Taika Waititi slams Apple's MacBook Pro keyboards in Oscar speech

Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 2020
Taika Waititi, winner of this year's Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for "Jojo Rabbit," says Apple's keyboards make him want to go back to using a PC.

Taika Waititi (source: Variety)
Taika Waititi (source: Variety)


Film director, actor and writer Taika Waititi, says that Apple's keyboards are "horrendous" and that it's become such an issue that the Writers' Guild of America should intervene. He was speaking after receiving the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his film "Jojo Rabbit," and was asked what the most pressing concerns for writers are today.

Taika Waititi jokes about what writers should be asking for in the next round of talks with producers: "Apple needs to fix those keyboards. They are impossible to write on. They've gotten worse. It makes me want to go back to PCs" #Oscars pic.twitter.com/vlFTSjCfZm

-- Variety (@Variety)


"Apple needs to fix those keyboards, they are impossible to write on [and] they've gotten worse," he told Variety. "It makes me want to go back to PCs. Because PC keyboards, the bounce-back for your fingers is way better. It's a way better keyboard and those Apple keyboards are horrendous."

New Zealander Waititi, who also directed and starred in "Jojo Rabbit," says that even "the latest one" is poor. He refers to that as an iMac but from context probably means the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

He reported that he has RSI, which is known in New Zealand as Occupational Overuse Syndrome or OOS.

"I've got some shoulder problems, I've got OOS," he continued. "And what happens is you open the laptop and you're like this [hunched over]. we've just got to fix those keyboards. The WGA needs to step in and actually do something."

The Writers' Guild of America (West and East) does mandate standard writing terms that include health-related concerns, but it has yet to take on a keyboard manufacturer.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 61
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Interesting comment but I have to agree, I have literally spent time on several Windows supporting laptops all off which have better keyboard.     Some of those at less than half the price of a MBP.   
    cy_starkmanllamazroger73doozydozenfledgingkiowavtspice-boy
  • Reply 2 of 61
    Yeah, The slim keyboards are caught up in the quest for thinness, forgetting ergonomics, and even common sense I'd say. I've had the 2017 MacBook pro since... well... 2017... and it's the first Apple laptop that I can remember that I don't like. I'm using it all the time, but the keyboard simply isn't something that I have bonded with for these years that I've been using it. It's not good. Also the touch bar... I don't find it practical to use.
    I've tried the new 16 inch MacBook Pro in stores, and I I like it much better than the previous generation. I think I would grow to love it.

    But for a professional writer though.. I would assume you'd have a comfortable writing desk and keyboard. But today, you probably travel around, have meetings, and write in a lot of places, with no practical space for a keyboard... I can see that.
    cecil4444cornchipwallymraybodoozydozenfledgingneo-techkiowavtdysamoria
  • Reply 3 of 61
    Also, I get a sore hand from writing too much with a pen and paper. They need to fix that.
    redgeminipacaladanianravnorodomcornchippscooter63MisterKitArloTimetravelermac_dogdoozydozenAppleSince1976
  • Reply 4 of 61
    Then buy a PC and do your word processing on that.

    Solved.
    redgeminiparavnorodommac_dogdoozydozenfledgingjony0neo-techgilly33magman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 61
    I had a 2016 12" MacBook. I mostly adjusted to that keyboard. I sold that after getting my (new at the time) 2018 12.9" iPad Pro with the Apple folio keyboard, as it handled most tasks, and the keyboard was a little better. I now have a 2019 MacBook Pro 13", and it seems the keyboard is improved. Is it the best? No, but it's far from the nightmare some people make it out to be. 

    As far as the Touch Bar goes, it's growing on me. It's useful with some apps. Personally, I don't have much need for actual function keys, but can see how it would be bothersome for those who rely on them. I still haven't dug into the settings for it to see if they would make it more useful for my uses. 
    thtfledgingmagman1979watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 61
    preacchhh. Awful awful butterfly keys. Got the 16" now and the spacing is taking bit of time to readjust to but by jebus it's so much better
    cecil4444raybodoozydozenAppleSince1976fledgingminicoffeekiowavt
  • Reply 7 of 61
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,328member
    So, some guy gets his few minutes of fame and brief access to a bully pulpit to thank his supporters and possibly call the world to action for a noble cause, and he uses this opportunity to whine about his personal issues with a keyboard. 

    Wow. 
    edited February 2020 lkruppravnorodomcornchipGG1muthuk_vanalingampscooter63MisterKitcharlesatlasdoozydozenfledging
  • Reply 8 of 61
    kbeekbee Posts: 25member
    Word. In your face, Apple.
    cy_starkmancornchipblastdoorchemengin1fledgingkiowavtdysamoria
  • Reply 9 of 61
    Yeah, the keyboard was a disaster (I switched). And for the price of the machine, a travesty.

    It richly deserves all the opprobrium it can get.
    cy_starkmancecil4444SpamSandwichblurpbleepbloopfledgingsmaffeijdwkiowavtCarnagedysamoria
  • Reply 10 of 61
    leighr said:
    Also, I get a sore hand from writing too much with a pen and paper. They need to fix that.
    if you are like me, that is because you don’t write much anymore - so it is difficult now.

    or you have been taught poorly, like many of us, and use bad hand posture.

    both are user responsibility
    Solifledging
  • Reply 11 of 61
    dewme said:
    So, some guy gets his few minutes of fame and brief access to a bully pulpit to thank his supporters and possibly call the world to action for a noble cause, and he uses this opportunity to whine about his personality issues with a keyboard. 

