Apple Really Doesn’t Want You To Fix This - MacBook Keyboard Replacement
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Just because they don't want you, doesn't mean I wont try.
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I miss the good ol' days (pc days I mean) where in the majority of brands you could replace the keyboard in under 60 seconds. They were fitted from the front and held in place with a dozen clips. Once you popped the clips and detached the ribbon, you could just simply install the new one and boom, new keyboard. Hell, you could even change the region of the keyboard itself, from Spanish to Japanese for example. Everything was easier back then... 💔
As people want slimmer laptops, they become hard to repair.
Apple made a few laptops where you could lift out the keyboard using two spring loaded latches on the top of the keyboard. Should of included a clip to show that. But its found on the iBook G3 and some PowerBook models, like this one: ua-cam.com/video/_m5wfKthFiY/v-deo.html
@@HughJeffreys Its G3 not 3G
@@HughJeffreys on my old dell Inspiron 600m from 2003, i can replace the keyboard easily in about 3/5 minutes or replace the Hard Drive and cd drive in a few seconds
@@HughJeffreys lol i actually have one of these sitting in my room, good old days when you could just pop that out and add more ram.
The moment Apple sees their products being successfully repaired they work twice as hard to make sure it doesn't happen on next years devices
doesn't happen to be fixable anymore?
😂😂
yes they do the law needs to change
They saw perfectly functional earphones anmd said 'how can we make it so only OUR products work with this so people buy more from us?' and that kids is why phones don't have bloody headjacks anymore. let me use my £10 earbuds that work on everything else with my expensive phone goddamnit! An stop making the new earphone use the goddamn charging port to use them, I want to listen to music while it charges for fucks sake. I swear the only 'improvements' each new gen has anymore is that it's harder to use or fix each time.
Yeah, that framework between the keys is obviously too strong since it was able to stand up to him just yanking the keyboard out instead of grinding out every rivet individually. That'll be fixed in future designs.
Holy shit Apple demands blood sacrifice to repair a keyboard.
Don't give Apple ideas
Literally void sweat and tears ! And you leave your dna on it to prove it was you who repaired it lol
111 👍
Genius.
It seems like summoning Cthulhu is easier than this...
I was thinking of buying a macbook and this man has motivated me never to buy any Apple products not for the money but their sheer disrespect for the customers and our environment
Not only their products are overpriced, but they further disrespect the costumers by making their products virtually impossible to repair, either by themselves or 3rd party repairmen. This kind of crap should be outlawed.
@@carloscatarino7890 3rd Party Repair Companies who don’t know what they are doing could break the device further than repair it.
@@orangerubyyt The apple geniuses aren't that much better anyways
@@orangerubyyt That could easily be prevented by making the device user friendly, and easy to repair. The harder they make it to repair, the easier it is to break further. Who would guess that making something more difficult increases chance of failure?
Honestly every huge corporation (including android platformed companies) have horrible business practices, and manufactured obsolescence.
Apple is incredibly egregious on that topic, but on others like customer privacy they can be the most trusted. They are the o ly company to repeatedly decline backdoor entry for government agencies. They also tendo to have the most user friendly software for artistic purposes.
Thats why I use both. Galaxy phone always, mostly for the badass cameras. And I use a Mac Mini at home for recording music and storing pictures/private personal information.
i wish there was a law against companies to do things like this. everything u buy should be repairable by the user if they wish so
In the EU there actually is a law coming. At least for smartphones. The battery MUST be made exchangeable. So if Apple seriously want not to lose their customers in the EU, which is like ca. 40-60% of their income... They at least have to change this.
And if they don't... Apple isn't allowed to sell smartphones anymore in the EU.
@@Yoshmaan thank god
@@Yoshmaan they’re probably gonna have a reparable version only available in the EU and everybody else gets the same shit they’ve been peddling
@@mysteriousstranger5873 Probably... Which is still just fucked up ._.
what about not buying the products
I like that you admit when you miss one or two of the connections or screws. It emphasizes just how difficult the process is and kind of pushes aside any discouragement, if I were to miss one or two.
Shut up
@@JnrJeed1 bro rude. He’s literally saying how even for an expert it’s hard
@@TomTheXboxSeriesX he might be a bot
@@coffeemakerbottomcracked who knows
I disagree, this sure as hell discouraged me from buying a macbook (even more than I already was). The only major issue I've ever had with a laptop I used for a long time was keys not working.
Well you would never think of anyone using a hammer and chisel on a laptop. Today we got to see just that.
Next up: The iSmac and iSheer
This is the first time a hammer is used in a laptop for a purpose different to smashing it.
Ah yes, the only laptop ever made that needs a HAMMER to fix it.
