On the 2018 MacBook Air

“Lightness Strikes Again.”

Today Apple finally took the wraps off its new 13-inch, consumer, Retina notebook. Long-rumoured to be a MacBook Air successor, it turns out it’s just a new MacBook Air. It also turns out it’s effectively a bigger MacBook with 2 USB-C ports. Tim Cook almost joked about the fact that the MacBook Air was still lacking a Retina Display, and that’s the key new feature here; the new 2018 model has a 13.3-inch Retina Display, which Apple claims has 4x the pixel count of the previous generation. This isn’t quite true, as the resolution is a native 2560x1600 - the same as the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The keyboard is the 3rd-generation butterfly mechanism found on the 2018 MacBook Pros and features Touch ID in place of the power button. The trackpad is now larger and features Force Touch. Under the hood, there’s now a T2 chip, just like iMac Pro, the 2018 MacBook Pro, and the 2018 Mac mini. The T2 is used as an SSD controller, allows support for always-on ‘Hey Siri’, features a Secure Enclave for storing secure Touch ID data, and has new secure boot options. The CPU is a low-power 7W class chip, similar to the 5W version used in the 12-inch MacBook, with i5 and i7 options. There’s up to 16GB RAM - up from 8GB on the 2017 model - and up to 1.5TB SSD options.

MagSafe and the SD card slot are gone, replaced with 2 USB-C ports, which are also Thunderbolt 3 capable. This is pretty impressive seeing as the 12-inch MacBook only has a single, USB-C port with no Thunderbolt support whatsoever. This means the new MacBook Air is capable of driving external displays up to 5K resolution. The headphone jack remains on the right-hand side of the chassis. The enclosure itself is almost unchanged from the 12-inch MacBook, and it takes up 17% less volume than the old MacBook Air. It’s just 15.6mm thick and weighs in at just 2.75 lbs. For the first time, MacBook Air comes in multiple colour options. No surprises here - it comes in Space Grey, Silver and Gold - the Gold being the yellow/rose gold hybrid first introduced on iPhone 8 in 2017. The brilliant news here, however, is that the enclosure is now made from 100% recycled aluminium - just like the 2018 Mac mini.

Battery life remains stellar, as we’ve come to expect from a MacBook Air; with up to 13 hours of iTunes movie playback. The speakers have also been vastly improved with stereo sound and improved bass. They’re also 25% louder. Ultimately, this new MacBook Air is everything it needed to be, although it’s a little expensive. It starts at $1199/£1199 which is considerably more than the old model, which is still on sale for £949, but honestly, Apple should be ashamed of themselves for still selling that thing in 2016, let alone going into 2019. $1199 gets you a 1.6GHz dual-core i5 with turbo boost up to 3.6GHz, 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage.

Whilst this Mac is great, the bigger problem here is that Apple decided to keep lots of older models in the product line, rather than take the opportunity to fix the confusing mess that is the Mac notebook lineup. I wrote about this a couple of months ago, and this Mac addresses a lot of those issues, but it needed to be launched in conjunction with a cleansing of the lineup, which today, unfortunately, did not bring. However, this should not take away from the fact that Apple has finally done the MacBook Air justice and given it the update it truly deserves.

MacBook Air goes on sale November 7th.

:))

On the 2018 Mac mini

“It’s Space Grey… our pro customers are gonna love that!”

After facing four long years of neglect and impending discontinuation, the Mac mini today received a substantial update. Whilst “remaining an important part of [Apple’s] lineup”, the Mac mini seemed to be dead, with the last update coming in October 2014, which was seen by many as a major downgrade over the 2012 model due to the lack of after-market upgradability. This new 2018 version features the same basic case design, but now it has a Space Grey finish - of course it does. The brilliant news here, however, is that the enclosure is now made from 100% recycled aluminium.

The base configuration features an eight-generation, quad-core Intel i3 - configurable up to a six-core Intel i7 - making this Mac mini 5x faster than the outgoing model. There’s also now a T2 chip for managing security, borrowed from iMac Pro and MacBook Pro. The base model comes with 8GB of RAM, but this is configurable up to 64GB, albeit costing over $1000 extra. All models come with an SSD, starting at 128GB but build to order options offer up to 2TB of storage. Interestingly the RAM has been confirmed to be upgradable but Apple “strongly recommends” taking it to an Authorised Service Provider to do so.

