As a result of a class action lawsuit, Apple will pay a total of $50 million USD to customers with faulty MacBook, Macbook Pro, and Macbook Air keyboards using ‘Butterfly switches’.
If you purchased a MacBook between 2015 to 2019 and live in one of seven states, you might be eligible to claim a payout for a faulty MacBook keyboard that uses their ill-fated butterfly switches. This is after a class action lawsuit filed by Apple customers across seven states in the US.
Tech giant Apple is denying any wrongdoing but has offered to pay damages and settle the case entirely. Though it’s not been finalized by the courts quite yet, as Reuters reports. The lawsuit claims that Apple knew about the issues with the Butterfly switches in the keyboard, and shipped them knowing that they were prone to failure.
Apple even offered a free keyboard repair service for up to four years after you purchased the device, yet still denies any wrongdoing. The butterfly switches were introduced in 2015 as a way to make keys slimmer. However, after use, it appeared that even small amounts of dust could affect the device and make them unresponsive.
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Many folks didn’t love these new switches when Apple released them, and they have also since been retired as of 2020 MacBook models and onwards.
The payout range for this class-action is limited to customers in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington. You will also have to have attempted to replace your keyboard, with lawyers expecting a $395 payout for those who have replaced the entire bottom half of their MacBooks, while those who have had a simple keyboard replacement will be eligible for $125.
You should probably just get a good gaming keyboard if your notebook is affected. Apple’s Butterfly keys have been retired, but the specter of their release still looms over Apple.