Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over the much-complained-about “butterfly” key-switch keyboard that features on recent versions of the MacBook Pro.
The firm introduced its slimmer butterfly key-switch mechanism in 2015, and consumers haven’t exactly been shy with expressing how they feel about it.
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A petition calling for Apple to replace every MacBook that features the butterfly keyboard (described as “defective”) with a laptop with a “working” keyboard (presumably a traditional scissor-style keyboard) has, at the time of writing, attracted the support of more than 22,000 people.
“I’m writing this petition on a Late 2016 13″ MBP keyboard with a defective L key and a defective Shift Key,” reads the description on the petition page. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Oh boy, do I just ove proofreading my text to find missing Ls. Not. And, I meant ‘love.’ L key didn’t work there.
“Yes, I took this machine to a Genius Bar. They replaced the L key. The replacement L key failed. Then the Shift key failed.”
Similarly, a recent analysis by Apple Insider found that MacBook Pro butterfly key-switch keyboards fail around twice as often as the traditional scissor-style keyboards on older MacBooks. What’s more, the data indicates they’re also trickier to repair.
“Girard Gibbs LLP is investigating claims against Apple for selling Macbook Pro laptops with defective keyboards. Owners of these laptops have reported a potential defect, which causes keys on the keyboard to become unresponsive, necessitating complete replacement of the keyboard,” says Girard Gibbs, the legal firm representing the plaintiffs.
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“Consumers have reported that Apple’s new keyboard has resulted in sticky and unresponsive keys, which interfere with a user’s ability to type. Because of the new keyboard design, consumers report that fixing affected keys requires replacing the whole keyboard, which costs $700.”
Have you experienced issues with Apple’s butterfly keyboards? Share your thoughts with us @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