On the back of the case, the IO situation is nothing short of glorious. There’s still an HDMI port back there, so finding a third party display you like should be no problem at all - no visit to dongle town needed. There’s 2x USB-A ports for ‘legacy’ connections. Of course, there’s 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports and there’s even the option for a 10Gb Ethernet port taken straight from iMac Pro. This is more ports than any of us could’ve expected from 2018 Apple. Oh, and I almost forgot - there’s a headphone jack too.

The new Mac mini starts at $799/£799 but once it’s been maxed out it will set you back well over $4000/£4000. This device can be for the consumers that Mac mini was originally designed for - buy a cheap Mac, you bring the rest. But the price and Apple’s presentation shows this little box off as far more than a consumer entry-level Mac, and appropriately so - over the past few years it’s very much become a machine used and loved by professionals. You can stack them, you can use thousands of them in server farms, you can run a home video server on a single unit, or offload tasks to it from your MacBook Pro so you can get on with the next task at hand. You can spec these things exactly how you want, depending on your use case, and the possibilities are almost endless. It’s tantalising to see Apple revive such a brilliant product after it was presumed dead, and it’s yet more evidence to suggest the Mac is on a good path.

Mac mini goes on sale November 7th.

:))

Apple Announces iPhone XS and XS Max, iPhone XR and Apple Watch Series 4.

On Wednesday Apple held its annual iPhone keynote at the Steve Jobs theatre in Cupertino. Rumours and leaks meant that there were no major surprises, but the products announced were welcome additions to the lineup. This post will highlight the key features of the four new devices unveiled at the event

iPhone XS and XS Max: S is for best.

iPhone XS is the new flagship iPhone. The device comes in 2 sizes; 5.8-inch (like the previous iPhone X), and the massive 6.5-inch, iPhone XS Max. Although iPhone XS Max has the largest display ever on an iPhone, the overall size of the device is similar to the iPhone 8 Plus. Both models will come in Space Grey, Silver, and Gold colour options, with Gold being the new colour this year. iPhone XS keeps the same design as the iPhone X, with an OLED Super Retina HD display, Face ID, a stainless steel band running around the edge of the enclosure, and a glass back for wireless Qi charging. Both models are rated to IP68 water resistance for up to 2 metres for 30 minutes of submergence, this is an improvement over the IP67 rating of previous iPhones.

The real highlight of iPhone XS is the new A12 Bionic chip, which is the industry's first 7-nanometer chip. Firstly, A12 Bionic includes an improved ‘next-generation' Neural Engine. Not only does this open up new AR possibilities, it brings with it improvements to portrait mode and also powers a new and improved Face ID system, which combined with smoother algorithms results in a significantly faster Face ID on iPhone XS. A12 Bionic features a six-core fusion architecture with two performance cores and four efficiency cores, as well as a four-core GPU. The neural engine itself has an additional eight cores, resulting in an 18-core chip - yes, this is a phone. As a result, iPhone XS is 50 percent faster and more efficient than iPhone X.

Battery life has improved on the new devices. iPhone XS lasts 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, while the XS Max offers battery life that lasts an hour and a half longer than iPhone X.

The iSight Duo camera on the iPhone XS sits at 12-megapixels but has been updated with a new sensor which is twice as fast as iPhone X. New camera features on this device include advanced depth segmentation, Smart HDR (allowing for better highlight and shadow detail across photos), and further improvements to portrait mode. There is also a new depth control feature, allowing users to adjust the depth of field blur both in real-time preview and post-capture. When recording video on iPhone XS, larger pixels and that faster sensor allow for improved low-light performance and video stabilisation. The sound in videos is now for the first time recorded in stereo thanks to an array of four microphones.

The iPhone XS uses LTE Advanced for faster download speeds and introduces Dual SIM support through the combined use of a nano-SIM and digital eSIM. This feature will be enabled in an update later this Fall. If you're in China, iPhone XS will come with a physical dual-SIM tray, where the SIMs sit back to back in the SIM tray.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be available in 64GB and 256GB capacities, along with a new 512GB option. iPhone XS will start at £999, whilst iPhone XS Max starts at £1099. Pre-orders started today Friday, September 14, ahead of launch day on Friday, September 21.

iPhone XR: R is for not-so-regular.

