Apple has finally issued an apology to MacBook users who continue to be troubled by issues with the built-in butterfly keyboard on the device, despite the company introducing an improved version last year.
In a statement on Wednesday, Apple admitted a ‘small number’ of MacBook users are still experiencing issues with the third-generation keyboard that debuted upon the mid-2018 MacBook Pro.
The long-running complaint dates all the way back to 2015 and has given some MacBook users problems with typing, because keys have a knack of getting stuck or causing unwanted repeat keystrokes.
“We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third-generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry,” an Apple spokesperson told Business Insider. “The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard.”
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The statement follows a Wall Street Journal report highlighting customers that are still experiencing issues with their keyboards, despite Apple seemingly clearing up issues when it released the third-generation version of the butterfly keyboard in July 2018.
Apple is advising those troubled by the issues to contact customer support, but the currently active Keyboard Repair Program – which was set up to deal with the issue – does not apply to models released in 2018 or 2019.
The eligible models are as follows:
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
The butterfly keyboard is named as such due to the shape of the mechanism beneath the keys, which has allowed Apple to achieve a much thinner keyboard, with flatter keys, while still giving the satisfying bounce-back sensation when hitting the keys.
It hasn’t quite been the hit Apple must have been hoping for, given the reinvention of the mechanism it undertook. Whether the company plans on extending the Keyboard Repair Program to include newer devices remains to be seen.
Have you experienced issues with the Apple MacBook keyboard since the third-generation was released? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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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.