So Jeremy Clarkson should own a macbook.
@@Thunderlord301
Don't forget Jerry
@@Thunderlord301 I'll get a hammer, no Jeremy you don't need a hammer its a laptop. Hammond you idiot, its a macbook
wonderful design choices
This is the company that doesn't include a freaking charger for their new phones to "reduce waste", but if a key goes on your macbook keyboard you might as well toss it in a landfill or pay the price of a new one to get it repaired.
Blatant greed. Fuckem. I buy android
Yeah, I was a little pissed when I opened up my kids iPhones to find no power brick. Sure I have a few laying around the house, but if I know apple, they will come up with some firmware update that makes non-apple bricks worthless. They have done it to me with power cords already. I have had cords that were fine on a Monday only to get the message on Tuesday (after a forced update) that the cord is not supported and I need to get a cord that is. They already price fix their products, then they want to soak you again for needed peripherals.
No keyboard on any laptop should ever be that difficult to replace, period.
it's almost a crime
its unbelievable how purple haired, starbucks guzzling and climate conscious vegans support apple company despite it being the worst environment polluter and customer rights violator.
This is one of the reasons I switched away from MacBooks. My thinkpad keyboard can be removed with 2 screws
@@lordjaashin You have never replaced a keyboard on an modern non apple laptop? They are actually worse, because since they use plastic, they are melted on, with no way to attach keyboard back, unless you glue it.
@@archy234 can't talk about other brands but my ThinkPad has screws to hold in keyboard.
The fact that apple feels the need to add security systems in place to keep people from messing with the laptop they purchased, and own, says everything you need to know about how apple feels about you owning their products.
No need to worry so much, Apple! I won't be owning any of your products anyways.
you don't own a apple product, they own you
the main problem is that apple is still the best SHIT on the market !! even wanting to replace this asshole company i simply cant 😂
Apple isn't add security, they only deny some download or transfer
If you put a virus the operating sistem will die :)
@@guillaumejoop6437 fr
I noped out at work when I found out that the "proper" way to replace a MacBook battery was to literally disassemble the *entire thing* piece by piece, remove battery, replace it, then reassemble the *entire laptop.*
True, Apple products may look beautiful but from an engineering point of view only some of the solutions they use are well thought out, other are just mind boggling stupid.
the pre-2013 ones are infinitely easier to repair
Apple should never talk about 2 things: Respect for the customer or environment.
Yet they do both.
Yeah, I'd rather be able to repair my devices than some privacy, which something I can provide for myself with VPNs and proxies. Like, Apple prides itself in their anti data theft mechanisms that they built in to all of their devices, yet it's something anyone can do in 30 seconds.
@@unnamed715 It's easy to placate the masses if you just say it's for their OwN GoOd.
@@MM-vs2et If VPNs really worked as well as they say they do for privacy, the US Government would have shut them down long ago. They would interfere with FBI and CIA spying and lord knows they have to stick their nose everywhere.
That said, I do think Apple is BSing about how well their privacy safety measures work as well. I remember "the Fappening" when iCloud got a ton of data leaked.
@@MM-vs2et the fbi has backdoors into apple products so there goes the claim that they're protecting your data
apple : we want to reduce e-waste.
*also apple : make every product much more impossible to repair.*
Exactly. All shit starts from the 2008 MacBook Air with soldered memory
Its apple nothing suprising or new anymore. The fact their macbook standard has a 480p webcam in 2020 just make me think how far apple can push these bullshit up to the customers .Sadly the only way is not to buy their products which in turn many isheep refused to do that even it cost their life saving.
It's really just "We want to look good regarding e-waste while possibly gaining more cash"
@@kitasan_onegai The way I see it if people posting literal side by side comparisons of the cost of the Intel parts vs what Apple is charging for the parts didn't sway iSheep nothing will, especially now that Apple is using ARM64 processors and calling it Apple Silicon.
The best part is everyone knows the only reason Silicon is a thing is because Apple got sick of people pointing out how much they were raping people.
@@xxmutegodxx 2008? Dude they have been doing shit like this since the 90's. I remember when my friend had one of those fruity colored iMacs and even back then they were soldering in stuff so you couldn't self upgrade things. I mean they actually had the RAM soldered into the board so the average user couldn't replace it without sending it in. (Unfortunately for them I was a teen who had and knew how to use a soldering iron)
"The Reason behind it" as you ask, isnt likely cost of doing it, or speed. It's pure and simple fact that they do not want anyone but THEM repairing it. They want to charge you insane pricing to do repair work or push you into buying a new machine. Either way, its money in their pocket. Thats the only reason, and the reason they are fighting against Right to Repair. (They are, in fact, the BIGGEST company fighting against Right to Repair).
which makes it even more baffling why do people still buy this overpriced garbage ...
