Being defective as a feature argument did not wash
The fruity cargo cult Apple is finally coughing up $50 million to settle claims over its notoriously defective MacBook butterfly keyboards.
Owners of these ill-fated keyboards, who have approved claims, will receive cheques of up to $395, depending on the extent of the repairs needed. Michael Burkhardt from 9to5Mac has already reported receiving two payout cheques presumably becasue he was dumb enough to make the same mistake twice.
From the moment these keyboards were introduced in 2015, users were plagued with issues. Keys would get stuck or become completely unresponsive, often due to tiny specks of dust or debris. Despite these glaring flaws, Apple stubbornly stuck with the butterfly design until 2019, when it finally switched to the more reliable “scissor-switch” design.
Apple’s so-called “repair program” was a farce, merely replacing faulty butterfly keyboards with more of the same defective models. It wasn’t until a class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 that Apple was forced to confront the issue. The lawsuit alleged that Apple knew about the defects but chose to conceal them from customers. Although Apple agreed to settle the lawsuit in 2022, it denied any wrongdoing.
According to the settlement’s website, those who had two or more topcase replacements within four years of purchasing an affected MacBook will receive between $300 and $395. Owners who had only one replacement could get up to $125, while those who needed just a keycap replacement will receive a maximum of $50. Only Apple customers in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington who required repairs are eligible for payouts.
