MacBook Pro 16 to avoid 13 butterfly kB?

My MB pro 13 2016 is giving up the ghost and It’s time to upgrade. I mean like… now. Do I get a 16” and “suffer” the extra 1lb weight when I travel or suffer the potential of another crappy 13 butterfly kb? The 2016 MB pro I have has been the worst Mac I’ve ever owned. And I’ve been on Mac since my parents bought us a 128 k Macintosh in 1984!

FYI, it’s not just the weight. It is dramatically larger. I returned mine and went back to the same model you have. My 13" already had the keyboard replaced and now the Touch Bar has a weird flashing white block on it that appears to be a hardwire issue. Still, I am waiting because 16" was too big for me for travel. If in doubt, bu cleaning toward the 16", take advantage of the return period and see what you think.

Surely over the coming few months they will launch the 13 with the new KB, can you hold out?

1 Like

Echoing @Ethan9482, if it were me, I’d err on the side of holding off, if you can. Of course, this depends on a number of variables. For example, do you have a desktop Mac? Do you have an iPad?

  • If you have both, you might like to look into remotely accessing your Mac using virtual desktop software like Screens.
  • If you just have a desktop Mac, are you able to restructure your work so that you can use your Mac at home, and an iPhone while out and about? Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism suggests that we don’t need to use technology as much as we often do.
  • If you just have an iPad, will iOS be sufficient for your needs for six months? This obviously depends on how much you use macOS-only software.
  • If you have neither, would you consider purchasing a desktop Mac (e.g. a Mac mini)? That way, you can pair it with a magic keyboard, and not have to worry about the butterfly keyboard issues.

Alternatively, I have heard that the latest-generation Butterfly keyboard doesn’t have the same issues as the previous versions. It’s up to you how much you’ll be able to trust it :smile:.

1 Like

Sounds like a sign of flexgate. I had my screen replaced 3.5 years post-purchase. (And I have an appointment this weekend for the keyboard repairs.)

The computer became super slow with constant beach balls. I thought that reinstalling the OS would help (Catalina) and now it’s not responsive and is impossible to use.
I use this for work and don’t have another machine besides my IPad Pro 11

I was sceptical about the weight and size. However, I got a backpack specifically designed for the 16” and haven’t had any issues when travelling. I came from the 13” and it is more bulky, it made me switch from a compact carry bag to a backpack.

The extra screen real estate is worth it in my opinion. I’m a developer, so make good use of it. The i9 is also unbelievable for heavy workloads, I’m able to compile 4x quicker than with the old laptop, which was only 18 months old. That had lots of issues with the keyboard, screen (dead pixels) and the processor was far too slow for my work, despite me choosing the fastest possible processor available in the 13”. Now, I’d never go back to the smaller model.

As others have said, I’d test it first and make sure you have a bag that’s big enough.

1 Like

I bought the WaterField Bolt backpack a few weeks ago so I’m sure I’m fine