Apple's butterfly keyboard, comprised of the ultrathin keys on the MacBook and MacBook Pro, has the company staring down the barrel of a class action lawsuit in federal court.
The complaint, which you can read in full here, was lodged in the Northern District of California. It targets MacBooks from 2015 or later and MacBook Pros from 2016 or later, all with the butterfly keyboard. The lawsuit claims that small amounts of dust can make the keyboard unresponsive (a common complaint among MacBook users, especially on social media), but that Apple kept using them anyway. Recently, a Change.org petition for Apple to change the keyboard got over 20,000 signatures.
Specifically, the lawsuit states that Apple's claim that the butterfly keyboard offers "four times more key stability than a traditional scissor mechanism" is a false representation of the product. As of this writing, that statement is still on Apple's MacBook Pro site. It also suggests Apple is not meeting its warranty obligations, often suggesting partial, but not permanent, fixes like using compressed air to get dust out of the keyboard.
The case has two plaintiffs, each with MacBook Pros (one specifies a 15-inch with Touch Bar), that allegedly have issues, and would have had to pay to get them replaced. The class is taking on class action status, and those who want to join the case can do so here.
The plaintiffs are seeking legal fees and damages, and also want Apple to publicly admit to a design flaw. They also want Apple to replace or repair faulty units and pay for replacement laptops.
A recent study by Apple Insider showed that 2016 MacBook Pro butterfly keyboards were failing almost twice as often as older models. Some suggest that the best MacBook you can get is over two years old, with a traditional scissor keyboard.
