'Apple will cause huge damage due to MacBook Pro keyboard defects,' CEO of iFixit points out

Apple is undergoing a class action as " There is a problem with the butterfly keyboard installed in the MacBook Pro ." Apple received a lawsuit and acknowledged a keyboard problem and started a free keyboard repair program on June 22, 2018, but iFixit 's CEO who is evaluating repair manuals and gadget repair difficulties etc. "This keyboard problem, coupled with MacBook Pro design issues, will cause huge damage to Apple," Kyle Wiens said.

Apple Engineers Its Own Downfall With Macbook Pro Keyboard | iFixit
https://ifixit.org/blog/10229/macbook-pro-keyboard/

The butterfly keyboard that caused the problem has been adopted from the 2015 model of the MacBook Pro. However, the reason why the root cause of damage occurred was adopted from the model equipped with Retina display of MacBook Pro which appeared in 2012. The model that appeared in 2012 has become slimmer than the MacBook Pro so far, so many media and experts have praised them.

However, since iFixit evaluates the device based on the repair cost when it breaks down, the design of appearance etc is not taken into account much. For this reason, the design where the keyboard and built-in battery adopted from the 2012 model were joined required to replace the battery in accordance with the exchange of the keyboard, so it was critically rated "2" in 10 grades. In addition, for the 2013 model MacBook Pro that appeared the following year, the rating is further dropped to "1". Evaluation does not rise after that, evaluation of the latest model of MacBook Pro that appeared in 2018 is also "1" for the repair difficulty.

The MacBook Pro has adopted a keyboard with a bad butterfly structure from the 2015 model, and the same keyboard was installed in the 2016 model as well. In the 2017 model that appeared the following year, the problem has been improved slightly, so if a person using a problematic MacBook Pro receives paid repair by Apple, it has been changed to the 2017 model keyboard It is highly likely.

The butterfly keyboard adopted from the 2015 model has become a very thin key and had a problem that substances such as fine granular dust entering the gap can not recognize the key. Casey Johnston, who writes articles on The Outline , said, "Although you can remove the key itself cleanly, even if you take the hands of an expert, it will be broken with respect to the space key" There is virtually no way to repair the dusty keyboard perfectly by the individual.

Apple's support states that it can be improved by accurately blowing compressed air spray from a 75 degree angle as a way of improving the condition that the butterfly keyboard is no longer recognizable, but familiar with MacBook Pro hardware Even if you are a regular person, this correspondence is virtually impossible to an ordinary person. Mr. Wiens said, "In the first place, this problem is caused by short keystrokes, and should be solved a little longer," this problem highlights the problem with the design of the keyboard itself .

In addition, he said that "MacBook Pro has other problems", the problematic keyboard is a harmful design inheriting from the 2012 model and the battery, trackpad, speaker are one module and It is getting. Therefore, if you try to exchange the keyboard, we point out that it is necessary to exchange all these modules at the same time.

Mr. Wiens said, "This is the way Apple makes profits from part repair," he said, claiming that it requires a high repair cost by exchanging multiple modules at the same time. However, he said, "The fact that Apple extended the warranty period of the keyboard to four years like this time is that we are taking this defect as a major problem," Apple's response is due to repair Because it profits greatly hurt, we know that Apple thinks that this problem is a big problem.

According to Mr. Wiens, "With the warranty program, Apple will lose all the benefits of the model discovered," said MacBook Pro not adopting a design that can replace only the part in question, conversely Apple Explained that it was supposed to bear large repair expenses and other response expenses. In this way, Mr. Wiens points out that while designs that are difficult to repair can gain significant profits, they also have significant risks.

For example, in the case of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7, the battery had manufacturing defects and it was necessary to replace the main body itself for repair. If the company adopts a design that makes it easy to replace the battery, there is a possibility that it cost us $ 5 billion (about 550 billion yen) of repair costs.

By Mike Mozart

Mr. Wiens said that the keyboard of the butterfly structure that was the problem this time was a major reason for being thin, so we said, "Let's start with a slightly thick and sturdy keyboard," and to avoid the same mistake only a little It is said that it should be designed with long keystrokes.