More MacBook, MacBook Pro Keyboard Problems Fixed

Apple has released the MacBook, MacBook Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 to address a problem where the first key press could be ignored if the Mac had been sitting idle. The company claims the update also addresses other unspecified issues. The update requires that you have already updated to Mac OS X 10.5.2, and it applies only to certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models released since late 2006. It’s available via Software Update and as an 876K standalone download.

Pay attention when you download, since the update installs an application in the Utilities folder (inside the Applications folder) called “Built-in Keyboard Firmware Update.” It should open automatically, but if it doesn’t, double-click it to open manually, and follow the instructions it provides to update your laptop’s keyboard firmware.

This is the second keyboard fix for the MacBook and MacBook Pro since the release of Leopard: in December 2007, the MacBook, MacBook Pro Software Update 1.1 addressed a problem wherein the keyboard would occasionally stop responding for a minute or longer (see “Update Fixes Unresponsive Laptop Keyboards,” 2007-12-25). Clearly, this is all a subtle plot on Apple’s part to convince us that keyboards aren’t reliable and should be replaced by multi-touch interfaces on devices like the iPhone and iPod touch.

Unfortunately, there have been numerous reports of the first key press being ignored on systems other than the MacBook and MacBook Pro, and this fix won’t do anything for other Macs.