
As Barbaro's MacBook Pro was at this point out of warranty, he was told it would cost more than $700 to repair.

Unlike Rao, Barbaro opted to fix unresponsive space bar and caps lock keys through Apple's repair process, which worked for a few weeks before space bar failed a second time.īarbaro returned to his local Apple store, but the Genius Bar representative was unable to solve the issue using conventional tools. Not able to wait the one week it would take to fix the machine, and unconvinced that a repair would permanently solve the issue, Rao declined the offer and purchased an external keyboard.Ī second named plaintiff, Kyle Barbaro, went through a similar experience with his 2016 MacBook Pro. Representatives were unable to fix the issue and suggested repair under Apple's gratis one-year warranty. After attempting to clean out the key on his own, Rao ultimately sought help from the Apple store in April. One named plaintiff, Zixuan Rao, purchased a new 15-inch MacBook Pro in January and began to experience problems with the laptop's "B" key about a month later.

In extreme cases, the key fails, forcing owners to take their laptop in for service at a Genius Bar or authorized Apple repair facility, a trip that could cost hundreds of dollars if the machine is out of warranty. Specifically, the suit claims the design is such that small amounts of dust or debris impede normal switch behavior, causing keystrokes to go unregistered.

Both laptops feature the company's butterfly keyboard mechanism, an ultra low-profile switch advertised as both more responsive and robust than traditional scissor-type components.Īccording to the filing, "thousands" of MacBook and MacBook Pro owners have experienced some type of failure with Apple's butterfly keyboard, thus rendering the machine useless. Lodged in the Northern District Court of California, the complaint levels multiple claims targeting MacBook models manufactured from 2015 and MacBook Pro models produced from 2016.
