Not all of Apple’s releases are an instant hit. We have seen a couple of flops come out from the Cupertino company, too. The incredibly annoying Magic Mouse is top of the list for me, and not far behind it is the butterfly keyboard which made its debut on the 12-inch MacBook back in 2015. Almost a decade later, Apple is sending out settlement payouts for the faulty keyboard.
According to the keyboard settlement site, the defective butterfly keyboards featured issues that resulted in “characters repeating unexpectedly; letters or characters not appearing; and/or the keys feeling “sticky” or not responding in a consistent manner.” 9to5Mac reports that the keyboards were first introduced on the 2015 MacBook followed by the MacBook Pro in 2016, and then the MacBook Air in 2018. In late 2019, Apple finally switched to its Magic Keyboard.
There’s a pretty narrow eligibility criteria for the payouts. First of all, it’s only for consumers who attempted to get their butterfly keyboard-equipped MacBook repaired. Second, there’s only a handful of states covered under this program. Unless you’re from California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, or Washington, you’re not entitled to the payouts. All deadlines to participate in the class action suit have passed so you’re out of luck if you’re just learning about this.
Eligible consumers are also split into three groups based on the kind of repairs they opted for. Group 1 includes those who received at least two Topcase Replacements (getting the entire keyboard module replaced), Group 2 covers consumers who obtained one Topcase Replacement, and Group 3 is for people who opted for just a Keycap Replacement.
Group 1 is eligible for up to $395, Group 2 for up to $125, and Group 3 for up to $50. All of these groups assume that the repairs did not fix the issue and that they were done within four years of purchase. There’s also an option to exclude yourself from the program. Some consumers have already started receiving cheques, so if you’re eligible, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for your mail.
