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Apple is now paying out a $50 million settlement over its faulty MacBook butterfly keyboards for 2015-2019 MacBook customers.
This settlement is a result of a class action lawsuit that accused Apple of knowingly selling defective keyboards and marks a significant moment for affected users who have been waiting for compensation.
Payouts Begin
On June 27, the court (United States District Court for the Northern District
of California) issued a payment order, and the official website was updated to show that payments would start in August 2024. Even though it is still early in the month, payments are already being made to eligible customers.
In fact, 9to5Mac author Michael Burkhardt reported receiving two $395 checks in the mail from the keyboard settlement. He explained that at the moment, those who opted for digital payouts have not received their money yet, but he expects it will happen at some point this week.
The Issue
In 2015, Apple introduced the butterfly keyboard with the 12in MacBook. It later included this specific type of keyboard in the MacBook Pro in 2016 and the MacBook Air in 2018.
However, problems started to arise, which included:
- Sticky keys
- Duplicate characters
- Complete typing failures
Traditional keyboards use a scissor mechanism, a system where the components under the key resemble a pair of overlapping scissors.
However, butterfly keyboards’ components resemble butterfly wings with a hinge in the center, and allowed Apple to create a thinner keyboard. This is because each key moves less when pressed, so less space is needed.
The problem is that the thin butterfly mechanism gets easily clogged with crumbs, dust, debris, etc., leading to the keyboard not working properly. To replace a MacBook keyboard, you would need to replace the entire top assembly of the computer, which is an expensive repair.
In 2019, Apple transitioned to the Magic Keyboard, starting with the 16in MacBook Pro and followed by other models in 2020 – i.e. using the scissor mechanism.
Class Action Lawsuit
In May 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed against Apple for the faulty keyboards. Angry consumers said that Apple knew about this problem before selling the laptops, as shown by its patent applications and early customer complaints. Despite knowing this, Apple kept selling these defective laptops at high prices and claimed the keyboard was very reliable.
Although Apple did offer a one-year warranty and a Keyboard Service Program, these solutions did not work or only provided temporary fixes. Apple simply replaced the faulty keyboards with other butterfly keyboards, leading to problems down the line.
Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit in 2022 with a payment of $50 million, although part of the deal was that Apple denied the lawsuit’s claims. The claims process began later that year, with some caveats.
For starters, you could only seek this settlement if you lived in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, or Washington. This excludes 43 US states, so a large number of people using butterfly keyboards are not covered. Furthermore, the estimated payout amount varied according to the severity of your keyboard issues:
- Up to $395 for two or more top case replacements.
- Up to $125 for one top case replacement.
- Up to $50 for keycap replacements.
However, if you were eligible and filed a claim, you’re in luck – you might receive the payout soon.
