Apple's Butterfly Keyboard Repair Program for MacBooks is Nearly Over

[dannyyankou]

The problem lay not with the keyboard itself, but with its compatibility in certain user environments. This particular keyboard was susceptible to dirt and crumbs slipping under the keys, leading to malfunctions.

While most MacBook users maintained clean keyboards and refrained from eating over them to prevent crumbs from infiltrating, other PC laptops boasted keys with sealed membrane contacts, rendering them immune to such issues. Apple's design, however, left the key switches exposed, allowing debris to become trapped.

Thus, the issue wasn't solely with the butterfly design, but rather with the exposed key switches. Fortunately, with the use of compressed air, one could often restore functionality to a malfunctioning key after clearing away the debris.

That may be part of it, but I never eat or drink anything when I'm using my MacBook because I'm very paranoid and OCD about damaging it. It's not just dirt and crumbs, but any dust that builds up underneath the keys are very difficult to get out. It's a hard problem to control.

 

[Lakersfan74]

My 2019 works fine. At least it doesn’t have a notch. Probably my last laptop. I can do what I want to do on my iPad Pro.

 

[pcd213]

I'm still waiting on that check!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I've never had a twitch from my 2017 12" MacBook - still going strong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Seems like I was in the minority, reading on here. I suspect I'm not though.

 

[roncron]

“Affected customers who submitted a valid claim by the March 2023 deadlinewill receive a payment of between $50 and $395.”

It’s March 2024. What’s taking so long? This is for keyboards on models from 2018 and earlier. It’s 2024. Come on, already!

 

[brofkand]

Apple should have been required to redesign the part and replace affected user's machines with new computers with redesigned keyboards.

Replacing a badly engineered part with the same badly engineered part is not taking care of the problem.

 

[257Loner]

The butterfly keyboards were also the most shallow keyboards with the least amount of key travel of any MacBook Pro Apple had ever made. The 2021 Apple Silicon keyboards have more key travel these days, but not the same amount as the 2015 Retina MacBook Pro models that came before the butterfly keyboard. Retina MacBook Pro keyboards are awesome!

 

[steve09090]

Like buying a car where the steering wheel could randomly lock up.

A little over dramatic.

 

[MilaM]

Who else had their display flex cable break after the keyboard replacement?

 

[anshuvorty]

What a mess....an absolute mess...I hope Apple learned their lesson on what happens when they take their hubris to such extreme levels...

 

[dwsolberg]

I have a MacBook with this keyboard and never had an issue.. maybe it only applies to those disgusting enough to eat and compute at the same time?

Maybe, but that's what people do.

 

[t0rqx]

So what you're saying is "The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard."

Knowing Apple they probably said it was only a handful of users of the millions happy users.

 

[t0rqx]

The fact they kept selling this six years says enough. Same with all the microscratches the new Macbook Pro come with in the screen and they refuse to fix their QC.

 

[yabeweb]

Y

I have a MacBook with this keyboard and never had an issue.. maybe it only applies to those disgusting enough to eat and compute at the same time?

You are eating with it wrong?

So all the other macs worked for the same people with the same habit and you still defend Apple?

Guess what, if you never open the box your Mac will be safe from you using it….

 

[maxoakland]

This thing was an absolute disaster from day one. Just a garbage garbage design.

I liked the design. It's too bad it was such a lemon. A very weird generation. You can't buy it used because you can't trust that it will work for any length of time. I wonder if they'll become collectible and I wonder how they'll fare in the collectible Mac market since they'll stop working faster than pretty much any Mac ever, especially with the Stagelight issue

My opinion on the 2016 MBP (I have it):

• Complaints about USB-C "Dongle Life" are overblown. It's not really an issue
• The touchbar is cool and had a ton of potential. Giving it a physical escape key in the later versions was a great upgrade. If Apple had put more energy into developing the Touch Bar, it'd be a great feature. But they left it at 1.0.
• I love the Touch ID button for login
• The Keyboard is really nice to type on. I love the clicky feel. It's too bad that the reliability is incredibly bad
• The design of the computer is great and the darker shade looks really nice
• The various hardware problems are a show stopper

I have a MacBook with this keyboard and never had an issue.. maybe it only applies to those disgusting enough to eat and compute at the same time?

