Following a class-action lawsuit Apple has reached a settlement of $50 million to MacBook owners who had to replace their keyboards, or keys individually.
If you purchased the Apple MacBook with an ill-fated butterfly keyboard, and had to replace one or more keyscaps or the entire keyboard, you might be eligible to claim a portion of the $50 million settlement negotiated following an action class-action suit. The law firm that is handling that settlement has already been in touch with the class members since mid-December (judging on the following MacRumors report) however we want to point out that the deadline to file an claim is rapidly approaching on the 6th of March 2023.
Claims can be submitted via the keyboardsettlement.com website, which says that the settlement class includes “all persons and entities in the United States” who purchased a butterfly-equipped MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro between 2015 and 2019.
There are three main classes of members. The first group includes those who needed to replace their keyboard (aka”topcase replacement”) “topcase replacer”) multiple times. The group will receive the payment in a timely manner, but you must verify their address for the 395 (max) amount. The two other groupsthat includes anyone who had to replace their whole keyboard or individual keyscaps but discovered that this did not solve their issue They will have to complete an claim form. You could receive up to $125 to replace a keyboard, and as high as $50 for keyscaps. Settlement payments can only be obtained in the event that your repair was performed via Apple or one of their authorized service partners within four years from the date of purchase.
Payouts won’t go out until the final hearing for approval scheduled for March 16, CNET notes, and the actual amount of money paid could be lower due to the amount of participants in each class.
The history of the butterfly keyboard goes to the year 2015, when Apple switched out the old scissor-switch keyboard in the MacBook with a slimmer butterfly model. However, shortly after the release, MacBook owners started noticing that the keyboard had major problems with reliability, and keys would become inflexible or sticky when even just a tiny amount of dust was deposited under the keys.
While Apple will eventually remove their keyboards in the year 2020, a lot of users had to purchase the individual keys or their complete MacBook keyboards replaced on affected models. Many lawsuits were filed in relation to the issue and a class action lawsuit was approved in 2021. Apple accepted an agreement worth $50 million in July of last year and a judge also approved that settlement at the end of November.
