Apple Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Defective' Keyboards in Recent MacBook, MacBook Pro Models

[miloslm]

The 2017 models have the gen 2 keyboard, so those should be fine. This applies to both the retina Macbook and the Macbook Pro. Get Applecare if you're worried (you should get Applecare regardless anyway, as it extends the warranty for 2 years (3 years total) for Macs).
If you're still worried, the 13" Macbook Air with the old style keyboard is still available, and despite its age, it is a much better computer compared to the 2010 MBP.

I've had my MacBook Pro 15" 2017 keyboard replaced twice, last one was two weeks ago. Some of my keys are already getting stuck..2nd gen as crappy as first gen.
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No prblems whtsoevr wit my keybrd

Lol, you shhould remove the b and hh. Seems to e one of thhe common keys with te issue.

 

[cmaier]

I've had my MacBook Pro 15" keyboard replaced twice, last one was two weeks ago. Some of my keys are already getting stuck..
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Lol, you shhould remove the b and hh. Seems to e one of thhe common keys with te issue.

I’ve had B issues since the beginning and haven’t bothered getting it fixed yet since I mostly use a Bluetooth keyboard and can’t be without my machine for a week. I don’t believe it’s “dust under the key.” I think these keyboards are ****ed up in at least three ways - caps falling off, switches skipping/doubling on their own, AND the dust problem.

 

[tipoo]

The solder flaws make me worry about how they'll handle this. 2009-2011 Macbook Pros had cracked GPU solder from heat cycle stress, repair program only launched in 2015, you were only eligible 3 years from purchase, and ended 2017...Do the math on that. They're not beyond big bill dodges.

 

[mindsaspire]

Sorry to inform you, but the butterfly mechanism in Apple's keyboards is nothing more than anorexic scissor switches.

Very interesting, thanks for the info! Sadly then, the older 2015 MBP is looking more and more appealing.

 

[Fishrrman]

Random thoughts:

Apple can't "fix" the problems with the 2016/2017 keyboards because the problem is in the design -- the keyboard can't hold up to the rigors of day-to-day usage or withstand the heat generated from within the body. I doubt that it can be "re-engineered" to overcome these defects.

All they can do is to replace the defective keyboards with replacement units that have the same design deficiencies. Result: another failure down the line.

This problem is reminiscent of the "defective solder joints" and GPU overheating on the 2011 MacBook Pro 15/17" computers -- the "replacements" have the same defect as the failed units.

The only real "fix" for the 2016/17 keyboards is... to GO BACK TO THE OLD DESIGN, which didn't fail. Of course, that will result in a slightly "thicker" laptop. Will Apple do this, for the first time in its history?

My prediction for the results of the lawsuit:
- Apple will pay off the lawyers (of course, they always get paid).
- The original plaintiffs may get replacement computers
- Apple will institute a "free replacement program" for defective keyboards that will cover units up to five years from the original date-of-sale.

And -- if they're smart (and can swallow a little pride) -- Apple will re-introduce the earlier-style keyboard, perhaps slightly modified for "a new look".

When you have two designs before you:
- one that is slightly older, but proven
- one that is new, but failure-prone
... which is the wiser choice?

 

[markfc]

I hope Apple Engineering is working on a fix for future generations.

Tim's on the case, don't worry ;-)

http://pdfaiw.uspto.gov/.aiw?PageNu...%3DDN%2F20180068808%2526RS%3DDN%2F20180068808

 

[kemal]

Don't we in fact have two issues: Material gets under the keycap and prevents the butterfly mechanism from depressing / fully which leads to poor acton and repeats. Then, everyone knows metal domes make bad switches for keyboards. They become oxidized in the slightest and stop working properly leading to no contact or excessive bounce/repeating.

Apple are using stainless steel domes. These need to be gold plated. Are they?

 

[benthewraith]

I've had my MacBook Pro 15" 2017 keyboard replaced twice, last one was two weeks ago. Some of my keys are already getting stuck..2nd gen as crappy as first gen.
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Lol, you shhould remove the b and hh. Seems to e one of thhe common keys with te issue.

The keys I've had affected were the space bar, \, Delete, T and X keys. I've found concussive maintenance to be the preferred mechanism to getting these keys to work when they've gotten stuck. I've also recently had the T key affected. There was no dust or anything, the key sounded normal, but failed to register. This went away after a minute. Concussive maintenance fixed two thirds of my space bar, but the far right hand side of the space bar doesn't register. Since I normally don't hit it anyways this hasn't been an issue.

