is hard to describe, but the keys feel a little "sticky" and like they need to be punched harder on this machine than they did on the machine he tried at the store.

Has anyone experienced this? Could it be because the display model at the store was "broken in"? Taking a hit on the restocking fee is an option if this is never going to get better, but if it's a matter of breaking it in, how long would this take?

If it's not a matter of breaking it in, is there any way to change keyboard sensitivity? I know about the keyboard system preferences, but maybe I've missed something.

Short of an external keyboard, are there any possibilities to improve the situation? Thanks very much.

posted by veggieboy to computers & internet (5 comments total)

One might imagine the keyboard on the MacBook at the store was rather worn by shoppers, and so less sticky than his brand new machine. In time he should expect his keyboard to feel more and more like.
posted by xmutex at 8:37 AM on December 11, 2007

The action loosens up as it gets worn in. I've got a year-old macbook that I live in front of; my girlfriend recently got a new one and I was amazed at how different the keyboard and trackpad felt.
posted by tylermoody at 8:53 AM on December 11, 2007

There's no way to change the "sensitivity" in software. The keys are mechanical switches; they're either on or off, nothing is directly measuring the pressure you put on them. The difference in feel is caused by wear in the mechanical parts (springs/scissors struts/rubber bumps) that hold up the keys.
posted by xil at 9:28 AM on December 11, 2007

When I bought my Macbook Pro, the right command key was odd. It seemed to "stick" for an extra split second whenever pressed before popping back up. Just enough to be annoying. I brought it back to the Apple Store and they pried off the key, found some extra gunk on the bottom and cleaned it. Now the key works perfectly.
posted by Jeff Howard at 9:52 AM on December 11, 2007

I just got a new macbookpro a month or so ago -- the keys definitely were more resistant and some still are, but most have loosened up a bit and I am almost back to my normal typing pressure. But I sure typed a lot of missing letters in the interm.
posted by Rumple at 9:54 AM on December 11, 2007