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Apple's plan to pay $50 million to settle a long running class-action lawsuit over the faulty butterfly keyboard today received preliminary approval from a California federal judge (via Law360). The payment will include $13.6 million in attorney fees, up to $2 million in litigation costs, and $1.4 million in settlement administration costs, with the rest distributed to class members.

macbook-pro-butterfly-keyboard.jpg

Dating back to 2018, the lawsuit covers customers in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, who complained that Apple was well aware of the faulty keyboard mechanism used in MacBook Pro machines between 2015 and 2019. The lawsuit claimed that Apple concealed the defect from consumers in order to continue to sell the devices.

Apple added the butterfly keyboard to MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro machines in 2015 and 2016, claiming that the keyboard offered superior key feel and stability while also allowing for a thinner design. Not long after the initial butterfly keyboard Macs launched, customers learned they were prone to failure.

Thousands of people ran into problems with repeating keys, sticky keys, and keys that otherwise failed when dust and other particulates got into the butterfly mechanism. The complaints led to a huge controversy over the butterfly technology, and Apple ended up launching a keyboard repair program in June 2018.

The repair program covered MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models for only four years, and Apple was only replacing butterfly keyboards with another butterfly keyboard, so some customers had repeat failures that were ultimately no longer covered. The lawsuit alleged that Apple's repair program was not sufficient for this reason.

Apple attempted to iterate on the butterfly mechanism to make it more durable, so there were three butterfly keyboard generations in total, but all of them were prone to failure. Apple had to replace butterfly keyboards with more reliable scissor switch keyboards, with the company phasing out the last butterfly keyboard in 2020. All Macs now use the scissor switch mechanism that does not experience the same issues.

scissorvsbutterfly.jpg

Apple initially agreed to the settlement in mid-2022, but it now has early approval from the judge overseeing the case. Awards to customers from the settlement will be based on the number of repairs required, with amounts up to $395 for those who had two or more topcase replacements.

Mac owners who received butterfly keyboard replacements will begin receiving class notices later in December.

Article Link: Judge Approves Apple's Plan to Pay $50 Million to Settle Butterfly Keyboard Lawsuit
 
$13 million for the lawyers‽ And I get $200 for a keyboard replacement that's guaranteed to fail again, rendering the machine almost useless? That's a pretty terrible settlement.

I had one top case/keyboard replacement on my 2017 MBP. Kept the keyboard under a silicone cover ever since, and it's starting to show signs of potentially acting up again.
 
My butterfly keyboard failed (sticky Y key, very common with these), but Apple denied repair due to “water ingress” on my computer that had never been anywhere near water, and had nothing wrong with it other than the keyboard. So I guess I won’t benefit from this class action either.
 
This why Apple happily continued with a flawed keyboard for 5 years despite knowing in the first year that it was a failure. In the end, a measly $50 million judgement is nothing compared to what Apple would have lost by admitting fault with the MBP early on and pivoting early to rush a replacement design into production.
 
This why Apple happily continued with a flawed keyboard for 5 years despite knowing in the first year that it was a failure. In the end, a measly $50 million judgement is nothing compared to what Apple would have lost by admitting fault with the MBP early on and pivoting early to rush a replacement design into production.

In fairness they did redesign it twice, it's just that the design was too flawed to be fixed, which is why they went back to scissor switch.

I do think it's part of why Jony was managed out of the company though.
 
I had 2 fail on me but Apple handled it very well at the time. I didn't even have AppleCare and they helped me out twice and in a timely manner. I am not surprised there was a lawsuit over it though.

I had to have mine repaired twice until they replaced the top-case with a new revision with a more reliable keyboard. I had no AppleCare but mandatory guarantee covering defects is 2 years here and I was still eligible.

That keyboard was a blunder but hopefully Apple has learned their lesson: I have no issue with the newest model and the keyboard is fantastic.
 
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$13 million for the lawyers‽ And I get $200 for a keyboard replacement that's guaranteed to fail again, rendering the machine almost useless? That's a pretty terrible settlement.

I had one top case/keyboard replacement on my 2017 MBP. Kept the keyboard under a silicone cover ever since, and it's starting to show signs of potentially acting up again.
It'll be a good time to upgrade to the upcoming M2 MBP anyways. :p

AS > Intel
 
Just $50,000,000 for the keyboard that set the Mac back 6 years? My god.

I'm so glad I didn't switch to Mac until the Apple Silicon transition happened. I can't imagine having to live with this trash and then only being awarded a minor settlement for the hell that keyboard would've subjected me through. I know someone still on a 13 inch butterfly Macbook Pro. He hates it everyday. I hope he can get a better Macbook soon.
 
Another reason why I tell people the 2019 MacBook Pro was one of the worst devices I have ever purchased. The keys constantly sticking was frustrating to say the least.
 
Another reason why I tell people the 2019 MacBook Pro was one of the worst devices I have ever purchased. The keys constantly sticking was frustrating to say the least.

I almost bought a used one as my first Mac but was talked out of it by a friend. Thank god. Later that year I got the M1 Mac Mini instead. If it wasn't for that friend, I probably still would be a hardcore Mac hater.
 
Don't think it was because of engineers per se but rather because of an English bald man at the top and his obsession with thinness.

Ive didn't design the keyboard. Mechanical/electrical engineers did.

That similarly thin MBAs/MBPs that followed with re-designed keyboards using a different key switch mechanism work great speaks to where the problem lies - the butterfly key switch keyboard design.

I, and I suspect many others, would never go back to using a chunky/thick laptop.
 
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