Cleaning the keyboard is doable on an external keyboard, but on a modern MacBook, it’s impossible. Why? Because touching any key either wakes the Mac from sleep or boots it up (if already shut down).

Enter KeyboardCleanTool, a free utility from the maker of BetterTouchTool, which does one thing: it locks the keyboard—preventing any key presses from being registered with the OS. And for those with a TouchBar on their MacBook Pro, it locks that, too.

KeyboardCleanTool is free and runs on Sierra, HighSierra and Mojave. It may run on older versions of macOS, but I’m not certain.

Amidst all the complaints about the horrible MacBook Pro keyboard crumb problem, you know the one where a crumb from your morning bagel can render your $3,200 laptop useless, Apple has found some potential solutions and filed for patents on them. Think of them as umbrellas, or even condoms, for each individual key. The drawings are interesting in that they show distinctly different and complicated solutions to what seems like a simple problem.

Personally I’m in the market for a new MacBook Pro, but in addition to the lack of 32GB of RAM, this “crumbs in the keyboard” issue is preventing me from even considering a purchase.

The Touchfire iPad Keyboard fits right over the iPad’s on-screen keyboard and is completely transparent, so you can always see the keys underneath it.

It is soft and supple if you swipe through it horizontally – you can use your iPad right through it. Yet it is stiff enough vertically to let you rest your fingers on the home row keys without accidentally triggering the touch screen. When you type, the Touchfire keyboard responds with just the right amount of resistance and spring-back to feel like a lively and responsive keyboard.

If you use your iPad for emailing and writing, this look like a really cool thing to have!