iPhone XR is this year's ‘budget' iPhone, taking over from iPhone 8 as the phone ‘for the masses'. iPhone XR features an edge-to-edge, 6.1-inch "Liquid Retina" LCD display with wide colour and True Tone support. This is considerably bigger than the 5.5-inch display on iPhone 8 Plus, but the overall size of the device is smaller. The edge of the enclosure is anodised aluminium like the iPhone 8, rather than the stainless steel found on iPhone XS. A glass back allows for wireless Qi charging.

iPhone XR is available in 6 bright colours, similar to those of iPhone 5c back in 2013; White, Black, Blue, Coral, Yellow, and (PRODUCT)Red. A seven-layer colour process is used to colour the glass back, resulting in vibrant colours akin to the (PRODUCT)Red iPhone 8. The aluminium band and camera trim are then colour matched with the back glass. The XR is splash and water resistant with a rating of IP67, just like iPhone 7, 8 and X, which should protect against everyday spills and can even withstand submersion up to 1 metre for up to 30 mins.

iPhone XR has no home button, instead using Face ID for authentication and the same swipe-based gestured introduces on iPhone X. The Liquid Retina display does away with 3D Touch but instead includes a new feature Apple calls Haptic Touch. Haptic Touch is essentially a long press on the display (like on a non-3D Touch device such as an iPad) to invoke an action, but now the device responds with haptic feedback just like 3D Touch. This addition in iPhone XR really does give credit to the rumours suggesting the entire 2019 iPhone lineup will lack 3D Touch.

iPhone XR is powered by the same A12 Bionic chip as iPhone XS. Albeit with less (rumoured) RAM. Of course, the A12 features that next-generation Neural Engine, which in addition to everything mentioned previously, allows for a more advanced camera system capable of portrait photos despite only having a single camera lens. The camera has a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture wide-angle lens with an all-new sensor, delivering faster auto-focus, while larger and deeper pixels improve image fidelity and low-light performance on both photos and videos. Both the new depth control feature and smart HDR from iPhone XS are also found on iPhone XR.

The iPhone XR also uses LTE Advanced for faster download speeds and features the same Dual SIM setup found in iPhone XS.

iPhone XR starts at £749 and will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in the colours listed above. iPhone XR will be available to pre-order Friday, October 19, with availability in stores beginning Friday, October 26.

Apple Watch Series 4: The redesign.

Apple Watch Series 4 was probably the highlight of this event, featuring the first Apple Watch redesign since its introduction in September 2014. Series 4 will be available in two sizes; 40mm and 44mm – an increase over the traditional 38mm and 42mm options of Series 3. The new screens are 30 percent larger than before and, combined with a UI refresh for watchOS 5, allow watch faces to display up to eight complications, while native apps can show more information. Series 4 has a thinner body, but Apple claim battery life is the same as Series 3. Around 18 hours can be expected from light use, however, if you're out and about, say on a run, using cellular and the GPS, expect around 6 hours. The Digital Crown has been re-engineered to include haptic feedback as you are scrolling, resulting in a more responsive experience. The built-in speaker has been made 50 percent louder, and as a result, the microphone has had to move the other side of the device, to reduce echo for better sound quality. Making and receiving calls on Series 3 was already a good experience, so this should be even better.

It's not just the front of the Series 4 that has been redesigned; the back has been rethought. Firstly, the back of the enclosure 4 is made entirely of ceramic and sapphire crystal. This means radio waves are able to pass more freely through both the front and the rear, meaning you should get better reception when using cellular on Series 4. The sensors on the back of the watch have some new additions, with added heart detection features that can detect low heart rhythm with background detection for atrial fibrillation, and low heart rate monitoring to detect very low blood flow from the heart. Series 4 is also able to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) with no additional equipment required - a first from a consumer device. ECG's will be available using the built-in app launching this Fall, however, it will be initially limited to the U.S. as Apple requires approval from health authorities to ship the feature in other regions.

Under the hood, Apple Watch has gone 64-bit, with a new dual-core Apple S4 chip, providing up to twice as fast performance over the Series 3 (which was already pretty fast). Another part of the S4 is a faster accelerometer and an improved gyroscope, allowing for better sensitivity. It's these new features of S4 that allow another new feature of Series 4: detecting a fall. The watch analyses the trajectory of your wrist trajectory and impact acceleration to determine if a fall has occurred. Series 4 then sends the user an alert after a fall, which can be dismissed or used to initiate a call to the emergency services. However, if the watch detects you have been immobile for 60 seconds after the fall, it will automatically call the emergency services and send a message along with your location to pre-set emergency contacts.

