Andrew O'Hara
A new petition created by a beleaguered MacBook Pro owner calls on Apple to recall versions of the laptop that incorporate a butterfly mechanism keyboard, a design that some view as inherently flawed.
Created by Matthew Taylor on Wednesday, the Change.org petition asks for Apple to voluntarily recall and repair all MacBook Pro models released since late 2016.
Taylor is not simply asking for replacement keyboards, but instead an entirely new design not prone to constant failures suffered by some owners. Since the 2016 MacBook Pro launched, a number of users have complained of failed, unreliable and unresponsive keys, a critical flaw for a laptop boasting an integrated, hard-to-replace keyboard.
AppleInsider brought attention to the issue earlier this week, offering hard data on failure rates gleaned from service information collected from Apple Genius Bars and authorized repair outlets.
When comparing data from 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 MacBook Pros — not including Touch Bar related problems — the 2016 MacBook Pro keyboard fails twice as often as previous models. The 2017 version currently fares a bit better, but a full dataset for that model is unavailable as it has only been on the market for 11 months.
Aside from the frustration associated with an unreliable keyboard, cost of repair is a serious concern.
Apple's MacBook Pro design so tightly integrates components with the chassis that if a switch fails and the keyboard needs to be replaced, the keyboard, battery, and upper metal case all need to be swapped together. We have seen out-of-warranty repair bills reach upwards of $700 for this type of repair, all for a simple broken key.
At the time of press, the petition has amassed over 1,000 signatures.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
79 Comments
Sniff, sniff.... I smell butthurt
Legit issue. What genius decided to integrate the keyboard with the top case? My wife’s kb is almost unusable due to intermittent key presses.
I'm not really sure as to why/how a keyboard will fail that would require a replacement keyboard. I own two Macs with the butterfly 2 keyboards and I am definitely not a fan, but they are usable. One of my keys didn't really work only after a few months but a few blows of can air did the trick. I have to admit that I was worried as just prying off the keys using a pocket knife wasn't an option with these keys.
...how many even really like the new keyboard (of COURSE there will be some) ? There is no stand alone to match, or with even the most basic backlighting option (really?), and my guess is the cost of the touchbar that macbook pro users are ransomed to pay for would never cut it in a stand alone - even the iMac Pro didn't get it...? What would such a keyboard retail at ? $400+ ?
Everything onboard - has Apple saddled pro users with this - current management does a lot that is great, but the designs just do not work (for me) any more - even the mini is locked down on ram - really? I mean really ??? Throw away design, especially for entry level which may be starting tight on budget - 'sustainability'...?
Please give us macs we can actually effectively repair, adapt for OUR often changing needs, and options to vary the cost, configuration, and to SERVE users, vs restricting so much...
Pro tower - highly proprietary and another admitted misjudgement...
And then there are the dongles, oh my goodness... The TB3>TB adapter is a favourite which should support Mini DiplayPort to even meet the base spec does not, and so the ONLY monitor I could not get working at the launch of the 2016 macbook pro was Apple's own 27" LED Cinema Display... Wow.
...the only mac I might be tempted with now would be the iMac, yet even that has lost the ability to change the vesa mount (yes long ago, yet another post Jobs judgement) and target display, two features I still use clinging to hardware that is adaptable, and compatible with more than the latest beta OS forced on those who pay the ultimate price in so many ways...
Yet with profits up, will Apple just keep boiling the frogs...?
Rant out.