New MacBook Air 2018 keyboard flaw uncovered by YouTuber

MacBook Air 2018 keyboard flaw
(Image credit: iFixit)

Apple’s newest generation of butterfly switch membrane keyboards are once again under scrutiny following a video posted by YouTuber Lewis Hilsenteger of the Unbox Therapy channel.

In a new video posted over the weekend, at the time of writing, Hilsenteger demonstrates a serious keyboard issue with his 2018 MacBook Air. At random times when Hilsenteger presses the keyboard’s ‘E’ key, the system registers it as two presses.

Also, when typing words or sentences, the keyboard randomly inserts additional ‘E’ presses into them after a single press of that key. Unfortunately, Hilsenteger says that the macOS autocorrect feature does not recognize these errors.

This isn't new (and isn't over yet)

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of these third-generation butterfly keyboards producing errors and other issues. In fact, Hilsenteger’s video contains a screenshot of TechRadar sister site LaptopMag’s own previous coverage of the problems.

While we didn’t notice this problem in our full review, these issues were widely expected to be resolved with the new generation of Apple’s custom butterfly hinge keyboard housing. Judging by this video, there appears to be more fixing in order.

Of course, one of Apple’s Geniuses should be able to make it better if your MacBook Air is among the affected. Apple has yet to issue a statement on the matter, so we’ll keep an eye on any developments here.

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Via LaptopMag

Joe Osborne

Joe Osborne is the Senior Technology Editor at Insider Inc. His role is to leads the technology coverage team for the Business Insider Shopping team, facilitating expert reviews, comprehensive buying guides, snap deals news and more. Previously, Joe was TechRadar's US computing editor, leading reviews of everything from gaming PCs to internal components and accessories. In his spare time, Joe is a renowned Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master – and arguably the nicest man in tech.