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Apple agrees to $50 million settlement over MacBook butterfly keyboard lawsuit

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Apple has agreed to pay $50 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by users over an alleged flaw in the company's butterfly keyboard.

Users claimed the faults with the butterfly keyboard might result in characters typed being repeated unexpectedly or keys not responding consistently, among other concerns.

The settlement will most likely result in payments to people who replaced eligible MacBook keyboards or keycaps at an Apple store or approved repair center.

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Payouts might vary from $300 to $395 for replacing many keyboards, up to $125 for replacing one keyboard, and up to $50 for replacing a single keycap.

In the deal, Apple made no admissions of wrongdoing or guilt.

Apple first launched the butterfly keyboard as a technology that would allow its computers to be even smaller.

The faults of the butterfly keyboards led to a number of complaints.

In a corporate statement, Apple apologized for the problems and announced a service program to repair the keyboards for free beginning in 2019.

MacBooks, MacBook Airs, and MacBook Pros sold between 2015 and 2019 are eligible.

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During that time, the cost of repairing an out-of-warranty butterfly keyboard might reach $475.

Simon Grille, a Girard Sharp attorney representing the customers, said if the settlement is authorized, it will apply nationally.

Grille said: “If the Court grants preliminary approval, notice will be distributed, and settlement class members in any state will be eligible to participate.”

Beginning in 2019, Apple discontinued the butterfly keyboards, returning to a more classic "scissor switch" design.

Since then, Apple has forecast 11 percent growth in its Mac business in 2020 and 23 percent growth in fiscal 2021 to reach $35 billion in sales.

The pandemic drove Mac sales as people worked from home, as well as the company's release of its domestically built M-series chips, which improve battery life and responsiveness.

Source: CNBC

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