One of the keys on my keyboard is non-responsive after cleaning it. I want to get the keyboard repaired rather than buy a new one. What is the Apple store policy for keyboard repairs? My iMac is out of warranty due to being 4+ years old.
Broken keyboard: Apple store policy
apple-storekeyboardrepair
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ControllerMate does this. At work I use the Microsoft Natural ergonomic keyboard and a Logitech mouse. ControllerMate has hardware profiles for both, and I have many of the MS-specific keys remapped to other functions.
Like yours, my keyboard also has an otherwise useless Mail button. With Controllermate open, if I press the Mail button while viewing the Microsoft keyboard profile, the list of available key sequences automatically jumps to the one it just received. You can then program that key to do whatever you like, even when ControllerMate isn't open.
Rather than ask us, you might ask your local store since they are the ones that will make the call.
My guess is if you have a functional problem where you loved the Mac to death and used it so much the keys are worn, they would replace it under AppleCare or the standard Warranty. I wouldn't expect warranty service for normal wear and tear and this will likely be up to them to make the call whether your specific instance is one or the other.
Also - do go in if you are frustrated with your purchase. Go now and not later, since the sooner you show them wearing, the sooner they can document it and it's more likely they'll want to replace something that is wearing out prematurely. Think like tires, if yours wear out in under 5000 miles (or km) it's clearly something the warranty should cover. Several years of wear isn't a defect in the manufacturing and just plain old you wore it out.
Best Answer
In a general sense, policy is how the employees handle your specific situation, but here is the legal description of what the hardware warranty policy is:
http://www.apple.com/legal/
As regards to any company, they may go above the policy when it's the commonplace or expected thing to do so it never hurts to ask nicely if some accommodation could be made in a specific case.
This line of thinking has helped me in the past. Think of a warranty as a guideline for who pays for a repair. Within a warranty (or AppleCare), it is Apple's responsibility to pay for most repairs except for intentional misuse or accident.
After the warranty period has passed, it's the consumer's responsibility to pay for most repairs except for the most unlikely event that there was a clear error on the manufacturer's part in making the product.
I have found Apple to be very understanding of honest mistakes when attempting a normal consumer activity (changing RAM, cleaning, etc..) and covering things that might be considered consumer damage.
In this case, you could ask Apple to cover your keyboard, but it seems you should instead ask for a repair quote and expect to pay for a repaired keyboard. I believe a USB keyboard replacement (entire new keyboard) is in the $29 dollar range but you could reach out to Apple and get a quote for your specific location and part number before deciding what to do.