Both the 40mm and 44mm models come in GPS and GPS + Cellular versions, in Silver, Space Grey, and Gold aluminium case options, along with stainless steel options in Silver, Space Black, and for the first time Gold. The gold stainless steel watch resembles the gold around the edges of iPhone XS. Apple has also introduced a gold Milanese Loop to compliment the new watch. There is also a new Nike+ collection for Series 4, which include redesigned Nike watch faces to take advantage of the bigger displays. The Nike+ collection comes with new band colours, including a Summit White Sport Loop with reflective yarn for increased visibility at night. There is also a new Hermès collection with a variety of new bands, along with cool new watch faces that change colour as the minute hand rotates around the face.

Sadly, there is no Apple Watch Edition line for Series 4, which is a shame if you were a fan of the shiny ceramic models.

Apple Watch Series 4 starts at £399 for the GPS-only model and £499 for GPS + Cellular. Series 3 is still on sale, starting at £279 after receiving a price drop to replace Series 1. Pre-orders for Series 4 began today, with availability beginning Friday, September 21.

The rest.

Alongside these new devices, Apple introduced a Fall 2018 collection of cases and accessories such as watch bands. It is also worth noting that, as expected, iPhone 6s, SE and X were all discontinued today - meaning that Apple no longer sells an iPhone with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Jet Black iPhone 7 and the (PRODUCT)Red iPhone 8 were also discontinued, but other colours are still available. Personally, I've always felt these were two of the nicest finishes Apple ever released for iPhone, and whilst the red is available on iPhone XR, I am very sad to see Jet Black go.

iPad Pro, AirPower, and Macs were all absent from this event, so expect another keynote in 4-6 weeks to round off the Fall 2018 product announcements.

:))

Apple to announce iPhone Xs in less than 48 hours

Just like last year, 12th September will see Apple announce the 2018 iPhones, along with other major product updates in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino. I am in Cupertino this week, and I will be sure to run down to Apple Park after the keynote and see if I can spot anyone interesting.

We know Apple has lots of major product updates in the pipeline, but it's still up in the air as to what gets unveiled at this event. Tim Cook seems to have mostly succeeded in his pledge to 'double down on secrecy', seeing as we have seen relatively little in the way of leaks, and rumours are still very much conflicted on a daily basis. A few leaks and tidbits have broken through, however, so let's go through what we can expect to see on Wednesday.

iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max

The main product to be announced this year will of course be the iPhone Xs, following on from the massive success of last year’s iPhone X. We know a few things about this product. Firstly, it’s coming in 2 display sizes; 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch. 9to5 Mac shared leaked marketing images of these devices a week or so ago, confirming that the device will be available for the first time in a gold finish. 9to5 Mac also seemingly confirmed the device names as iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max, but without citing sources. Other rumoured names have included (the new) iPhone X (2018/2nd-gen). iPhone Xs makes sense, given consumers are familiar with the iPhone’s history of ’S’ revisions, however this runs the risk of deterring potential buyers, as in the past, the ’S’ phones have always been considered lesser to the main numeric release, a factor that supposedly attributed to the iPhone 6s being one of the least successful Apple flagship launches to date.  The ‘Max’ branding is replacing the ‘Plus’ moniker used since 2014. ‘Max’ sounds fresh and really pushes the point that this is the largest iPhone ever. Features-wise, we know very little about these devices beyond the screen sizes and new colour. The A12 [insert name here] CPU is a given, along with improved cameras and potentially a second-generation Face ID module.  Apple Pencil support for Xs Max was supposedly in the works before Apple abandoned plans for the feature. Both models are expected to be available in Space Grey, Silver and Gold with storage options of 64GB, 256GB and 512GB. Rumoured starting prices are $899 and $1049 for iPhone Xs and Xs Max respectively.

