Apple Inc. has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit that was filed by customers who claimed that Apple knew the “butterfly” keyboards on MacBook laptops were defective.
Anyone who bought a new MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops between 2015 and 2019 is likely well aware of the issue.
Consumers complained that the keyboards were prone to failure because tiny amounts of dust or crumbs could cause the keys to stick.
Apple’s response was also lacking, customers said. Apple launched a repair program, but users were just provided with another butterfly keyboard as a replacement.
Apple phased out the butterfly keyboards starting in 2019 and returned to the traditional “scissor switch” design.
The proposed $50 million settlement would cover customers in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Washington.
If approved, lawyers said customers would be eligible for $395 if they replaced multiple keyboards, $125 if they replaced one keyboard, and $50 if they replaced key caps. Customers would also be eligible for 4 years of free keyboard repairs after their purchases.
The case is In re: MacBook Keyboard Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — Case Number 18-02813
Source: Apple reaches $50 mln settlement over defective MacBook keyboards