MacBook Owners' Butterfly Keyboard Lawsuit Against Apple Gets Class Action Certification

[jjudson]

I’m glad there’s been an update to the keyboard. But I personally never had keyboard issues.

I never had failure issues with that keyboard, but as a writer, I just can't use it. It's like pounding on concrete. I wish I had tried it out before I bought it. I just figured it was like the previous versions.

Still, I can't see suing over it unless the device has failed without resolution.

 

[TakeshimaIslands]

The lawsuit has to prove that the repair program was inadequate and that consumer protection laws were violated. You can't sue for having a bad design.

However, it is likely Apple will settle to avoid any further negative publicity and 4 years from now all those that joined the class action will get a check for $15.18 in the mail, and the senior partners of the law firms involved will be able to renovate their summer homes. The system works...

yes exactly, I hate the class action cartel where blood sucking lawyers make huge profits off class action suits.

I am all for laws that make Trillion dollar market cap corporations held accountable for shoddy products by the consumer but class action suits do nothing more to enrich the already overpaid lawyers

Apple will settle without prejudice like all corporations because a long drawn out legal battle isn’t worth their time and class action side doesn't really want to go to court because of the huge legal bill resulting from a multiple year legal battle in court as Apples legal counsel will filibuster arguing over petty legalities.

Congratulations to the $600/hr lawyers who will make mega bucks and those who will get $9 crumbs in the mail in 2025(!)

 

[dave070]

apple defenders in 1,2,3... GO

What number does the count end at before GO?

 

[DevNull0]

LOL.Only in America!

Agreed. Only in America is the only mechanism for holding a company accountable this asinine concept of a class action law suit. This way, the company gets screwed over in massive legal fees to both their own and the plaintiff lawyers, the customers get $5 coupons off their next Macbook (if they're lucky), and the lawyers (on both sides) walk away with millions. Truly an American concept. God bless America.

Meanwhile, in the civilized world, we have government regulation to hold companies to account. Real developed countries have real consumer protection laws. And it's just pathetic how often those laws get mocked on this forum. It's like Americans actually want to help the billionaires screw them over time and time again. The rest of the world just doesn't understand why you like it so much.

 

[JeffPerrin]

Left command key doesn't always work (2018 model). Drives me friggin' batty - especially in the heat-of-the-moment coding where hi-lighted text gets deleted instead of copied.

 

[Halfsnap]

Great news... so tired of Apple occasionally shoving garbage down our throats, all while charging us a premium for it.

 

[ani4ani]

The lawsuit has to prove that the repair program was inadequate and that consumer protection laws were violated. You can't sue for having a bad design.

However, it is likely Apple will settle to avoid any further negative publicity and 4 years from now all those that joined the class action will get a check for $15.18 in the mail, and the senior partners of the law firms involved will be able to renovate their summer homes. The system works...

Of course you can sue for a bad design; I latent defect can be the result of a poor design and this is the case here, a bad design that often did not manifest [but was still failing] as an issue until the warranty had expired.

 

[DevNull0]

However, it is likely Apple will settle to avoid any further negative publicity and 4 years from now all those that joined the class action will get a check for $15.18 in the mail, and the senior partners of the law firms involved will be able to renovate their summer homes. The system works...

You haven't been paying attention if you think all they'll get is renovation money. They'll be able to buy new personal Gulfstreams.

 

[Hieveryone]

Apple customers unhappy with the butterfly keyboards used in MacBook models from 2015 on will be able to proceed with a lawsuit against the Cupertino company, as the judge overseeing the case has given it class action status [PDF]. The suit covers anyone who purchased a MacBook with a butterfly keyboard in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington, and Michigan.

As noted by The Verge, Judge Edward Davila certified the case on March 8, but the order was sealed until last week. This lawsuit will include those who bought a MacBook between 2015 and 2017, a MacBook Pro between 2016 and 2019, or a MacBook Air between 2018 and 2019.

The lawsuit was first filed in 2018, accusing Apple of concealing the fact that its 2015 and later MacBook models had keyboards prone to failure. Apple launched a repair program for all Macs with butterfly keyboards, but the complainants believe that the repair program does not serve as an effective fix because the replacement keyboards also use butterfly mechanisms that can fail again.

Apple attempted to get the lawsuit dismissed in 2019, but was unsuccessful. At the time, the judge said that Apple must face the claims that the repair program is inadequate or compensate customers for out-of-pocket repair expenses.

First introduced in 2015, Apple's butterfly keyboards were a huge failure. There were countless complaints from MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air owners who saw their keyboards break, sometimes more than once. There were issues with stuck and repeating keys or keys that refused to work at all, with the problem caused by key failure after exposure to dust and other small particulates.

Apple attempted to revise the butterfly keyboard several times to make it more durable and launched an extensive repair program for MacBook owners with faulty keyboards, but ultimately replaced the butterfly keyboard with a scissor switch keyboard starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro introduced in 2019.

The butterfly keyboard is no longer in use in any Mac product in Apple's lineup, but there are still plenty of people who are stuck with a MacBook manufactured from 2015 to 2019 that has a keyboard prone to failure. The lawsuit is seeking damages for violations of consumer protection laws in the seven included states, and while the plaintiffs are not yet asking for a nationwide certification, the law firm behind the lawsuit is running a survey to determine how many people might be affected.

Article Link: MacBook Owners' Butterfly Keyboard Lawsuit Against Apple Gets Class Action Certification

I hate to hear this. I'm sure there are PLENTY of people who are perfectly satisfied with their butterfly keyboard, and may in fact even like or prefer it to the scissor.

