Apple has agreed to pay $ 50 million to settle a class action lawsuit that said the company knew of flaws with the butterfly keyboard switches it incorporated into several MacBook models (via Reuters).
The keyboards, introduced with the 2015 MacBook, were notoriously unreliable; basically, any kind of dirt, crumb, or dust could cause a key to stop responding completely or get stuck, resulting in embarrassing spelling mistakes. Apple tried several solutions for the keyboards, but each new generation did not solve the basic problem, with computers affected as recently as the MacBook Pros and Air of 2019. (The first page of the agreement includes a complete list of affected computers, but it’s basically all of Apple’s laptops from 2015 to 2019).
The judge has yet to approve the proposed settlement deal, but the end could finally be seen for some of those burned by Apple’s unreliable keyboard design, which the company removed in 2020.
Under the agreement, people who had to repair their butterfly keyboard should be eligible for some form of payment if the agreement is approved, as long as they live in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington or Michigan. People from other states are not included in the class of this agreement.
If you received a repair and still have keyboard issues, you may be entitled to compensation
The deal divides payments into three levels: people who have gotten at least two top cover replacements (fixing keyboard issues basically meant disassembling the entire laptop) will get the most money, and people who have got one or more key replacements will get at least. If you have a single top box replacement, you’ll be somewhere in the middle.
Estimated payments range from “up to $ 50” to $ 395, although actual amounts will depend on how many people sign up to be part of the settlement. It’s also worth noting that up to 30 percent of the $ 50 million will go to attorneys ’fees, and more will be diverted to other costs and expenses.
These sums won’t be enough to buy you a new computer if yours still has the butterfly keyboard, but depending on how many repairs you’ve made, you could eliminate a relatively large chunk of it. The deal also ensures that Apple’s extended service program, which covers your keyboard for four years after you buy your laptop, will stay in place, so if you have a computer with a few broken keys, it’s worth it. look at it.
Apple did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment on the proposed deal. As the deal points out, Apple has not admitted any crime in the butterfly keyboard issue, and the settlement deal means it probably never will.