Apple is finally paying out a $50 million settlement over its defective MacBook butterfly keyboards.
Keyboard owners with approved claims will receive checks of up to $395 depending on the extent of the repairs necessary. 9to5Mac’s Michael Burkhardt reported that he already received two payout checks.
As soon as the keyboard debuted in 2015, customers reported that the keyboards often got stuck or completely broke, becoming unresponsive. Additionally, users complained that small pieces of dust or debris would become caught in the keys and that they were unable to remove the pieces, rendering keys unusable. In 2019, Apple moved from the butterfly keyboard design to a "scissor-switch" design.
To deal with the issue, Apple launched a repair program, but it only replaced butterfly keyboards with other butterfly keyboards, which didn't solve the issue.
The class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 and claimed Apple knew that the keyboard design was defective and concealed it from customers. Apple agreed to settle the class action lawsuit in 2022, but as part of the settlement, Apple denied the lawsuit's claims.
According to the settlement's website, people who received two or more topcase replacements within four years of purchasing an affected MacBook will get between $300 and $395. If an owner only got one replacement, they could receive up to $125. If only a keycap replacement was needed, owners will get a maximum of $50. Only Apple customers in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington who needed repairs were eligible for payouts.
