Apple is officially completed a program for free repair of the «butterfly» keyboard in MacBooks of previous years. Such keyboards often fail and have caused many complaints in the past.
The program was available for many MacBook models sold from 2015 to 2020. The «butterfly» mechanism has significant durability problems, with noticeable flaws appearing within a year of use. The keyboard can still be repaired, but for money. Here are the affected models:
- MacBook (Retina, 12 inches, 2015)
- MacBook (Retina, 12 inches, early 2016)
- MacBook (Retina, 12 inches, 2017)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13 inches, 2018)
- MacBook Air (Retina, 13 inches, 2019)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2016, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2017, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2019, two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2016, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2017, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15 inches, 2016)
- MacBook Pro (15 inches, 2017)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2018, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15 inches, 2018)
- MacBook Pro (13 inches, 2019, four Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- MacBook Pro (15 inches, 2019)
In 2015, Apple released the 12″ MacBook, which introduced a keyboard with a new switching mechanism. At the time, Apple CEO Phil Schiller said that the new keyboard was 40% thinner than a regular keyboard-«scissors» and four times stronger. However, complaints soon began to pile up.
The problems with the new keyboard didn’t end even when Apple introduced its second generation in the 2016 MacBook Pro. Common complaints included sticking and typing errors, including characters appearing unexpectedly, as well as dirt buildup. The problem was so widespread that after class action lawsuit in 2018 Apple introduced a free repair program. It ran for four years after the company stopped selling MacBooks with defective keys.
The class action lawsuit was settled in July 2022. Users who replaced several keyboards at their own expense were entitled to a maximum payment of $395. Those who replaced a single keyboard received $125. Even if only one keycap was replaced, users could still receive $50. Payments began to arrive in August 2024.
Only MacBook owners from the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington were eligible for reimbursement. Since Apple moved away from the «butterfly» mechanism, users have hardly complained about the reliability of the MacBook keyboard.
Sources: Apple Insider, MacRumors
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