You think Apple had to pay millions of dollars to the thousands of unhappy consumers and the problem was that they were spilling food all over it?

Apple should have been required to redesign the part and replace affected user's machines with new computers with redesigned keyboards.

Replacing a badly engineered part with the same badly engineered part is not taking care of the problem.

I agree with you. I have one of those computers and only fixing it for 4 years is really not OK. These things are basically guaranteed to fail at some point and mine have multiple times

And it's not just the keys getting stuck. For whatever reason, the key caps fall off all the time and get damaged easily. It's an under reported issue since the rest of the problems with the keyboard are so extreme

I expected my MBP to last at least as long as my previous Mac, which I used for like 10 years. I'm still using it but dealing with annoying keyboard issues. I'm going to take it into see if Apple will fix it for free even though it's more than 4 years since originally sold

 

[maxoakland]

oops

 

[Fuzzball84]

This really was so so bad... but they will never admit it. An engineering fail of epic proportions. They tried to make it work by releasing at least three iterations... what was going on behind the scenes in those meeting rooms.

All anyone had to do for accelerated testing was empty a Dyson over the keyboard and press a few keys.... nope, it's still not working. We can't release this surely.

 

[iphonehype]

My girlfriends MacBook is over the period so couldn’t be replaced

 

[Zdigital2015]

I have a MacBook with this keyboard and never had an issue.. maybe it only applies to those disgusting enough to eat and compute at the same time?

My 2016 15” MBP works fine, but I am always left wk seeing when it is going to give up the ghost. Not the warmest feeling I’ve ever had for an Apple product.

 

[HarryPot]

The only bad experience I've ever had with an Apple product was a MBP 13" 2017.
Terrible computer.

The keyboard started failing in some keys, and then the screen failed completely.

Must say their current lineup is a million times better

 

[GrayFlannel]

It was a US class action suit. EU customers just threw their money away.

Perhaps in this case but foreign entities can start and join a US class action suit.

 

[ElectricPotato]

"The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience"

Apologies aren't what they used to be.

 

[aj_niner]

Lucky are those who skipped the:

- MacBook 12" 2015-2017
- MacBook Air 13" 2018-2019
- MacBook Pro 13" 2016-2019
- MacBook Pro 15" 2016-2019

Fortunate are those who kept to their Intel 14nm chip

- MacBook Air 13" 2017
- MacBook Pro 13" 2015
- MacBook Pro 15" 2015

Then delayed to Apple Silicon 5nm chip

- MacBook Air 13" 2020
- MacBook Pro 13" 2020
- MacBook Pro 14" 2021
- MacBook Pro 16" 2021

At the time I knew Mac chips were coming out but based on the PowerPC to Intel transition I expected the performance to be ~20% better with a lot of transitional snags.

I was surprised that this 3rd transition was largely bug-free.

I regret buying a 2019 MacBook Pro 16" 14nm.

Wish I kept using my 2011 MacBook Pro 13" 32nm.

Then replace it with a 2021 MacBook Pro 16" 5nm.

With an eye towards a future upgrade to a 2031 MacBook Pro 16" 0.7nm.

Jumping to a new Mac every decade.

 

[ElectricPotato]

I've never had a twitch from my 2017 12" MacBook - still going strong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As is my 2018 13" MBP. I tend to treat my expensive electronics as expensive electronics. A number of my friends routinely do things with their kit that makes my jaw drop. Example: chuck iPhone into gym bag to have the screen cracked by contents of that bag. That actually happened. That person was genuinely surprised at the outcome.

That is not an excuse for the butterfly KB, but I doubt all the culpability rests with Apple.

 

[aj_niner]

I've never had a twitch from my 2017 12" MacBook - still going strong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Seems like I was in the minority, reading on here. I suspect I'm not though.

Maybe you don't have dandruff so no small specs of foreign objects jamming the Butterfly keyboard.

It could be possible you don't have hair loss either. Hair does get into small spaces.

Do you smoke tobacco or other substances? Ash could get into it too.

Do you use a Keyboard protector? I lost 2 non-butterfly keyboards due to gunk getting underneath. One of which would be water from damp tissue while cleaning.