Apple customers dissatisfied with the butterfly keyboards used on MacBook models from 2015 onwards may file a lawsuit against the Cupertino company, as the judge responsible for the case has given it class action status [PDF]. The suit covers anyone who bought a MacBook with a butterfly keyboard in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington and Michigan.
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As noted by The Verge, Judge Edward Davila certified the case on March 8, but the order was sealed until last week. This process will include those who purchased a MacBook between 2015 and 2017, a MacBook Pro between 2016 and 2019 or a MacBook Air between 2018 and 2019.
The lawsuit was opened for the first time in 2018, accusing Apple of hiding the fact that its 2015 and later MacBook models had keyboards subject to failure. Apple has launched a repair program for all Macs with butterfly keyboards, but complainants believe that the repair program is not an effective solution because replacement keyboards also use butterfly mechanisms that can fail again.
Apple tried to have the lawsuit filed in 2019, but was unsuccessful. At the time, the judge said Apple must face charges 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 major failure. There have been numerous complaints from MacBook, MacBook Pro and eMacBook Air owners who have seen their keyboards break, sometimes more than once. There were problems with locked and repeated keys or keys that refused to work, with the problem caused by the failure of the key after exposure to dust and other small particles.
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Apple tried to overhaul the butterfly keyboard several times to make it more durable and launched an extensive repair program for MacBook owners with defective keyboards, but ended up replacing the butterfly keyboard with a scissor keyboard starting with the MacBook Pro 16 inches released in 2019.
The butterfly keyboard is no longer used in any Mac product in the Apple line, but there are still many people who are stuck with a MacBook manufactured from 2015 to 2019 that has a flawed keyboard. The lawsuit seeks compensation for violations of consumer protection laws in the seven states included, and although plaintiffs are still not seeking national certification, the law firm behind the lawsuit is conducting research to determine how many people may be affected.