MacBook butterfly keyboard settlement: How to claim money
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Owners of MacBooks with a butterfly keyboard have until March to claim part of a settlement from a class-action lawsuit alleging the Apple laptops were defective.
The settlement impacts MacBooks with the butterfly keyboard sold between 2015 and 2019, according to a website created for the settlement.
The defective keyboards presented issues such as “characters repeating unexpectedly; letters or characters not appearing; and/or the keys feeling “sticky” or not responding in a consistent manner,” reads an excerpt from the website.
As part of the settlement, a $50 million fund was created to reimburse consumers who owned the faulty MacBooks.
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How much will consumers get?
The amount affected owners receive depends on the type of repairs required for their laptops. Owners who had to replace their keyboards at least two times within four years of purchase by Apple or an authorized provider could receive up to $395. Owners with one replacement can receive up to $125.
Consumers who had to replace keycaps on the keyboard can get up to $50.
What’s the deadline to submit a claim?
Apple customers eligible for a settlement have until March 6 to file a claim. A FAQ on the settlement website details which MacBook models are eligible.
Why did this happen?
The butterfly keyboard was introduced to MacBooks in 2015 to allow Apple to make its popular laptops thinner. The butterfly term is used to describe the mechanism under keyboardsbecause it opens and closes like a butterfly’s wings when a key is pressed, as MacRumors explained it in 2020.
Several users reported issues with the butterfly keyboards, claiming the keys would stick or letters or characters would repeat unexpectedly. Apple set up a program allowing owners to fix the keyboards free of charge.
In July, Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit for $50 million, reported The New York Times.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.