Computer in signature is my other macbook pro.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Yet another example of what happens when a formerly great company is taken over by a penny-pinching pencil-neck like Cook. Guys like him know just one thing. How to maximize profit margins, at the expense of quality. The old argument that Macs are expensive because (in part) of the better build quality is just not true anymore. It's incredibly sad to see Apple on this new path. Loved this company since the first Mac way back when.... now they frustrate and sadden me, if not creep me out.

 

[sracer]

Yet another example of what happens when a formerly great company is taken over by a penny-pinching pencil-neck like Cook. Guys like him know just one thing. How to maximize profit margins, at the expense of quality. The old argument that Macs are expensive because (in part) of the better build quality is just not true anymore. It's incredibly sad to see Apple on this new path. Loved this company since the first Mac way back when.... now they frustrate and sadden me, if not creep me out.

I'll go against the flow here... I don't blame Tim Cook. I "blame" customers who accept problems, who minimize the impact of such issues, who defend the company against other customers who will NOT tolerate the decline in quality, and who point to the stock price as the measure of "success".

Tim's Cook's primary responsibility is to maximize profits... short term, as well as long term. If customers are satisfied buying products of lower quality, then what incentive do the Apple execs have to produce higher quality? It would actually be wasteful to expend resources improving quality if it doesn't result in increased profit. They have done extensive market research and analysis and have drawn conclusions that show that decreasing the quality does not have a negative impact on revenue and profit. Should revenue be negatively impacted as a result of a reduction in quality THEN Apple will take notice.

Customers need to accept responsibility for their role. How many who have been bitten by hardware quality issues continue to buy newer versions of the devices they had problems with? When people do that, they tell Apple, "dear Apple, don't worry about the hardware defects in that product. I'll continue to buy them anyways."

 

[GtrDude]

"a model year 2015 or later Apple MacBook" Wasn't the 2015 unaffected?

The Macbooks were affected from 2015 and on.
The Macbook Pro was late 2016 and up.

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

Hopefully this class action might elicit some action from Apple. My second keyboard is now becoming problematic on my 2016 Touchbar 15" MBP. OK I have Applecare so it is a no cost repair to me but it is very inconvenient and I would rather wait until a keyboard with a cure is available and not replace a faulty keyboard with one which is about to become faulty.

 

[lcseds]

.......Customers need to accept responsibility for their role. How many who have been bitten by hardware quality issues continue to buy newer versions of the devices they had problems with? When people do that, they tell Apple, "dear Apple, don't worry about the hardware defects in that product. I'll continue to buy them anyways."

+1. Or, return the defective model and then grab the 2015 version instead. 2015. Really? It's 2018. Apple has got to be laughing at that. I have been a long time fan of Apple but in needing a newer system I can't help but shop XPS or X1. I understand a company stumble with a product, but Apple seems to be stumbling a bit too much last two years or so. Either in product quality or product availability. The abuse of those they consider their customers is great. But apparently that has little impact given the revenue.

 

[Val-kyrie]

They have a fix.

They genuinely do have fixes and interesting changes to the keyboards coming this year.

Please tell us what this fix is!...

You don't know that... Once something has been replaced, you have no idea when (or if) it will fail again ever. You may go though 12 month and not happen, or only 6..

Perhaps we all are getting confused over the reason why keys will stick and the fact tech will fail 'over time' which is a separate issue, its not related.

It only appears that way because its better to bring several issues into one.

There is no confusion. This is a design flaw. Unless the replacement part has a different design, the flaw will recur.
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Very interesting, thanks for the info! Sadly then, the older 2015 MBP is looking more and more appealing.

Good luck finding one. I am planning a move back to Windows on an XPS or X1 unless Apple introduces a better design soon. I won't spend my money on a product with a known defect again (looking at you, iPhone 6 Plus).

Don't we in fact have two issues: Material gets under the keycap and prevents the butterfly mechanism from depressing / fully which leads to poor acton and repeats. Then, everyone knows metal domes make bad switches for keyboards. They become oxidized in the slightest and stop working properly leading to no contact or excessive bounce/repeating.

Apple are using stainless steel domes. These need to be gold plated. Are they?

First, the OP already posted a link demonstrating that Apple has noted cases where crumbs are not the issue.

Second, repair shops are reporting the issue and claiming the problem is not related to user damage (crumbs, liquids, etc).

Third, the video Apple showed of how they engineered this keyboard showed no gold plating.

These KBs are mass produced garbage using cheap Chinese steel for the domes and a poor design which can't hold up under the rigors of regular use.