@@Asghaad Exactly, I got a brand new Dell laptop with a Ryzen 5 and RTX 3050 Ti for under $900 AUD and Apple are charging up to $4000 AUD for something that's no better.
@@Asghaad because nowadays it's become sort of a "status symbol". I have an Android yeah? It's the Google Pixel 6, it does the same if not BETTER than the newest iPhone including camera quality. Yet I'm still seen as a weirdo for having an "android" it's insane how much apple has become "the norm"
It's so terrifying when I try to fix electronics and open them up. I always end up with a missing screw or part and forgetting where things should be. Good work and it was so satisfying!
Yeah, that's the same reason my repairs are never successful.
I've done this repair myself on the larger model, its actually easier and nicer to use a Dremel to remove the rivets, gives it a smoother finish and risks less been broken in the process. I invested in a pillar drill style mount for mine, to make the work more precise. Would 100% recommend for future repairs like this.
Yeah good video but holy fuck watching them yank on that delicate machined aluminum faceplate was so cringe. Honestly shocked nothing broke. Rivets are always removed by grinding away or prying up the flange. Technically they pry up the flange, but they’re putting so much unnecessary stress into such a delicate part. Surprised this comment is down so far.
isn't there a tool you can get to help remove small rivets like that? You just give them a few twists and it drills off the head enough to pop whatever is secured off. Even just a normal drill bit and light pressure would have cleanly killed those rivets without having to use excessive force.
Yes thought so it would be much easier
I thought so too, but would he than have been able to screw in the new keyboard?
@@WungoBungo I hope you know he's a guy
For something that fails as often as it does to be so hard to repair just goes to show you how much Apple is anti-consumer.
Exactly. Just when apple started to use the extremely unreliable butterfly keyboards, they also started to use rivets instead of screws to attach it to the laptop.
Shit like this is the reason why I'd never buy an apple design.
Ture that but I will always be a apple user! Lol!
@@lilithgold9871 It's because they trap you inside their ecosystem! You literally have Stockholm syndrome lol.
@@FuckLoadOfFat not only that, but windows is such a bad operating system, and for most tech illiterate people, it's the only other option. Windows computers have horrible long term reliability from my experience, and provided macbooks don't break, they last a lot longer
@@alexpetree2038 I like Windows and have had no issues with long-term reliability.
Good on you for sticking it to The Man.
I am definitely not afraid to take stuff apart and fix it myself but this is one job I would be unlikely to undertake. I would be sure to break something applying that level of force.
8:30 regardless of the reason, they shouldn't be allowed to say they care about the environment. Because no matter the reason for doing it, wasting half of a laptop including a battery is an INSANELY wasteful way of replacing a nearly fully plastic keyboard. Their margins are high enough to where the cost factor really isn't an excuse.
Their margins are further increased when the consumer needs half their laptop replaced for a simple keyboard repair.
8:48 Another cause of clicking issues is the battery swelling underneath the trackpad. I heard about that in some videos.
Sure is. But the battery doesn't sit under the trackpad on this model.
That would likely be for the earlier Unibody series. I have seen a couple of Macbooks with damaged trackpads, mostly likely because the battery has previously expanded.
@@TheSpotify95 it will also be likely for every other model, except the A1425 in this video.
I honestly do believe that manufacturing costs/simplicity has nothing to do with why they use rivets. I do believe that Apple does it deliberately to make sure you buy a new one when they keyboard goes. It's why I do not ever under any circumstance use/buy/recommend any Apple products.
I’m done with them too. No ethics. I’m using my current products until they fails and will replacing them with anything else but apple.
iPad Air. Mac mini late 2012. iPhone 8+. Im may be a minority but on the long run they may realize that losing recurring customers cost them more than obsolescence earns them.
I Never used anything Apple not since the old Apple II computers in elementary school.
Amen, brother !
@@theRayzz which other product would have outlasted until today? Your Mac mini is from 2012? That’s 10y. Ip8 is 5y/o. Barely know anyone with an Android device who is using a 5y/o one in 2022 with no massive lags.
Apple should just weld all their fucking products into a single piece because there is no points adding screws when people cannot open or repair them.
What a champion.... you have ventured 'where angels fear to tread'..just contemplating that job, brings tears to my eyes, but seeing your video, makes me adamant when buying a mid 2015 MBP, to get one with a good battery and keyboard. Many thanks. Cheers
As someone who just got into apple products it has been a joy to work on older models of their devices. They became harder to work on around the time Steve Jobs died and the company had to start making designs without his input.
