While customers in Germany have not been able to use Apple’s exchange program for the problematic butterfly keyboard in several recent MacBook models, those in the US are now getting a lot of money. After the group has already made its comparison with the plaintiff groups in 2022, compensation should finally be received. There is at least $50 million in the pot.
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Gradations up to $400
The responsible court decided in June that Apple must make the payments from August 2024. There should be different gradations. Those who only had to replace individual keycaps receive $50. If the entire top case – the area of the case in which the keyboard is located and the surrounding frame – is replaced, Apple will pay up to $125. If two top cases were replaced within four years of Apple selling the butterfly keyboard, customers are entitled to $395.
Anyone participating in the class action lawsuit should have received an email from the responsible lawyers by now. Other clients can take a look at a A dedicated website (Keyboardsettlement.com).. However, the deadline to participate in one of the three settlement classes has now passed. Claims can only be submitted until March 6, 2023. It remains to be seen whether there will be enough money for all participants in the lawsuit. $50 million is small change for a class action lawsuit against Apple, while another case involving iPhone batteries resulted in half a billion dollars in damages.
Keyboard issue hasn’t been addressed for years
Apple has been putting customers to the test for years with its butterfly keyboard. From spring 2015, Apple introduced this new type of key switch: The so-called butterfly mechanism was intended to enable particularly thin, but precise notebook keyboards. The problem: After the technology was expanded to MacBook Pro models the following year, user reports of failures were increasing.
Keys got stuck, keys did not come out, and/or the whole mechanism failed. Often the reason was that dust or crumbs got under the keycaps; however, the debris could no longer be removed and even professionals had a hard time. Apple eventually responded with a replacement program, but did not stop using the technology until 2019. During the butterfly period, users had to replace their top case several times as the error recurred immediately after replacement.
(B.Sc.)
