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Apple Hit With Second Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Defective' Keyboards in Recent MacBook, MacBook Pro Models
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i would love to know where that $700 to repair came from. liquid damage on a 13 inch is $755 plus tax and flat rate non damage is $575 plus tax tops. and I'm pretty sure only logic boards and displays go up to the $600-700 range in part costs. a top case if the battery is attached is maybe $400
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they test in clean rooms. every mention of this failure is due to dust or other dirt. so it's basically damaged by the user but they don't charge damage pricing
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they test in clean rooms. every mention of this failure is due to dust or other dirt. so it's basically damaged by the user but they don't charge damage pricing
I always love that youtube video, the jabs apply to Apple even today. What she says at the end reminds me of a lot of the Apple defenders here on the forum who insist that there is no problem with the keyboards:
"It remains to be seen if the MacBook wheel will catch on in the business world where people use computers for actual work and not just dicking around."
"It remains to be seen if the MacBook wheel will catch on in the business world where people use computers for actual work and not just dicking around."
Around Christmas last year I finally got to upgrade my old macbook pro 2013, 13". I purchased the 2017 15" model and was looking forward to tinkering with it during the holiday. After 1.5 week I noticed more and more mistakes while typing. I thought I just had to get used to the keyboard but within 3 weeks it became apparent that the B, H and G keys were verifiable broken.
I've spent hours on the phone with their experts and "senior" product managers. And guess what they can't do anything for me. I can't get my money back because of 2 week return policy and I can't get a new machine because I purchased at a premium reseller. So far I got it repaired two times but the keyboard never lasted more than a month.
They were happy to tell me that my product is within warranty so I can get free repairs. Lucky me! I can take the machine that I need for work to a apple service center every other month and maybe have it back within 1 or 2 weeks.
For now I returned back to work on my macbook pro 2013 model and my brand new Macbook 2017 sits on my desk like a glorified paperweight.
I just want my money back and be done with this ********.
I've spent hours on the phone with their experts and "senior" product managers. And guess what they can't do anything for me. I can't get my money back because of 2 week return policy and I can't get a new machine because I purchased at a premium reseller. So far I got it repaired two times but the keyboard never lasted more than a month.
They were happy to tell me that my product is within warranty so I can get free repairs. Lucky me! I can take the machine that I need for work to a apple service center every other month and maybe have it back within 1 or 2 weeks.
For now I returned back to work on my macbook pro 2013 model and my brand new Macbook 2017 sits on my desk like a glorified paperweight.
I just want my money back and be done with this ********.
We have four of these MBP in my family. Two of them have experienced multiple key problems. Compressed air solved most of the problems. But one keyboard had to be replaced. So it seems that not all is affected.
As a owner of the new 12” MacBook,I can confirm the the new butterfly keyboard really do suck and without a doubt is a flawed design.
Keys randomly stuck all the time,and typing experience is truly an awkward,unpleasant experience.
Keys randomly stuck all the time,and typing experience is truly an awkward,unpleasant experience.
If you take away the keyboard and replace it with a touchscreen, isn't that just a tablet with a hinge?
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My keyboard seems to be fine for the moment, but if a problem does arise in the future I can hope that there is some kind of recall for faulty machines or at least free repair.
I don’t know, but I think in the UK an item has to be fit for purpose (and by my reckoning, a laptops keyboard needs to work) and can be covered for up to 6 years by law. Of course, I’d rather my keyboard didn’t fail, but if the problem is as widespread as people suggest, being prepared for it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
I’d buy Apple care but I don’t much like the idea of that after spending so much already.
I steer clear of my laptop while I eat, but was thinking of taking it on holiday. Maybe I should leave it at home... I’m guessing even one grain of sand could be a problem lol...
I don’t know, but I think in the UK an item has to be fit for purpose (and by my reckoning, a laptops keyboard needs to work) and can be covered for up to 6 years by law. Of course, I’d rather my keyboard didn’t fail, but if the problem is as widespread as people suggest, being prepared for it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
I’d buy Apple care but I don’t much like the idea of that after spending so much already.
I steer clear of my laptop while I eat, but was thinking of taking it on holiday. Maybe I should leave it at home... I’m guessing even one grain of sand could be a problem lol...
Apple seems to ask everyone to use their MacBook in an industrial level cleaning room all the time, while my good old MacBook Air is using in a dusty room and still functional.
This keyboard defect and that weird touch bar are enough to drive me back to buy any new MacBook.
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Maybe Apple does not want MacBook anymore. They want everyone to use iPad.
Yes, but without the haptics the movement is imperceptible unless you look really closely - c.f. the older touchpads with a physical click. They're using strain gauges rather that switches with contacts - not exactly "no moving parts" but close. Most of the "illusion" of movement is coming from the haptics, especially the "force click".
However, you can say much the same of the current butterfly keyboard - its about as close to "fully flat" as you could get with individual, physical keyswitches. I don't think people are going to be chucking out their Model M's or Das Keyboards for a touch keyboard, but if you really must have a thin'n'crispy ultrabook...
