Apple agreed to a $50 million class action settlement Monday night over the company’s “butterfly keyboard,” which was installed in MacBook laptops between 2015 and 2019.
The settlement will likely result in payments to customers in seven US states, including California, New York and Florida, who replaced keyboards or keycaps at an Apple store or authorized repair center, according to settlement documents reviewed by CNBC.
Payouts could range from $300 to $395 for people who replaced multiple keyboards, up to $125 for people who replaced one keyboard, and up to $50 for people who replaced just one keyboard, said lawyers in the settlement.
The settlement ends an infamous era in Apple product design. Apple did not admit wrongdoing or guilt in the settlement.
Apple originally pitched the butterfly keyboard as an innovation that could make its laptops even thinner. But customers have reported that Apple’s butterfly keyboards are prone to failure and can be damaged by a speck of dust, causing the keyboard to repeat letters unexpectedly or fail to register key presses at all. keys.
Butterfly keyboards were unpopular and their flaws inspired songs and long complaints. An influential Apple blogger called the keyboard the worst product “in Apple history.” Apple apologized for the issues in a corporate statement and introduced a service program to replace keyboards for free from 2019.
Eligible laptops include MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros sold between 2015 and 2019. The cost to repair an out-of-warranty butterfly keyboard during this time can be up to $475.
Apple phased out butterfly keyboards from 2019, returning to a more traditional “scissor switch” design. Since then, Apple has seen 11% growth in its Mac business in 2020 and 23% growth in fiscal 2021 to $35 billion in sales.
However, growth in Apple’s Mac business could also have been driven by the pandemic, which boosted PC sales as people worked from home, as well as the company’s introduction of its PC chips. the in-house designed M series, which improve battery life and responsiveness.
The rules must be approved by a judge.
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