iPhone 9

I’m calling it the iPhone 9, because up until a few days ago, this was the name consistently given to this ‘budget’ iPhone. Now it is looking more likely that this phone will be called iPhone Xc or even iPhone Xr. This iPhone will come equipped with a 6.1-inch edge-to-edge LCD display with thicker bezels than the iPhone X and Xs. This is to stop light leakage around the edges of the display from the LCD panel, a problem not present in the OLED iPhone X and Xs. There will be no home button, there will be Face ID, and of course, a notch. The glass back of the device will look similar to that of iPhone 8 to allow for wireless charging, and the edges of the phone will be anodised aluminium, again, just like iPhone 8.  To further reduce costs, the device will feature a single-lens iSight camera, likely an improved version of the current camera found on the 4.7-inch iPhone 8. This means no optical zoom or Portrait Mode for this iPhone. In China at least, it is expected to have dual-SIM support. This rumour is mighty hazy and no-one seems to be sure what’s going on with this one. Code found in iOS 12 does suggest a secondary iPhone SIM tray, or could this be reference to an embedded Apple SIM? Just as iPhone 5c came in many colours in 2013, this ‘iPhone Xc’ is rumoured to do the same.  All devices will have a black front, with rumoured enclosure colours including: black, white, blue, taupe, yellow and orange. A red dummy unit has also leaked but Apple would most likely hold off to release a Product RED version in the Spring as it has done since 2017. This device is expected to feature an A12 [insert name here] CPU, just like its more premium cousins. We can expect the iPhone 9 to launch slightly later than iPhone Xs due to manufacturing issues regarding the LCD display and light leakage. I’d expect it to be similar in timeframe to the iPhone X last year, launching in November following the iPhone 8, which was released in September.

Apple Watch Series 4

Apple Watch Series 4 is where things get really interesting. A few months ago it was reported that this year’s Watch would be getting larger screens whilst retaining the same physical device size. This rumour had very little supporting evidence, but it was one that did not go away. Along with iPhone Xs, 9to5 Mac uncovered a promo image of the Series 4 in what appears to be a new gold stainless steel finish.  The display on this thing is huge, leaving the device’s physical size up to debate. It certainly looks considerably larger, maybe thinner, but hopefully the same size band channels. The new watch face shown in the image certainly takes advantage of the extra screen space, showing 9 complications at once. We can also see from the image a new opening on the enclosure, below the Digital Crown. It sure does look like an additional or repositioned microphone, but it could be a new sensor of some kind. The Watch is rumoured once again to be gaining additional health sensors this year. The Crown itself no longer has a massive red dot (which I always really like) on it, rather a more subtle red ring around the edge, denoting a cellular-enabled model. Apple only registered 6 Apple Watch model numbers this year, as opposed to the usual 8, indicating all Series 4 models will be GPS + Cellular models as standard. I suspect the GPS-only Series 3 will drop down in price and replace the Series 1. Presumably, the Series 4 will be powered by the S4 chip and pricing should be similar to the current lineup.

AirPower

We still haven’t seen the release of AirPower, but it’s still 2018 and Apple could still fulfil their vague promise of a release date. I strongly suspect we will see keynote-time dedicated for a rehash of AirPower, with pricing and availability outlined. Rumoured pricing for the charging mat is between $149 and $199, with availability hopefully alongside the new iPhone models.

AirPods 2

New AirPods were rumoured for last year, and they’re also rumoured for 2019, but some believe we will see an update pair of Apple earbuds at this event. We’ve already seen the separate wireless charging case for use with AirPower, but chances are this will come with all second-generation AirPods. “Hey Siri” support is consistently rumoured for these new AirPods, along with improved sweat/water resistance and even noise cancellation. There are many reports of some of these features being on ‘AirPods 2’, whilst some will be reserved for ‘AirPods Pro’, to be released alongside or slightly after the former. 

Possible, but unlikely.

The iPad Pro is definitely getting a major update any day now, presumably this Fall. Whilst an iPhone keynote would be a great spotlight to launch radically new iPad Pros with Face ID, there might not be enough time to do so, even when it is a ‘minor’ iPhone year. There is also an all new, low cost 13-inch Mac laptop launching imminently, again, probably this Fall. This will also require major screen time at a keynote. There is also a major redesign of the Mac mini ready to debut. Both of these Macs are to usher in a new era for the Mac, to be continued with the new Mac Pro in 2019. I’d expect an October event for all of these along with macOS Mojave availability and refreshes to the iMac and 12-inch MacBook lines. 

Anything that does get announced in this keynote (with the exception of iPhone 9) will most likely begin preorders on Friday 14th September and go on sale the following Friday, 21st September.

The rumours of 3 iPhone X-like devices have been present going all the way back to January and we still know very little about what exactly will be shown off at this keynote. All will be revealed on Wednesday, and I shall be looking to purchase most of the devices announced. Anything I do purchase shall be unboxed on iCollectApple.

