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Apple In The Center Of Defective Product Lawsuit Over Its MacBook And MacBook Pro Laptops

On Behalf of | May 11, 2018 | Product Liability

Apple is in legal trouble (again) after a complaint was filed against the tech giant with headquarters in Cupertino, California. Defective keyboards in Apple’s recent MacBook and MacBook Pro models are in the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the tech company earlier this week.

This is the second lawsuit against the company alleging that keyboards in 2015-and-later MacBook and 2016-and-later MacBook Pro models are defective in less than a week. After reviewing the lawsuits, our California product liability attorney at the Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation is going to explain what is really happening with Apple this time.

What is it All About?

The biggest problem this time is dust and debris accumulating on keyboards. While dusty keyboards and debris under the keys is not exactly a new problem, it is Apple’s so-called “butterfly switch mechanism” that has come under fire.

The mechanism, used in the above-mentioned MacBook models, works differently than the traditional “scissor” mechanism, allowing dust and debris that accumulate underneath keys to malfunction. The keyboards equipped with the butterfly switch mechanism are now being considered “defective,” according to the two latest lawsuits against Apple.

Did Apple Know About This Defect?

Here is the deal: not only do debris and dust underneath prevent the keys from functioning properly but may also cause them to break entirely. The latest lawsuit, reviewed by our best product liability attorneys in California, alleges that this defect even causes the affected keys to becoming detached from the keyboard.

This is not the only issue with the keyboards in the aforementioned Apple MacBook products. Complaints from users of MacBook 2015 and MacBook Pro 2016 laptops have been piling up since 2016, with thousands of disgruntled users alleging that the keys are non-functional, some keys produced weird high-pitched sounds, and certain keys had a non-uniform feel overall.

What’s The Problem With Macbook’s Keyboards?

In the most recent lawsuit against Apple, plaintiffs complained that the butterfly switch mechanism, which props up the keys with two intersecting pieces of plastic, made keys “extremely delicate” as they were held by “four tiny threads of brittle plastic.”

The mechanism also makes the keys very low profile compared to the traditional mechanism, which means the keys are more prone to accumulating dust and debris underneath them. And the most frustrating part is that the keys cannot be safely removed from the keyboard for cleaning, as there is a high risk of damaging the keyboard, which may void Apple’s warranty.

Is Your Macbook’s Keyboard Defective?

If you have purchased the model year 2015 or later Apple MacBook or a model year 2016 or later MacBook Pro laptop, our California product liability lawyer advises you to keep an eye on the developments in this class action lawsuit, as this may affect you. As a result of this lawsuit, Apple could be ordered to recall its products with defective keyboards and/or replace them with the new, redesigned keyboards.

According to the plaintiffs, Apple was aware of or should have been aware of the defect through its product testing, customer complaints (which have been available on the Internet since 2016), or a combination of the two. However, the lawsuit states that the tech giant failed to acknowledge that the keyboards were defective for more than two years.

If you have purchased a MacBook laptop or any other Apple product with a defective product or any other part/component, do not hesitate to consult with experienced product liability attorneys in California here at the Licata & Yeremenko, A Professional Law Corporation. Call our offices at 818-783-5757 or complete this contact form to get a free consultation.

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