Apple finally acknowledges MacBook Pro ‘Butterfly’ keyboard issue

Following the publication of a critical column by The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern where the story was written without the letters ‘E’ and ‘R’ being usable on the keyboard, Apple has released a statement regarding the reliability issues customers are experiencing with the MacBook Pro.

“We are aware that a small number of users are having issues with their third-generation butterfly keyboard and for that we are sorry,” an Apple spokesperson told Stern in a statement. “The vast majority of Mac notebook customers are having a positive experience with the new keyboard.”

Apple’s ‘Butterfly’ mechanism keyboard has been under fire for the last few years. Following criticism from The Outline’s Casey Johnston, Apple quietly added a rubber membrane under the keyboard in the 2018 MacBook.

Although Apple said it added the membrane to make the keyboard quieter, most believe it was added to keep dust and other particles from getting stuck under the keys. Further, Apple launched an extended repairs program that didn’t include the 2018 version of the MacBook Pro keyboard.

It eventually turned out that the addition of the membrane didn’t solve the keyboard debris issue, with people who own 2018 MacBooks still reporting experiencing keyboard reliability issues

I use a 2017 MacBook Pro and have occasionally had keyboard reliability problems despite cleaning my entire laptop probably once every three days. I’ve been able to solve the issue myself so far by spraying compressed air at the keyboard as well as sliding a thin piece of paper under the key to remove unwanted debris.

Though it’s nice that Apple is finally acknowledging the issue, it also confirms many people’s assumptions about the Pro’s keyboard.

Apple will likely need to move swiftly with a Butterfly keyboard mechanism redesign to distance itself from the problem.

Source: The Wall Street Journal