:))

The 2018 MacBook Pro

On Thursday Apple released refreshed MacBook Pro models, seemingly out of nowhere. 13 months after the last release, the 2018 models feature more changes than expected, and overall they are a very solid upgrade:

• New eighth-generation Intel Core processors. The 15-inch model is up to 70% faster than the 2017 model, and the 13-inch is up to twice as fast.

• The 15-inch MacBook Pro can now be ordered with up to a 2.9GHz six-core Core i9 processor. 

•  The 13-inch MacBook Pro (finally) includes quad-core processors, up to 2.7GHz.

• The 15-inch MacBook Pro (again, finally) has the option for up to 32GB of RAM. Phil Schiller had previously said that 32GB of RAM would be too power-hungry for the MacBook Pro, so this has been made possible thanks to a 10% increase in battery capacity. The overall battery life remains the same, however.

• On the 15-inch model, AMD’s Radeon Pro graphics cards now come with 4GB of GDDR5 memory as standard, while 13-inch models now have 128MB of embedded DRAM, compared to 64MB on 2017 models. Besides this, the graphics remain unchanged. 

• Both 2018 models now feature an upgraded Apple T2 chip, versus an Apple T1 chip in the 2017 models. The T2 chip, borrowed from iMac Pro, integrates several previously separate components, including the system management controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller.  It also allows “Hey Siri” to come to the Mac for the first time.

• Maximum storage options have been doubled, with up to a massive 4TB SSD on the 15-inch and up to a 2TB SSD on the 13-inch.

• In a surprise move, these new MacBook Pros now feature True Tone displays - and this includes the Touch Bar display - on both models. True Tone, originally introduced on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in 2016, and brought to iPhone 8 and X last year, automatically adjusts the white balance to match the colour temperature of the light around you for a more natural viewing experience.  When connected to a 2018 MacBook Pro, True Tone can also adjust the Apple Thunderbolt Display, the LG UltraFine 5K Display, and the LG UltraFine 4K display. 

• An “improved third-generation butterfly keyboard for quieter typing”. It is unclear whether or not this new keyboard has solved the issues that plagued the previous generation butterfly keyboards, but Apple claims that this was not a consideration when designing this keyboard - Dieter Bohn of The Verge writes: “In fact, company representatives strenuously insisted that the keyboard issues have only affected a tiny, tiny fraction of its user base…” - so time will tell as to whether or not this keyboard will be an improvement.

• 2018 MacBook Pros feature Bluetooth 5.0, compared to 4.2 on the 2017 models. 

Besides the still-incredibly-high price (a maxed out 15-inch costs £6209 from Apple), this MacBook addresses much of the criticism faced by the previous models. It is also encouraging to see both annual and considerable upgrades to the line, further reinforcing Apple’s recommitment to the Mac

There were no updates to the non-Touch Bar models, with the 2017 versions still on sale. Apple also finally axed the 2015 15-inch model, indicating a full commitment to the post-2016 design, and with that, the Touch Bar.

:))

Apple begins Keyboard Service Program for MacBook and MacBook Pro

From Apple:

"Apple has determined that a small percentage of the keyboards in certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors:

•  Letters or characters repeat unexpectedly

•  Letters or characters do not appear

•  Key(s) feel "sticky" or do not respond in a consistent manner

Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will service eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards, free of charge. The type of service will be determined after the keyboard is examined and may involve the replacement of one or more keys or the whole keyboard.

The program covers eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro models for 4 years after the first retail sale of the unit."

---

If you have an Early 2015 MacBook or newer, a 2016 MacBook Pro or newer, and you run into a keyboard fault then you may be eligible for this repair extension programme.

All I can say about this; good. It’s sad that Apple has a REP for a product which is currently on sale and has not been revised to address the issue. You could buy a brand new MacBook Pro right now and after a week of use (or less) you could run into this issue.

Out of warranty costs for this repair can cost upward of £500 in the U.K. as in some instances, the whole top case of the MacBook needs replacing.

This current keyboard was developed at the height of Apple’s ‘laziness’ regarding Mac production, and it’s just a flawed design. I strongly believe, however, that the Mac is now in a positive place on Apple’s roadmap, with iMac Pro and Mojave being examples of this. Let’s not forget what 2019 will bring, such as UIKit/AppKit cross functionality and the Mac Pro. Apple is accepting and fixing the Mac mistakes made in the past, and this REP is just another example of this.

Or maybe I’m just too much of an optimist.

:))