It makes me wonder if Apple holds a competition for the least repairable/most wasteful design every time they release a new product. The "engineers" who designed this should be drummed out of the profession.
Why should they? They are merely achieving their objectives at work.
realistically this is a push from the business people to make the laptop cheaper to manufacture. they don’t have to tap the holes which reduced the amount of manufacturing steps required to produce the housing. also rivets save on assembly cost.
@@traviswalker8933 its shit tho
@@BogusQuacky >they don’t have to tap the holes
i thought the frame did still have screw holes tho? it looked to me like they made screw holes but screwed in rivets instead of philips screws
@@Maximus20778 >its…
can you blame the employee for doing what their boss pays them to?
Trust me it's harder on a 2016 MacBook or newer, ive done a few and you have to individually break the rivots. As using too much force bends the metal frame too much that it won't bend back into shape. They also stopped using the metal backing to the keyboard for the butterfly keyboard so it disintegrates into pieces and makes the whole process even harder.
Top one reasons why Apple Trashed the butterfly keyboard
was looking for some tap and die reviews what a lovely surprise
I followed this video to replace my my keyboard. A word of advice for hammering out the rivets is use a very shallow angle for the screwdriver (i.e. hit the rivets sideways) and spread out your first few attempts so you don't have consecutive missing screws if you stuff up. I sheared off the first few rivets cause I was using too steep an angle. The new keyboard works but unfortunately I now have to deal with slightly spongy arrow keys due to the sheared rivets blocking the screw holes in that area.
What a repair! I love your honesty about, for example, missing a few screws. Adds to the respect of this monstrous task. It’s really nice to see you repair this laptop further even after the original restoration video
I’ve fixed 2012 MBP keyboard, but instead of the nips, it were 50 super tiny screws. Thanks 🙏🏻 Hugh
I prefer nips ;-)
This man so amazing..love your channel a lot
I recently purchased a second hand late 2008 model (15 inch MacBook Pro)
The keyboard is still working, but there seems to be 1 or 2 keys that have seen better days (none of the keys are loose, but 2 are a little wonky, one of which is a little broken (missing plastic) and it makes a crunchy sound when pressed)
I can’t help conclude that apple go out of their way to make the laptop difficult to repair so you end up buying a new one which is actually bad for the environment
You honestly think that it's just Apple who does this?If so, you're wrong.
@@HeTake123 yes.. most of the other brands are much more easier to repair
@@sholmes_ttyy No.
@@HeTake123 they literally are easier to repair though, at least when talking about computer hardware
@@HeTake123 >Denies Statement
>Fails to provide other companies that go to as many lengths as Apple to make sure you cannot repair their products in an easy and straightforward fashion
Been looking forward to this video!
How nice is too see these apple repairs videos thru my Thinkpad...
Thanks for the cleaning under the trackpad tip, can’t believe I forgot that.
Miss the days of simpler and easier to repair technology back in 2010. Even though I was too young to care. Still would be nice if everything was ‘easy’ to fix nowadays.
It is, just don't buy Apple products or ultrabooks in general. Buy a normal laptop and you'll see it's easy to fix whatever breaks.
@@someguy4915 or just have a desktop, zero issues with replacing anything. Also, not having anything made by Apple helps, a lot.
@@jongustavsson5874 Also a solid choice :P
There's enough choice for repairable hardware to buy. It's really your own fault if you buy shit like this.
@@someguy4915 I meant apple products. Most apple technology is a nightmare to fix.
I did this same repair a year ago. My replacement keyboard came with it's own backlight so I didn't have to worry about damaging the original. But, it didn't come with screws, so I instead super glued the new keyboard to the frame. Kinda janky but it's worked well.
Moral of the story, never buy an apple product.
I had the Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium back then. Replacing the keyboard was done in seconds. No need to open the PowerBook at all. With two little clips on the top of the keyboard you were able to just remove and refit it or fit a new one!
Apple logics : If you break one, buy another one.
Any third party repairs : Are you sure?
Apple: Cease and desist order
Also Apple: We don't sell replacement parts and legally bind our part sourcing companies to not sell anything to anyone but us.
Hugh can add another notch on his bedpost against Apple. Great work Hugh!
I got a 2013 top case and removed the keyboard intact. (Used a small screwdriver as you did to unfix all rivets.) I have a 2012 a1398 so I ripped the keyboard out of it - most holes were ok. Got the screws and just fitted it to the late 2012 macbook. The original backlight was fitted. The later keyboard is much better. Only small indignities on the removed keyboard. Will put it back together tomorrow.
