Except, of course, when it doesn't.
Shortly after that post bemoaning my continuing keyboard woes, the situation worsened. One key was consistently typing double letters and another wouldn't type at all unless I pressed down really hard.
Reluctantly, yesterday afternoon I made an appointment to take the machine into the Genius Bar, resolving myself to the fact that I'd be without my Mac for a few days.
With little else to do this morning however, I started poking around YouTube. Even if it wasn't obvious from Apple's own forums, the sheer number of videos posted about these keys not working properly was confirmation that my problem wasn't by any means unique. Also, it seems these new keyboards aren't as unfathomable as I'd feared.
After watching the video I figured I had nothing to lose by trying this. After all, I already had an appointment scheduled at Apple. Taking a deep breath, I slowly pried off the first keycap. I got out my trusty can of compressed air and gave the mechanism in the key socket a good dusting and carefully snapped the key back on. Viola! No more double letters. I repeated the procedure with the other offending key and afterward it was once again fully functional.
I haven't cancelled my 5:45 pm appointment just yet; I'm waiting to see how this plays out the rest of the day. But right now, things are back to normal.
While I still feel this is a huge design blunder on Apple's part (the tolerances are now so tiny that the slightest bit of dust or dead skin cells or whatever can apparently muck up the mechanism), it's nice to know that the fix is relatively easy and straightforward—and while I sure don't look forward to doing this again, it certainly beats Apple having to send the fucking machine out for an entire top case replacement.
I bought a silicone keyboard cover right after I got the laptop because my anal-retentiveness hates the way the keys eventually wear down and get all shiny. But wasn't a perfect fit, it bunched up, and I didn't much care for the way it felt while typing. But if it prevents stuff getting down into the key mechanism, I may just have to live with it.
#firstworldproblems