 

[willybNL]

2016 model 15"
Dutch keyboard: Y and B failing.
Though, after repeatedly clicking them started to work again.

Brought in the macbook in for repairs (other stuff like flicking screens started to happen), so I added it to the list of 'things to fix', as I understand that the gen 2 (2017) keyboard is the fix. Happy to live in the EU, where the laws are I guess better for consumers.

 

[TallManNY]

Assuming you haven't done this already, you there's always the option of switching the mechanical HDD for an SSD. This is one of the last models where this was pretty easy and my 2011 machine got a pretty damn nice speed-up when I did that myself in 2013.

I haven't done this yet. Will probably try. But if I break it (which I might), I want to be in position where we know what the replacement will be.
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They still sell the 15inch MacBook Pro with the old keyboard. They will support it for at least 3 years (Apple care) after the stop selling it.

Generally since Apple doesn't discount its prices very much for older stuff, I like to buy the latest machines pretty much when they come out. Also don't want to buy the Air because screen is not so good. I'm just hoping a rock solid option is available this summer.

But as others have suggested, I'm going to start with an SSD swap of the HD.

 

[newellj]

heat

I have read a lot of posts in threads in the MBP forum that mention heat issues. AFAIK it's just a theory, but it is a theory that would fit the apparent fact that the MB seems to have a lesser failure rate, based on posts in the MB forum. Although I've read posts from people complaining about hot rMBs, the three I've had have all run quite cool, and many other people seem to have the same experience. Makes you wonder whether heat isn't a major contributor to the failures.

 

[Manzanito]

22,000 signatures huh?

These never go anywhere because they are just normal when you sell 20M Macs per year. The vocal minority doesn't mean there is something fundamentally wrong with the engineering.

As usual, many people are overreacting and extrapolating.

So you think it’s ok to expend north of two grand on a computer only to have it rendered unusable by a speck of dust? And then when you take the computer to apple they ask 700 bucks to fix the problem, knowing the problem can happen again next month.

I don’t care how small the numbers are, imagine it happened to you. Apple should fix this.

 

[Baymowe335]

So you think it’s ok to expend north of two grand on a computer only to have it rendered unusable by a speck of dust? And then when you take the computer to apple they ask 700 bucks to fix the problem, knowing the problem can happen again next month.

I don’t care how small the numbers are, imagine it happened to you. Apple should fix this.

I think you're overstating the problem by saying it's "unusable" due to a "speck" of dust. If that were true, it'd be a lot bigger issue with a lot more complaints.

Apple will take care of those impacted, as usual.

 

[Manzanito]

I think you're overstating the problem by saying it's "unusable" due to a "speck" of dust. If that were true, it'd be a lot bigger issue with a lot more complaints.

Apple will take care of those impacted, as usual.

At least the keyboard can become unusable. Sure, you can still use an external keyboard, but that kind of defeats the purpose of using a notebook.

I really hope apple takes care of the problem, as you suggest and as they have done in the past.

 

[mikethemartian]

That's what's so great about the Touchbar. When your "H" key fails you can just program the Touchbar to give you a new "H" key!

 

[jsalda]

Had to have my keyboard replaced within 3 months of purchase.

Apple has screwed up in two areas: 1) The keyboard design is too fragile (obvious) and 2) In order to replace the keyboard, the whole top case along with the battery has to be replaced, resulting in unusually high repair costs.

Not only is the keyboard an issue, but the connectors to the main board for the Touch Bar and TouchID are incredibly fragile, and get broke in the process. In my case, when I received it back from the 1st repair, Touch ID didn't work. So then, the whole main board had to be replaced, which meant restoring from Time Machine because the SSD is soldered on. And from reading on the forums, this is not unusual. You would think Apple would get on engineering an updated design just to avoid the costly warranty repairs!

Needless to say, I now have a cover/skin on the keyboard to protect it. Even though I have AppleCare, I don't want to deal with the hassle of sending it in every 6 months. If they don't come up with a better replacement design, I'll be selling this thing right as AppleCare expires.

 

[ke-iron]

Hmm maybe this would explain why my spacebar on my 2017 mbp touchbar does not always register

 

[MacBH928]

The 2015 MacBook had the new keyboard. The 2015 MacBook Pro models were the last MBP models to have the "old" keyboard.

aha, thanks for the clarification. I come from the age where it was called iBook and PowerBook which made it easier to distinguish.

 

[1rottenapple]

Hmm maybe this would explain why my spacebar on my 2017 mbp touchbar does not always register

Yup exactly