Pro tip for removing (normal sized) rivets (that were attached to 2 mm thick sheet metal): use a drill of the appropriate size. If your drill bit was the exact right size, you're left with the original hole and the rivet has been torn to shreds. When you're done with that, just reattach the sheets with the fastener of your choise (probably not one of those tiny blind rivets for a dollhouse).
Apple really does not want you to replace their keyboard. Kudos for your perseverance and determination. Great work.
Neither does HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer or ASUS. All of those manufactureres have computers with the exact same design.
@@HeTake123 So, that makes it OK then.
If Jimmy jumps off a bridge, will you?
Your apologizing for Apple is sad.
I do field warranty parts replacements for Dell, HP and Lenovo. Almost all thin and lights have riveted keyboards so the OEM just sends a palmrest/kb combo part. However swapping the palmrest is super easy on all 3 brands.
What happens with the bad palmrest then? Do they disassemble and replace the bad parts to prepare it for use in next laptop repair or do they dispose/recycle the entire thing? Thanks!
@@trailblazercombi I only return the parts to Dell. HP and Lenovo don't want them back so I toss them in e-waste recycle.
Amazing skills. Good job.
High Jeffreys: (Replaces a MacBook keyboard)
Apple: “Wait. That’s illegal.”
With a screwdriver and a hammer
Uncovering something's bad from technology is something that viewers interested
keep doing it Hugh
I appreciate your creative approach to tackling problems that others might walk away from. Another great video.
I’ve got to go a similar repair to my 2013 macbook. Any opinion on maybe using a dremel tool and grinding the rivet tops? I was hoping a small tap on each may be enough, but not sure I want metal “dust”…
Thank you for the video! Where did you buy the keyboard, do you have a link?
I don't know if it would work in this case, but when I needed to remove rivets many years ago I was taught to drill them out. For such small rivets, a steady hand and tiny (easily breakable) drill bit would be needed. What a pain!
A ball head grinding bit on a rotary tool would be ideal for this. The right diameter would cut through the surface of the river head but not dig into the hole where the rivet is seated
Customer: my Macbook Keyboard is broken
Genius Bar: We can fix that with a new Keyboard……….. attached to a new chassis, screen, motherboard and battery. That’ll be $999. Thank you.
Jeff is amazing!!!
The keyboard is significantly easier, and safer, to remove if you first knock the tops of the rivets off with an xacto knife. I replaced the keyboard on a Dell Inspiron 7000 that was similarly riveted in place this way. This also has the advantage of not destroying the old keyboard.
Don't buy Apple. Any company that makes things this hard to repair is not worth supporting.
In retrospect, in case you have to replace another keyboard the same way, you might as well start knocking out the rivets starting from one side with your hammer and screwdriver and slowly pull out the damaged keyboard until you reach the last rivets. It's a good thing you would still be able to use screws after the rivets have been taken out.
And I have an older laptop that is fully modular. It is enjoying itself. I miss those days
my old dell Inspiron 600m from 2003, i can replace the keyboard easily in about 3/5 minutes or replace the Hard Drive and cd drive in a few seconds
The best way of dealing with those rivets would be to use Dremel (or Dremel-like) tool and a sharp "stubby" 4 or 5 mm drillbit - or a small round burr tool. You don't need to drill/mill those rivets "heads" (they are countersunk) off completely - but removing majority, or even some of that splayed/ peened metal will greatly facilitate the removal, and you won't need to apply so much force.
Speaking of which: when tearing off the keyboard like at 6:05 you should always remove all those "free floating" keys from the table AND press down the "lattice" part of the unibody with some stiff plate (a piece of plywood, MDF or such) as close as possible to the "tear-off zone". This will not only make it easier to remove the keyboard (or rather, its remains) but will also prevent the lattice from getting bent.
On the rivets itself - while I have a fair share of my own grumblings and whiners regarding "recent developments and changes at Apple" (I'm a Macs user since '97), I sorta-kinda can justify their decision to use rivets here. It makes a sense from engineering point of view, albeit this is of a little consolation for those unfortunate fellows with broken keyboards.
There's simply not that much of metal on those "junctions" to drill and tap them without significantly weakening them, and making stubs with female threads (like the one can see at 6:06 next to the "P" key) at every place where rivets are located (ALL of those junctions, as far as I can see) would be too time consuming - and it would bump up the price of the unibody shell itself. So, I guess, the "compromise" was made (it's cheaper to replace half of a single laptop under warranty for every thousand or so of MacBooks produced than trying to make ALL of them "repair-friendly"), and should those keyboard itself be of better quality it wouldn't be much of an issue. But the quality problem of those keyboards combined with this way of attaching them aggravates the whole problem.
