Apple Inc. has initiated the distribution of a $50 million settlement in response to a class action lawsuit, gripped around alleged defects in their MacBook’s butterfly keyboards.
Despite this payout, the tech giant doesn’t admit to any infractions in the design or manufacturing process of these keyboards that have caused a significant uproar from consumers since 2015.
Struggles originated from keys jamming or becoming unresponsive due to fine dust or detritus. This predicament led to inefficiency and dissatisfaction from users, impacting Apple’s reputation significantly.
Though Apple introduced a replacement scheme, it turned out to be ineffective. The keyboards that were replaced with similar ones exhibited the same issues, leading to increased customer discontent.
The settlement ensures that keyboard owners with valid claims can acquire up to $395, calculated on the basis of the severity of their needed repairs.
Apple’s $50 million MacBook keyboard settlement
Michael Burkhardt, among the recipients, testified to receiving two payments from Apple for a keyboard replacement and a reimbursement of past repair costs.
Other affected users are encouraged to express their claims for necessary repairs, assuring them of their entitlement to benefits under the settlement’s conditions.
The compensation amount varies with the type of repair, and case replacements needed within the purchase’s first four years. High-end of required repairs could fetch from $300 to $395. Lesser replacements could mean up to $125, while minimum fixes within the first four years could cost as little as $50.
The offer of these payments stands only for qualifying customers in specific states who have needed keyboard repairs. The prescribed states are California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington.
Lastly, to prevent repetitive issues, Apple transitioned to a “scissor-switch” keyboard design in 2019. This shift stemmed from the lawsuit initiated in 2018 that was resolved in 2022 with compensation payments beginning by 2024.
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