Flap of a Butterfly’s Winngs
The butterfly keyboard: Less key travel, more headache.
I’ll count myself fortunate for almost escaping the butterfly keyboard fiasco unscathed. But on October 24, I began to notice that the “N” key on my MacBook Pro’s butterfly keyboard began to register a double keystroke approximately 33% of the time.
Brief Backgrounnd
I've been using the Butterfly keyboard since Apple first announced it in 2015 when they released the 12" MacBook. And since then, I haven't had a single performance issue with it! It's worked reliably for nearly half a decade across both the 12" MacBook and my current 2018 13" MacBook Pro.
You can read more about the Butterfly Keyboard in a previous entry I wrote back in May titled "Bye Butterfly" (stupid name, but a decent article, I think). Basically, Apple designed a new keyboard mechanism to fit into the thin frame of the 12" MacBook. This new mechanism, the butterfly switch, replaced the traditional scissor switch, and Apple claimed that this keyboard was not only thinner, but also provided a more stable typing experience. But as the keyboard moved from the 12" MacBook to all of Apple's laptops, people began to report problems with the new switch failing if dust & debris got under the key. This resulted in keys either not responding, or in my case, intermittently registering two keypresses.
Apple has apologized for the issue, acknowledging that a "small number of users" had issues with the keyboard despite Apple tweaking the switches' design three times to reduce further problems. While Apple initially offered a repair program for any 2015-2017 MacBooks affected by these issues, in 2019, it expanded their repair program for any MacBook purchased for 4-years from the date of purchase.
Nnearly Escaped
I thought I would escape needing to deal with this issue! I intend to upgrade to an Apple Silicone Mac laptop when Apple refreshes the lineup in the coming months, and since Apple has moved all their laptops back to scissor switches over the past 18 months, I thought I was in the clear.
I've also been lucky that I've had no issues with the keyboard for years. And I was confident that I would be fine down the home stretch because I haven't actually been using the MacBook Pros keyboard since May. Once we moved to remote work, I put my laptop on a stand and started using Apple's Magic Keyboard. And… *just in case* dust were to land on the keyboard, I even purchased a microfibre cloth to lay over the keyboard.
From left to right: Enamel mug from a local brewery, iPhone, Magic Trackpad, Quatchi (the Vancouver 2010 Olympic mascot), MacBook (on the Rain Design mStand), Magic Keyboard, iPad Pro (on an OMOTON tablet stand).
Let's recap: somehow, despite not using the keyboard for months and keeping it covered with a cloth to protect it, a key managed to get clogged up and started to fail!
And I wasn't alone! My spouse's 2018 MacBook Air (also butterfly switch) experienced issues with the "I" key and needed a full keyboard replacement less than six months into owning it.
Nnext Steps
Fortunately, the issue is well known and covered by Apple. I have a Genius appointment this week to bring the laptop for repair, though I am nervous about learning the repair timeline. Since my MacBook is critical for some of the clinical work I do, being without it for more extended periods may pose a bit of a challenge.
In the end, when the newest MacBook Air was released in 2020 with the Magic Keyboard, we learned that returning to the scissor-switch added only half a millimetre (0.05 cm) to the thicker end of the MacBook Air. 0.05 cm! Knowing this makes it incredibly frustrating that Apple persisted for so long, trying to make the butterfly switch work.
Update [November 06]
Here's how the story wraps up. I had set up my Genius Support timeslot for October 23. I show up at the Apple Store for my 17:00 appointment (remember that time), go through all the screening and temperature checks, and speak to a Genius about my issue. He agrees that the problem is there and begins creating a work order to repair it. But this issue isn't as simple as swapping out the defective 'N' key for a new one; this issue requires an entirely new top case.
Now the question: what’s a top case? As far as I can tell, it's not only an entirely new keyboard, but also a new battery, new TouchBar, new TouchID sensor, new Trackpad, and new speakers.
Unfortunately, my local Apple Store didn't have the part in stock, so I was quoted 5-7 days while they waited for the part to arrive, after which I return with my laptop for the repair to begin. No sooner had I left the Apple Store (17:20) and returned home (17:55) that I saw an email timestamped at 17:50 informing me that the part had become available!
Went back the next day, dropped off the MacBook, and waited to recieve a notice that the repair had been complete. Late on the evening of November 5 I got the email, and on the 6th, I schlepped my way up there a third time to pick up my Mac.
I'm pleased that Apple recognized the issue enough to issue a four-year repair program for any Mac with a butterfly mechanism keyboard, as the total repair would've otherwise cost $558 to repair (in Apple parlance: that's 5.5 HomePod minis, or nearing one-tenth the cost for an entry-level Mac Pro)
$558 for a new MacBook Pro 13” top case
And I'll count myself lucky to have had access to an Apple Store during this time. Record-setting COVID-19 rates are being reported in my region, which left me feeling apprehensive that my region could enter another lockdown, potentially indefinitely delaying my repair should local stores close again.
So yeah... four days before Apple likely announces a range of new Apple Silicone Macs, I practically have an entirely new computer. Perfect timing.
