Following months of criticism and controversy, Apple has finally officially acknowledged the ‘sticky keyboard’ issue that causes MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards to become sticky and unresponsive and causes the key to enter its character repeatedly.
In response Apple has launched a keyboard service program for the affected devices that will allow the users of these devices to avail free repairs and service. According to Apple, the affected devices showcase the following issues:
- Letters and characters are repeated unexpectedly.
- The letters and characters don’t appear even though the key is pressed.
- The buttons feel sticky meaning they don’t give the proper click feedback.
- Keys don’t respond in a consistent manner.
Apple has also shared details about the repair process for MacBook models with these issues. Company says the repair process “may involve the replacement of one or more keys or the whole keyboard.”
While users who are currently facing this issue can get their devices repaired for free, Apple will also be issuing refunds to customers who had to pay for their keyboards to get serviced. Apple will be providing the keyboard service program coverage to MacBook and MacBook Pro users for up to 4 years from the date of purchase.
Models that have the sticky keyboard issue and are eligible for free service are as follows:
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
The keyboard issue arose after Apple introduced the ‘butterfly keyboard’ design along with 12-inch MacBook. Later the company improved the design and added the same type of keyboard that uses less space on redesigned MacBook Pro models. Apple’s acknowledgment of the issue and start of keyboard service program comes after the company is facing multiple lawsuits related to the keyboard malfunctions in its notebooks.
(Source)
