If you have anolder MacBookwith a butterfly keyboard, I have some bad news for you.
Six and a half years after it first launched,Applehas officially halted itsfree programthat fixedbutterfly keyboard issueson specific MacBooks released between 2015 and 2019 (via MacRumors). This means that users encountering problems with the Butterfly keyboard on older MacBooks are no longer guaranteed a free repair from Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
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The history of the Butterfly keyboard
It all started nine years ago in 2015
In March 2015, Apple released a superthin 12-inch MacBook, separate from its MacBook Air and Pro lineups. The 12-inch MacBook featured a low-profile keyboard that used a Butterfly switch mechanism. Before this, for much of the 2000s, Apple used a scissor-switch mechanism in its MacBook keyboards.
However, the Butterfly switch mechanism soon ran into issues, with users reporting letters repeating unexpectedly when typing or failing to appear at all when pressed. In October 2016, the issue came more into the spotlight when Apple released the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with its second-generation Butterfly keyboard. Unfortunately, users still had issues with the keyboard and reported experiencing sticky and unresponsive keys. In 2018, things became really serious when Apple was hit with aclass action lawsuitin the U.S. alleging the company knew the Butterfly keyboard was defective.
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Apple launched akeyboard replacement programin June 2018 after it finally determined that Butterfly keyboards in specific MacBook models may have issues such as letters or characters that repeat unexpectedly, letters or characters that don’t appear, and sticky keys that don’t respond properly or consistently when pressed. This service was offered free of charge, up to four years after the retail purchase date of the affected MacBook. That four-year window has now closed, and all the eligible models have long been discontinued.
Apple officiallyapologized for the Butterfly keyboard fiasco in 2019. That same year, the tech giant switched back to using the scissor-switch mechanism in its keyboards, starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which was released in November 2019. Since then, all MacBook models have continued to use the scissor-switch. In 2022, Appleagreed to pay $50 millionto settle the class action lawsuit focused on the Butterfly keyboard.