And yes, this is going to become worse and worse, as labour cost of any fix-it-man will become greater and greater, while mass-production costs "per unit" will become lesser and lesser - and with "general public" always on a lookout for cheaper and cheaper goods. In short, "dispose-it-off civilisation"
When it was the last time when it was actually cheaper to pay for replacing the bent rim on a bicycle wheel, rather than replacing the whole wheel? (I'm talking "average daily" bike, not any high-end God-knows-what for thousands of bucks). When it was the last time when it made more sense to fix and rebuild seized (for the lack of oil) engine in a mid-price "average" family car than replacing the whole engine (either new one or one "recycled" from a scrap yard)? Why computers should be immune to this trend? And why the chicken... well, never mind ;-)
Hugh Jeffreys is a man of steel. So calm. I would be long ago losing my mind and my rage level should be high. :D
Why didn't you tried to drill out the rivet heads with a short 2-3mm drill instead? Maybe is easier on the housing, aluminium is quite soft.
Nice repair BTW.
You could be surprised but these small machine screws are expensive, almost twice the cost than a rivet. If you order a few million of these it cost a lot for apple :D
Its quite complicated tho. It'll either make a bulge on it or completely make a hole on it
Drilling out tends to result in an off shape or oversize hole. Using a pin-vice is slow and you can break the bits due to human-wobbles, but using a powered tool is also likely to break the bits (0.8mm or so) Definitely a last-resort option.
@@tywyeth1680 a good rip of the old keyboard should displace 80%+ of the rivets from their holes, and clean up the rest with a pair of side cutters usually; leaves perfect holes for the screws to be put in to
Than just use half of the amount as screws. It seems to me that there are too many rivets anyway.
But apple clearly can afford them. They did so in the past. They deliberately chose to deliver an inferior product to the consumer just to make their already profitable company even more profitable.
*The side cutters were the right tool actually!*
So much so that with newer Macs (especially with butterfly switches) it's impossible to use the hammer without breaking them!
BUT
A) Do that under a microscope. (If you're a pro repairman, you should have one, otherwise you shouldn't even try this).
B) Use very old cutters, so they're less likely to cut the rivet and will just grab it.
C) Needs a little practice (let's say... a single keyboard since they're full of rivets) before becoming way faster and safer (for rivets and for your hands) than the hammer.
Source: worked in a repair shop, changed dozens of Mac keyboards.
I myself had been using hammer and screwdriver for years because I had given up too early on the side cutters after I cut the firs rivet. Then the new keyboard with smaller rivets came out and the hammer just destroyed them, so I researched and found out that the cutters were the only tool to do that.
That looked crazy to me. I would've tried to drill them out like a normal rivet. But those are blind rivets and they are tiny. Thank you for adding a tool to my knowledge!
They tried so hard, but then they lost to a rusty old cutters?
Just stupid move 🤣, next time I think they might just glued the keyboard together.
Some windows laptop do so. I repaired my friends keyboard, had the same issue. But those were plastic rivets , I just heated the soldering iron and removed them.
I had a similar issue. I cut a piece of cardboards from a cereal box and placed it under the space bar cover above the switch well. Took less than a minute and has worked perfectly for two years. Shoulda given me a call!
I sort of think you are intentionally trying to come of with a reason for apple doing this, as to not face defamation charges, but incase you aren't, I believe the soul purpose of Apple using rivets is because it will make things harder to repair, so people will go to Apple instead of replacing it.
And then they recommend to buy the new one, or said "water damage" "unrepairable" etc
@@krocodag defiantly, its a disgusting business model
Over the years, due to the many well known problems with Apple's laptops, it's to the point that I have developed a strange familiarity and comfort level disassembling/reassembling my MacBooks. I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I suspect the latter.
I started my electronics repair career on Apple products, the one benefit about that is that repairing devices from other manufacturers is usually a piece of cake in comparison lmao
@@mariusberger3297 yep, I'm messing about with some older iPhones right now
It's Stockholm Syndrome bruh. You're accustomed to Apple's abuse and now find it comfortable.
Jokes aside, I do like tearing things apart and putting them back in perfect order. Maybe you find some comfort in doing it to Apple products because it just spites Apple.
If it saves you a truckload of money and helps you hone your skills, it's always a good thing. Unless of course you happen to have some dark fetish about tearing apart and watching those innocent, helpless machines suffer 😂
@@mariusberger3297 Yeah, the difficulty curve must drop like a stone xD
After seeing this video, I am so happy with my old Lenovo Thinkpad. The keyboard has been out of the laptop many times, it has been stripped to the bare bones, because I had to replace the cpu cooling paste and the motherboard had to come out. That was the last step in the process. There a manageable number of phillips screws in a few different sizes, no adhesive or glue except for one piece of kapton tape, a few connectors and definitely no rivets. It was very straightforward to repair or replace myself. Later, I did the same on a newer Thinkpad in a similar fashion, it was relatively easy and I am no expert. Even the newest Thinkpad X1 Nano seems to relatively easy.
