Suit targets Apple’s MacBook keyboards

Apple has been hit with a lawsuit seeking class-action status for owners of its newer MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook computers who have been bedeviled by unresponsive keys.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in Northern California, claims Apple knew the keyboards on the two models were defective but sold them anyway. Some users have reported that individual keys quit working on their laptops, requiring $400 to $700 repairs to replace the keyboards for computers that are out of warranty.

AppleInsider first reported the filing by attorneys on behalf of two clients, one who owns a MacBook and one the more expensive MacBook Pro. In the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that the keyboards’ design is defective, despite the fact that Apple touts it as an advance.

The keys are supported by a mechanism that looks like a butterfly’s wings. Traditionally, many laptop keys have a mechanism that resembles a pair of scissors. Apple has described the newer approach, which allows for the keyboard to take less space inside the computer, as being more comfortable and responsive.

The butterfly keys allegedly are prone to becoming unresponsive. Apple advises users to turn the notebook on its side and use compressed air to blow out dust or grit that may become lodged in the mechanism, but users report this doesn’t always work.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple techs tell users to try this before allowing a warranty repair, despite knowing the keyboards are defective.

In late April, AppleInsider published an investigative report into the problem and found that keyboard repairs increased substantially in MacBook Pros after the release of the newer keyboards.

Technology writer Casey Johnston drew attention to the case by writing about her issues with unresponsive keys on a MacBook Pro, culminating in her selling her notebook back to Apple and advising others not to buy the computers.

A Change.org petition demanding a recall of the affected notebooks has more than 22,000 signatures.

Apple has not publicly commented on the issue. A request for comment from the Chronicle has not been answered.