I have maintained for a long time now, that I actually LOVE the butterfly mechanism. The feel is quick and snappy, and to me that is AWESOME.

People might say, "just wait till it breaks." Well, I understand that could happen but luckily I have been fine so far and it has been years.

If it does break, guess what? It is backed by Apple as far as I understand, so what's the problem?

I'm not a "fanboy" or anything like that, this is just my genuine opinion.

 

[ani4ani]

WOW, punishing a company for making an honest attempt at trying something new that they thought would be an improvement but it didn't work out. I hope you don't truly think Apple purposely created the butterfly keyboard just to screw over customers? Lordy your mindset....SMH.

Them denying it for 3 years; yes, they purposely let customers spend a fortune fixing their problem...they were screwing their customers.

 

[IIGS User]

Looking forward to my Kohl's cash and 25% off coupon from the settlement.

Only good on February 29th & 30th!

I have one of the effected units. It's a crappy keyboard. Hands down. Had I not had (at the time) faith in Apple, I would have gone to the store and tried it out before I bought it. That's my mistake.

Maybe a Surface Pro next time. I hear they still run those awesome Intel processors!

 

[bookcase]

It took some getting used to, but I never had an issue on my MacBook. Been working for a few years now.

 

[Maconplasma]

Maconplasma, you may scoff at my suggestion, but given that many MacBook users had their butterfly-switch keyboards on 2015-2019 MacBook models replaced and it still didn't resolve the switch failure issues more than once, this is something that Apple may have to set aside a 10-figure amount for a financial settlement.

Not gonna happen.

Wish I was as sanguine as you, though.

I just said that you're not gonna get anywhere near the type of money you're expecting. As most others here stated IF...and only IF Apple loses this customers MAY get no more than a $10 iTunes gift card. You have to keep in mind that products come with a warranty to cover Manufacturer's Defects. The keyboard debacle is a manufacturer's defect, plain and simple. Chances are Apple may have to extend the keyboard repair program for a longer period. If you're looking for monetary damages don't waste your time, nobody's life was harmed over this like when Samsung's phones exploded causing fires. Haven't been hearing much about that in tech news in terms of lawsuits. Wonder why? Probably because the name doesn't involve Apple. 🙄. I would think exploding phones causing fires are a lot more serious to render a lawsuit rather than a faulty keyboard.

 

[Herrpod]

LOL.Only in America!

Yep America leads the way once again.

 

[TobiWahn_Kenobi]

Torn to be honest. I do really love the typing experience of the butterfly (mbp2018) but sometimes my left shift key does not register which drives me nuts. I've bought pressurised air cans and they solve the problem for a while but it always comes back.
Coworkers in my company on the other hand have mbp's 2016 and 2017 and had their machines/keyboards replaced mutliple times now...

 

[gregmancuso]

apple defenders in 1,2,3... GO

Call me a defender if you'd like. Perhaps I am just the lucky one. I've had several MacBooks with these keyboards and I have never had a problem. It did take a day or two to get used to the shallower travel, but was not bad. I also cannot touch type - perhaps hunting and pecking (fast, but still) hid the professed problems?

 

[icanhazmac]

If it does break, guess what? It is backed by Apple as far as I understand, so what's the problem?

The problem is they replace it with the same, crappy, failure prone POS keyboard, it will fail again! Imagine if a car company with a failure prone motor kept replacing them with the exact same craptastic model and only covering it for 4 years.

PS - you are only covered for 4 years from the original date of purchase.

 

[Rafterman]

The only ones getting paid are the lawyers.

 

[SactoGuy18]

The only ones getting paid are the lawyers.

Sadly, I agree that's the case.

 

[Hieveryone]

The problem is they replace it with the same, crappy, failure prone POS keyboard, it will fail again! Imagine if a car company with a failure prone motor kept replacing them with the exact same craptastic model and only covering it for 4 years.

PS - you are only covered for 4 years from the original date of purchase.

Ok, well I'm not saying that those who had trouble don't have a right to be upset or have a negative opinion of it. All I'm saying is that I have the butterfly in 2 of my Mac laptops and I've been fine for years, and I am confident if something were to happen Apple would change it, and hopefully it'd be fine.

I personally like the feel of it as well, which is a huge perk as well for me.

But if someone doesn't like it, I hope they find a keyboard they like. Now, Apple has changed it out, so hopefully the new one makes people happy.

 

[fncd]

The problem is they replace it with the same, crappy, failure prone POS keyboard, it will fail again! Imagine if a car company with a failure prone motor kept replacing them with the exact same craptastic model and only covering it for 4 years.

PS - you are only covered for 4 years from the original date of purchase.

Indeed - whether you have a 2016, 2017, 2018 model. Everything I have read shows that it's the exact same keyboard that was already in it - the only difference is that the keycaps for option / command have the new symbols. So the 2016 MacBook Pro replacement keyboard won't get that membrane that the 2018 has, etc.

 

[baryon]

I dn't knw what the prblem is, persnally I never had any issues with my butterfly keybard! I lve t type n it!

 

[averagenerd81]

Totally justified. Apple screwed up big time with those keyboards. They were the worst keyboard I have ever used.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

Even if the keyboard were 100% reliable, it is still a pretty bad keyboard. Typing with the butterfly keyboard is just a tad better than tapping on a slab of concrete. There is very little tactile feedback and very hard on the fingers. I returned a MacBook 12” just for that reason. What good would a thin and lite notebook do if you don’t feel comfortable using it?

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

The only (temporary) fix I've found is to turn the MacBook upside down, give the bottom of the chassis a good hard few knocks, and then turn it back round. It must help move the particles in the keys. But then I a hasty type and break most things that I touch.