No Macbook for me, ever.
It is vastly easier to use rivets instead of screws The problem is you only do that when you know that the thing is never needing to be taken apart. The Russian migs in the Cold war used rivets instead of flush welds or anything other like Western aircraft design. The theory was that you could simply just get another one instead of repairing the aircraft tank gun or whatever. It worked because there was a large manufacturing system behind it and the fact that individual pieces generally weren't either kept or used for super long periods of time. However, with a laptop like this, I don't think that methodology is viable.
Great video. Doesnt surprise me in the least that Apple makes the keyboard so difficult to repair or replace. They are well known for their reluctance in the right to repair space. Thanks for sharing 🙂
These are things that always made me refrained from using a macbook despite how much I liked them.
*The maintenance process is just too much of a hassle* even for something as simple as repasting and/or cleaning the fans.
it works for me ... thanks a lot
When I was a teen, a neighbor of mine was throwing out a great big TV. Bigger than the one I had at the time.
So I took it home, just intending to rip it apart. I'd never seen inside a TV before.
The only actual issue was a loose connection to the button panel. I didn't, and still don't know the first thing about TV repair, electronic repair, any of that stuff. About the extent of my knowledge was, and pretty much still is 'use electrical tape on wires' and 'solder is a metal with a low melting point that's used to make connections'.
A lighter and a nail later.... I'd fixed the TV.
Now I get that technology has gotten a lot more complicated. But the idea that you are ACTIVELY PREVENTED from repairing something YOU OWN even if you have a complete understanding of everything involved in the process? THAT'S bullshit.
I've basically lived my life on hand-me-downs. I remember arguing with a computer store clerk because I was looking for something to plug my computer into my TV, and this one guy argued with me for 10 minutes that what I wanted was an HDMI connector.... DESPITE BEING TOLD MY TV DOESN'T HAVE AN HDMI PORT. Like... the concept of a TV without one was something he refused to believe. It was painful, and he kept whining that I was just going to be in the next day to get what he's suggesting because the quality will be too low.
Another employee actually came by to see 'what the problem was', and thankfully was much more helpful! I told him 'I have an older TV, I want to stream youtube to it, so I want something that uses the yellow/white/red connectors if you have it.' and he said 'Oh. Yeah we've got those over here.'. 30 seconds, boom done.
.... Okay that turned into a rant. My POINT... is this whole proprietary anti-repair culture is bullshit.
Few years later: Apple serialises Keyboard and Logic Board, making the replacement inoperable even if you managed to rip the old one out.
Hopefully the Right to Repair Act gets passed, but this shit is patently absurd.
A Dremel might be easier for rivet removal.
yeah wtf is this kid doing lmaoo normally he is on point
@@BogusQuacky can you do better grandpa? Let's see.
@@BogusQuacky I can't say I haven't done it myself but in doing so I've broken quite a few things forcing rivets, usually trying to save parts that are useful from broken things. Trying to force rivets on a piece of useful equipment makes me cringe though 🤣
Great presentation (although I do find the background muzac annoying....but that's just me). I now know what I'm up against for a MacBook pro a colleague has asked me to tend to. Cheers.
How did you get around tapping the holes where the rivets were for the threads of the screws you installed?
Great video! yeah these keyboards are a huge pain to remove. The buterfly ones are even worse to replace as the rivets are much smaller, so after you remove them you either need to use even smaller screws, or you have to drill every hole a bit larger to fit the old style screws. Love your simple approach with the hammer and screwdriver, I tend to use a automatic spring-loaded center-punch with a flat blade to pop out the rivets easily while the keyboard is still in place., I usually manage to get every rivet out like that and I don't have to tear out the old keyboard with brute strength.
This is exactly how NOT to design a laptop keyboard! At least when there are tons of screws, you can unscrew them. Even heat staked keyboards (as found in many modern HPs and the like) can be replaced with using just a hot air source (or soldering iron that you don't care about).
I can definitely see why the top case is usually replaced as a whole under these circumstances, and that's what I'd do - top cover/palmrest c/w keyboard as one piece.
Nah, this design does exactly what Apple intends for it to do. It makes repairs so much more difficult and expensive that people are much more likely to buy a new machine. This is the new Planned Obsolescence now that Moore's Law is dead, Apple needs additional ways to encourage loyal customers to continue giving them money.