Well, yes, I'm definitely thinking of a touch keyboard that could have keys textured into the surface rather that a perfectly smooth surface that somehow electronically creates the illusion of keys (which is what you'd need for a touch screen). Again, I'm presuming that this is for people who would accept the butterfly keyboard if only it were reliable.
As for localising the haptic 'click' to the key being pressed - my hunch is that you won't need to do that, and even if you have other fingers resting on the keys your brain will associate the feedback with the finger you're pressing down with (interesting question - if someone has never, ever used a clickable trackpad, does the 'illusion' of the Magic Trackpad 2 work for them?)
We have 12 of the 2016 & 2017 models, and have had problems with 5 of them. And same story, users who have used other Apple laptops with us for years and had no issues, or even visible wear and tear.
I think we would see non physical keys on laptops by now if it were a truly plausible thing. It is one thing to implement palm rejection on the touchpad but an entirely different thing to apply that to tiny sections of touchable surface across that broad expanse. How would it know what was accidental and what wasn’t?
Saying that! I’d be intrigued to see it and how Apple might make it work! There would need to be some extremely clever software in the background.
In the meantime, I guess we are ‘stuck’ with this keyboard.
Well normal product failure rates should be in the ppt / ppm level... so 2 out of 4 is *terrible*...
I have a MBP 2017 one of the keys is stuck, is it worth me waiting for this lawsuit to go through or bring it to apple? Will they cover in-warrenty repairs or is it not a repair they cover?
Yes the lawyers make big bucks. However, its a way for Joe Public to hold large companies accountable that would not be available otherwise.
2016s
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You're splitting hairs, unless people are getting electrocuted from their keyboards, the government is never going to make them issue an official recall.
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No, 2 out of 4 is anecdotal. For example, if I bought a monitor and it turns out to have dead pixels and I return it for a replacement unit, that would be a 50% failure rate...but only for me individually. That's proof of nothing on a broad scale.
There is a big difference from the 2016 butterfly keyboards, and the butterfly ones in later 2017 and beyond. I bought the 2016, had keyboard issues, returned it, bought another one, had keyboard issues again, although not as bad. I had it the keyboard replaced under warranty end of 2017, and this keyboard has (so far) been problem free.
It's a little silly.
First, performance gains aren't that big of a deal...I work on a 2012 MBP retina with 16GB of RAM and an i7. It's snappy and fast for general use (when I'm not getting cpu throttling due to a bad thermal sensor)...now I'm not rendering video or anything on this thing, but otherwise, it's still a reasonable daily driver. I'm sure the 2015 model is even better than my crappy 2012. Second, depending on the peripherals people are intending to use with the laptop, the slower I/O interfaces may make daily use demonstrably easier with less reliance on dongles for "legacy" devices like USB mouses, keyboards, printers, that are still being used at home and work....not to mention people who use SD cards.
Personally, if I had a newer model, I would probably get rid of a lot of my peripherals and buy bluetooth versions...but I recognize that the choice I'd be making is trade off that Apple is coercing me to make through their decision to nix other ports. I don't think those who take issue with this scenario are silly.
The price is silly...you are right. But, whose fault is that?
What we are left here is a decision based on trade offs...do I pay for the more advanced machine with the trade offs in ports and build quality (I'm claiming the keyboard problems indicate problems with build quality compared to the earlier models), or do I pay too much for the older design that has a better keyboard, fewer necessary dongles, and is still pretty fast?
Personally, I wouldn't buy the 2015 version...or the 2016 or 17 ones...I'm holding my breath for this year's iteration.
But, I do think it's a problem that Apple has created a situation where buying the newest and best feels like a trade off...it should be a no brainer all around.
Good. Apple deserves this class action lawsuit. I actually wish that there were DOZENS of class action lawsuits against Apple for this terrible keyboard (and for this MacBook Pro being terrible in ALL ways)... instead of just 2 class action lawsuits. Hopefully, we will see more class action lawsuits against Apple in the near future for creating and selling this awful machine.
Bullcrap cynical view is cynical. Legitimate class action suits are about making the company, and others who might follow suit, know that there is a hefty price to be paid for designing and foisting defective products or pulling anti-competitive nonsense on the public (don't know if the MB KB falls into that, haven't followed the situation). When I get notices of being in a class action lawsuit award, you're right, it is pretty meager (e.g. I will get a free DVD rental if I send in the form), I just toss it as not worth my time. But I bet that big rental company/box owner will think twice before trying to pull that anti-competition shenanigans a second time. Hit'em where it hurts -> the bottom line. That's the point of class action. And the law firms that pursue these cases usually do all the work and eat all the costs, for years, on their own dime. Once you factor in all the bills to be paid and deferred salaries and such, the payouts aren't as great as you might think based on what the _courts_ decide to award. And you know, they just might lose the case.
Well there aren’t many large, haptic trackpads either - and I rather think that Apple have shown that those work. Probably got it all patented to the hilt..
Also, this is all predicated on people actually wanting ultra thin keyboards (if they are reliable), which has only been a thing since the MB came out.
As I said, I’m not sure that individually vibrating keys would be necessary - you may naturally associate the ‘click’ with the key you’re pressing.