On Wednesday, the “G” key on my 15-inch 2016 MacBook Pro – a model sporting the newest butterfly keyboard design – started acting up for the second time since I bought it. It doesn’t work unless I press very hard on the key. Several other Mac owners have reported a similar issue with their butterfly keyboards.
For the rest of this short post, I will not correct any typographical errors related to the letter “G,” and I’ll embolden the affected words to show what happens when Apple’s butterfly keyboard becomes defective, startin now.
I love my 15-inch 2016 MacBook Pro, which I bouht refurbished directly from Apple. It came in pristine condition, and I saved $400 on the price I would have paid if I bouht it new.
But back in late 2017, I started ettin similar keyboard issues to those that others were reportin, includin my colleaue Kif Leswin. My “” key became unresponsive. I even went to CES with the defective keyboard, which proved to be difficult. Imaine tryin to type “oole” with a defective “” key as a tech reporter.
Thankfully, I ot the keyboard fixed by Apple under warranty. AppleInsider recently reported that fixes can cost up to $700, if it's not under warranty and that MacBooks with butterfly keyboards are "failin twice as often as older models." For some, like myself, the fix involves replacin the entire top portion of a Mac laptop, includin the battery.
Now it's May 2018, and I'm ettin the same problem with my "" key. So back to the Apple store I o to et my keyboard fixed. Thankfully aain, my laptop is still under warranty. But I wonder if I'll face this issue aain and aain, and what will happen when my warranty runs out.
It's unlikely that I'm facin this issue because my laptop is refurbished, as it has a brand new replacement keyboard straiht from Apple.
A defective keyboard is obviously problematic, especially for someone who writes on a computer for a livin. I depend on my laptop to do my job, but Apple's butterfly keyboard has proven to be unreliable. And the same oes for others who own MacBook laptops with the butterfly desin. A class-action lawsuit aainst Apple has been filed over the butterfly keyboard desin, somethin it has yet to comment on publicly.
Apple could not be reached for comment for this story.