This is EXACTLY how to design a laptop keyboard if the company is driven by sheer greed and doesn't give a damn about their costumers.
Nope this is how you design a laptop that cannot be fixed so you buy a new one. Apple is really2 greedy.
A couple of years ago my mac book air had a defect keyboard. Bought a new from eBay and just ripped the old one out of the frame like in the video. Glued on the new one - it worked. If you dont care about optics and re-selling value, then glue is the best solution.
an alternative fix to your space bar issue, would be to place a small plastic piece between the key and the receptor that would allow you to press the key on its sides but still be pressing the center receptor
When you have to almost destroy computer parts to repair the computer
After seeing the blood on your hands.. I think, you must sue Apple, for the liquid damage. hahaha.
My old laptop just have a cover on the top of the keyboard and 5 screws underneath it. You can change the keyboard literally in less than 5 min (assuming you have the replacement).
This awakened in me the long fogotten memory of me trying to replace the keyboard on my 2012 MBA. NEVER AGAIN, it was on of the worst repair experiences
Great job, mate! Even though it's a huge pain in the back to repair it you still managed to fix it in the end! It must've taken u a lot of time, effort and patience to do so!
Even though I'm a Windows guy, I like Macbooks but it's really sad to see Apple disabling 3rd party repairs on their devices... Miss the days when they were modular during the Steve Jobs era such as the 2008-12 unibody MBPs and their predecessors/PowerBook G4...
steve also didnt want customers to repair their phones, iphone 4 introduced security screws, and steve was alive back then
@@thedamntrain5481 yeah but that's iPhones, not Macbooks tho
@@TheKDKCollector still, it shows that steve wasnt any better
This is actually easier comepare to the macbook from 2019 as the keyboard just desintegrate when you start to peel it.
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I would suggest trying a small drill bit to remove the rivet heads, that way you are not forcing it out and possible bending the frame.
Hint when pulling the keyboard, put thick packaging tape over the back of it before you pull it.
Ive been an apple certified tech for 5 years and year after year the hoops we have to jump through to do repairs, all so normal people can't is insane. Apple configurator/T2 chips being the most recent nightmare.
Having done this myself its one of the most pita repairs to do on any computer. It just truly shows how anti repair apple is
Love these kind of vids. And yes, the iFixit pro kit is the dogs bollocks, as they say. Used it for years at my last job and it's worth every penny.
Yeeeep. I worked for an authorized apple repair shop. We'd replace half the laptop essentially because that's how the shop makes money. It's about ~$350 for said top case for anything from 2013-2015 and then about $450-800 for 2016-2020 parts alone. Always wondered how much business I could get if I replaced just the keys myself. Would also be a nice workout too.
When you said that the keyboard was riveted in, I thought you were gonna have to bust out the drill. However, I was not disappointed with hammer and chisel. What a brutal repair process Apple made you go through! It has me curious about how bad their newer stuff is gonna be when you have to replace anything on them.
They've serialized all the parts now, so even if you successfully replace the keyboard (even with genuine apple one) the laptop will refuse to work with the new keyboard as its not the one it had from factory
It is very funny watching Apple events when they talk about how they're saving the environment by using recycled aluminium and all😐
Yeah, Recycling should be only the last option of the RRR (Reuse/Repair/Recycle).
It is even more funny seeing stupid ass Apple fans talking about how
1) elite Apple ecosystem is
2) long supported Apple devices are 😂
By the way Apple supports Russia.
Brilliant exposition.
just a thought u could use a drill and bit to drill out rivets to get it out easier
One of the best things about your videos is it reinforces my decision to never buy anything from this despicable company.
Another option would been to drill the rivets out. That would have allowed you to also save the keys which can be useful for repairs as well.
Drilling out results more often than not in a hole that won't hold the replacement screw. Even though the keyboard is peeled away it actually still retains most keys suitable for other donors, however, in many cases, even the original Apple keyboard assemblies tend to rarely match the one that you're trying to find a donor for :(
Thank you so much for the video, without it I wouldn’t have been able to remove the keyboard from my MacBook. I’ll give an update when I install a new one.
I broke the MacBook. I won’t beat myself up for it though as this is genuinely the first MacBook repair I’ve done and the MacBook has been decommissioned for years. I’ll most likely take it to a repair shop.
The reason the space bar didnt work was the metal bars had tension on them from the bracket, usung one or two small flat headed screw driver, you could probably of worked the brackets holding them into a hood 90 angle to which allows them to freely move, combined with the spring rubber section and ensuring the metal bars are evenly spaced at either end before pressing it back in place and both are connected to the space bar when pressed back in place.