Apple Is Sorry About Your Broken MacBook Keyboard

The company admits there's a problem and will repair affected laptops through its keyboard service program.
Published
Julie Ramhold
BY:
Senior Staff Writer/Consumer Analyst
Apple store

Apple is no stranger to scandals, as any tech fan can remember "Bendgate" from 2014 and the iPhone slowdown issues from earlier this year. In both cases, the company worked to make things right with affected customers.

Now Apple is taking steps to rectify yet another problem, this time with the keyboards of certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models.

MacBook Keyboards Are Failing

Apple introduced butterfly-style switches on MacBooks in 2015 and MacBook Pros in 2016. Unfortunately, the keyboards with the butterfly mechanism are known for having problems, due to the fragile key switches. Dust can cause them to fail completely, and removing the keys for cleaning can wreck the keyboard even further.

On certain MacBooks and MacBook Pros, dust can cause the key switches to fail completely.

But Apple Has a Fix

To take care of the issue, Apple is now providing an extended keyboard service program for affected laptops. The program covers replacement of multiple keys or even the whole keyboard, depending on the severity of the issue. Additionally, it covers eligible laptops for four years after they were first purchased through a retailer.

While the keyboard issue is annoying, the fact that Apple is taking steps to correct it is at least a little encouraging. The program's coverage period goes for longer than the limited warranty the laptops ship with or Apple's extended AppleCare+.

Readers, have you experienced keyboard issues with your MacBook or MacBook Pro? Will you try to have your laptop repaired under the program? Let us know in the comments below.

Related DealNews Blog Posts:
Julie Ramhold
Senior Staff Writer/Consumer Analyst

Julie's work has been featured on CNBC, GoBankingRates, Kiplinger, Marketwatch, Money, The New York Times, Real Simple, US News, WaPo, WSJ, Yahoo!, and more. She's extolled the virtues of DealNews in interviews with Cheddar TV, GMA, various podcasts, and affiliates across the United States, plus one in Canada.
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

Comments

Leave a comment!

or Register
9 comments
Bmango
Apple doesn't work with their customers as stated in the article. The customers are having to file suits first then Apple comes around. Never seen Apple take the first step.
June 29, 2018
xterra
After having a Iphone for 1 week I soon realized their junk.
June 28, 2018
aggiefather
Scott Stein over at C/NET recently wrote that the MacBook Air 2017 laptop does not have the "butterfly" key mechanism so I picked one up for my college-bound child. I also read that people have been successful using a can of compressed air to blow out dust/food particles that might be gumming up Apple laptops with the "butterfly" keyboards.
June 28, 2018
dansdeals
I have a $4,000 MacBook Pro (they REALLY get you for the 2TB SSD.) The first three that I received had unresponsive keys. I have since realized that I could have probably unstuck them by holding the computer at an angle and blowing air into the keys while slapping them to free whatever had gummed up the works. It happens from time to time and I always end up freeing the key. Of equal concern to me is how loud the keyboard is. I have literally had people tell me they had to move away from me because the keyboard is too loud. I've had every model of MacBook and that has never happened before! The keyboards need to be revamped. As a long time Mac user, I believe Apple has lost their way. Too many bugs. The products are super expensive but they were the best. They're still the best, which doesn't say much about other computers and Windows, but Macs (and iPhones) are definitely more buggy than ever.
June 27, 2018
pmurray63
"Having an issue with a keyboard is not a scandal."

But refusing to acknowledge it for years is.
June 26, 2018
okani
Sorry my rainbow a$$
June 26, 2018
daveradoy
"Apple is no stranger to scandals".....really? Seems like this is an attacking article. Maybe you could have said that Apple made an honest mistake and is now trying to fix it. Having an issue with a keyboard is not a scandal. They were trying a new way to make a keyboard and it didn't work the way they had hoped.
June 26, 2018
CLS9
Never mind...I thought I was commenting on an attached Apple watch article.
June 26, 2018
CLS9
This article is 3 years old! The Apple watch has evolved tremendously since then.
June 26, 2018