Apple Agrees to Pay out $50 Million in Butterfly Keyboard Lawsuit, Affectees to Be Paid up to $395

Apple’s butterfly keyboard was introduced back in 2015 with the 12-inch MacBook and had been the subject of controversy for many years as a boatload of users complained about multiple hardware issues. Sensing the hardware defect, Apple switched to scissor-switch keyboards after a few years, silently admitting the problem, but bringing that change did not save the company from paying out a $50 million settlement as part of a lawsuit.

Depending on How Many Times Users Had Their Butterfly Keyboards Serviced, They Will Be Eligible to a Higher Compensation

Apple thankfully discontinued its butterfly keyboards in 2020, and under the agreement, people who got their keyboards repaired should be eligible for some sort of financial compensation if they live in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington, or Michigan. People residing in other states will not be eligible for the payout, which is disappointing to hear. Also, the judge has yet to approve the proposed settlement, but given that it was a massive mistake on Apple’s part, it will likely be signed.

The agreement has certain conditions, with the payout ranging from $50 to $395, depending on how many times the user had their butterfly keyboard serviced, and it still failed. People who got at least two top case replacements will get the most money. Those who got one or more keycap replacements will get the least. If you got a single top case replacement, you would receive compensation value in the middle.

Also, note that 30 percent of the $50 million settlement will be going toward attorneys’ fees and other undisclosed amounts for other expenses. Even if you qualify for the highest payout of $395, it will not be enough to buy yourself a new MacBook, but there is still some silver lining in all of this. One settlement condition was that Apple’s extended service program, which covers your MacBook keyboard for four years after you bought the machine, will remain in effect.

If you have a portable Mac with a defective butterfly keyboard, it could be worth your time. As for the settlement itself, it is saddening that customers from various U.S. states were left out, and those living in other countries will not even be considered. One bright side to this butterfly keyboard saga was that Apple would likely incorporate scissor-switch keyboards into its MacBook line for the foreseeable future.

To recap, these keyboards were extremely unreliable after a period of use. Any form of dust, crumb, or grime, if it made it inside the keyboard, would render that keycap useless. Other issues involved keys not responding or getting stuck. Apple tried several ways to fix its butterfly keyboards, but each iteration came with the same set of problems.

Image Credits – iFixit

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