    Wow. 
    downvote
    larryacecil4444pscooter63Solichemengin1doozydozenfledgingkiowavtCarnage
  • Reply 12 of 61
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    kbee said:
    Word. In your face, Apple.
    To be expected from the hater crowd. ONE guy with a national platform complains about his keyboard and it's a bias confirmation  orgy from the peanut gallery.
    cornchipMisterKitRayz2016AppleSince1976fledgingwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 61
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,621member
    lkrupp said:
    kbee said:
    Word. In your face, Apple.
    To be expected from the hater crowd. ONE guy with a national platform complains about his keyboard and it's a bias confirmation  orgy from the peanut gallery.
    It was a badly designed keyboard for a few different reasons. I believe every single (or thereabouts) butterfly keyboard ever made is subject to a warranty extension program. The problems are real. 

    When competitors were using spillproof keyboards that didn't let anything get under the keys, Apple was simply tweaking the design to make it less noisy and more resistant to to particles causing problems. That's without even getting into repairability side of things.

    Apple has offered zero hard data on the problems beyond saying a 'small number' of affected users. That isn't very transparent. Four years is more than long enough to validate that 'small' figure and would go a long way in marketing/PR terms if it were made public.

    When you consider the price of the machines the criticism is not simply a case of 'haters'. Once the extension programs expire the repair is not going to be precisely cheap and you will get a replacement with the exact same risks as the one it replaced.

    You should see why people aren't happy about sitting on a time bomb because basically that's what it is. The extension program is not limited to a batch of units. Any of them could go south at any time.


    edited February 2020 cecil4444wallymmuthuk_vanalingamflyingdpchemengin1raybodoozydozenfledgingkiowavtbeowulfschmidt
  • Reply 14 of 61
    larryjwlarryjw Posts: 1,031member
    dewme said:
    So, some guy gets his few minutes of fame and brief access to a bully pulpit to thank his supporters and possibly call the world to action for a noble cause, and he uses this opportunity to whine about his personal issues with a keyboard. 

    Wow. 
    Waititi is a pro. “[F]ew minutes of fame”? Could you be anymore condescending? 

    Pros are more than those who can heat up a CPU. There are good reasons for slim keyboards for laptops. Not so for desktops. 

    Apple engineers are some of the industry’s most expert. No doubt they can build a pro keyboard. 


    Solichemengin1raybocornchipblurpbleepbloopfledging
  • Reply 15 of 61
    dewme said:
    So, some guy gets his few minutes of fame and brief access to a bully pulpit to thank his supporters and possibly call the world to action for a noble cause, and he uses this opportunity to whine about his personal issues with a keyboard. 

    Wow. 
    Misleading headline notwithstanding, it wasn't during his Oscar acceptance speech.  It was just a comment made during an interview.
    neilmwallymmuthuk_vanalingamSolichemengin1rayboSpamSandwichdoozydozenretrogustofledging
  • Reply 16 of 61
    The mac keyboards are very poor.  The never ending quest for thin has caused problems with efficiency of actual work.  Getting keyboards right is really hard. The thinkpads have the best keyboards.
    flyingdpchemengin1fledgingkiowavtdysamoria
  • Reply 17 of 61
    dewme said:
    So, some guy gets his few minutes of fame and brief access to a bully pulpit to thank his supporters and possibly call the world to action for a noble cause, and he uses this opportunity to whine about his personal issues with a keyboard. 

    Wow. 
    You *do* realize the man is a comedic talent? Not everyone has to be Greta Thunburg with their moment of access.
    chemengin1rayboAppleSince1976fledgingaquiinh2pdysamoriacgWerks
  • Reply 18 of 61
    I went from 2009 13 inch MBP to 2019 MBA Retina. I typed my first few words wit trepidation, having not tried to tried The keyboard before purchase. I immediately realized, “O, man, I’m gonna be able to *fly* on this thing.”

    Durability could be an issue but I’m loving the feel. 
    AppleSince1976fledgingh2pwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 61
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,255member
    dewme said:
    So, some guy gets his few minutes of fame and brief access to a bully pulpit to thank his supporters and possibly call the world to action for a noble cause, and he uses this opportunity to whine about his personal issues with a keyboard. 

    Wow. 
    "call the world to action for a noble cause"? That's been done to death. And even when it's done by popular, recognizable people it has almost no effect. We still have dictators, global warming, AIDS, and all the other things that people talk about at these events to "raise awareness". How is one more guy -- and in this case, not a very well known guy -- going to make a difference with respect to those types of issues? I don't mean to suggest those issues aren't important, just that there's very little that this guy could do about it. 

    Instead, he picked a topic where (1) he knows what he's talking about and (2) he might actually make a difference. I bet Apple execs pay vastly more attention to something like this than dictators, oil execs, or viruses pay to Brad Pitt et al. 


    chemengin1raybofledgingkiowavth2p
  • Reply 20 of 61
    I don't think it's a hater crowd.  If it was a HP with a lousy keyboard no one would mention it.  People love the Apple hardware and software, and having a keyboard that's sub-par for what you do most - writing - is unacceptable.  I bought a Lenovo for about $500 for work and, despite the inferior operating system, touchpad, and screen, find myself grabbing it over the macbook whenever I have to compose more than an email.  For basic computing/web browsing etc. I still use the macbook tho, despite the fact it's a lot slower.

    I've yet to try the 16" macbook pro, but have heard good things about it.  
    zroger73randominternetpersonanantksundaramfledgingspice-boyh2pdysamoria
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