A class action lawsuit against Apple will be allowed to proceed after a judge granted certification in California on March 8. The lawsuit focuses on the 2016-2019 MacBook Pro and 2018-2019 MacBook Air models, which used Apple's controversial butterfly keyboards. Apple discontinued the use of these keyboards in 2020.

As reported by The Verge, the class action lawsuit was filed by 11 owners of Macs with butterfly switches in eight U.S. states, alleging that Apple knew the butterfly switches were defective. They also allege that Apple was aware of the much higher return rate for laptops with this keyboard. Apple continued to study the design, but it also continued to receive criticism.

In 2018, a Change.org petition was started asking Apple to recall all MacBook Pros (although the MacBook Pro was not the only one affected) and replace the keyboard with a different design. That petition, which is still live, has over 42,000 signatories.

In 2019, Apple issued an apology to users who had problems. 'We are aware that a small number of users have had issues with the third-generation butterfly keyboard and we are sorry about that,' an Apple spokesperson said. The majority of our Mac notebook customers have had a positive experience with the new keyboard."

The case is now certified and Apple will either settle with the affected users or opt to have the case heard in court. Anyone who purchased one of the affected machines can fill out a questionnaire and the law firm will consider whether you can be represented in future lawsuits.

You must have purchased one of the following machines:

Not all states are currently represented, as this lawsuit has not yet been nationalized. However, persons in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington are currently represented in the lawsuit.

For many, the functionality of the butterfly keyboard was simply a matter of preference. However, long-term reliability was clearly an issue, and dust and other particles could become a real problem for users of machines containing this design if they were to get into the mechanism.