Keyboardgate? Apple faces legal action for βbutterflyβ keyboard
New isnβt always better. Thatβs probably what users of the recent MacBooks will tell you. The MacBook Pro 2016 feature a βbutterflyβ keyboard mechanism that allowed Apple to make the keyboard 40% thinner and a whopping four times more stable than the βscissorβ mechanism you see in most other laptops. It is also reportedly twice as likely to fail in the first year of use.
Repairs donβt come cheap either, supposedly costing between $400 to $700 (~RM1580 β RM2765) once you are out of the warranty period. This is probably the main grouse of MacBook users as they donβt come cheap, and having to spend so much on repairs is just downright ridiculous. The complaint filed at the Northern District Court of California claims that Apple routinely offersΒ short-termΒ remediesΒ that circumvent the problem temporarily before it returns. Even when repairs are done, the serviced keyboard is claimed to fail again in short order.
The issue is reportedly due to dust and debris getting into the mechanism causing failure. Check any keyboard and you will see that there will be dust under the keys. Apple canβt claim that βoh you live in a dusty environment. It isnβt our faultβ when other laptops often see their keyboards survive long past the laptopsβ usable lifespan. But Apple is reportedly not admitting that their design is at fault, for now.
Source: TechCrunch
Pokdepinion: If repairs still result in the keyboard failing yet again, I believe Apple is far from perfecting the design for long term use. Will they consider reverting to the tried-and-true βscissorβ mechanism anytime soon?
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