A new class action lawsuit has been filed with regards to a MacBook keyboard issue, with many users alleging that the models are defective.
It appears as if Apple could be in hot water from a legal standpoint due to a MacBook keyboard issue that may be rendering a lot of keyboards unusable. A new class action lawsuit has been filed that seeks to address the problems Apple has caused with the use of “butterfly switch” keyboards on MacBooks and MacBook Pros – models which many feel have proven defective.
This is actually the second lawsuit regarding the MacBook keyboard issue filed this month, and it follows a series of blog posts, tweets, comments, and even a Change.org position that was filled with frustrated users who were unhappy with their new laptops.
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for Northern California, and alleges that the butterfly switches are delicate and “cannot be removed without risk of damage to the keyboard.” Which could potentially void Apple’s warranty. The MacBook keyboard issue generally doesn’t pop up as they are pretty good at keeping out dust and other particles, but when something gets inside it’s nearly impossible to remove without damaging the device.
When something does “get beneath the keys, they are capable of rendering the butterfly switches nonfunctional,” the class action suit states.
As a potential solution to the problem, Apple has suggested that users hold the laptops at a 75 degree angle and use compressed air, but defendants feel that this isn’t an effective solution.
With how expensive MacBooks and MacBook Pros are, it’s definitely frustrating that something as simple as a piece of debris falling underneath the keys could essentially cause a MacBook keyboard issue that renders the device unusable.
It would be one thing if users weren’t penalized for lifting up the key caps and addressing the problem, but Apple has built their laptops in a way where that’s near impossible and actually lifting the keys can cause significant damage to the laptop. The lawsuit filers feel that either Apple has to let up on these restrictions and adjust their warranty or offer some sort of other solution that allows them to use their devices as intended.
It remains to be seen how this MacBook keyboard issue lawsuit pans out, but it’s clear that there’s a lot of support behind the movement to hold Apple accountable for their alleged actions. Having your keyboard stop working because of a little bit of interference is definitely unreasonable, and we’ll see from the lawsuit whether the same can be said from a legal perspective.
It will be quite some time before we have a ruling one way or another as the legal process takes a little while to get going, and until that point it’s looking like MacBook users will have to find a way to deal with this unfortunate MacBook keyboard issue that doesn’t currently have a viable fix.
