Did you have to replace your butterfly keyboard on your MacBook device? If so, you may be among the group of MacBook owners getting a nice payday from Apple. But there are some stipulations that we’ll get to in a minute.
Apple’s Keyboard Innovation
What’s Wrong with It
Remember those pain-in-the-you-know-where butterfly keyboards that Apple tried to make a thing a few years ago? The reason Apple introduced butterfly keyboards initially was because they wanted to make their laptops thinner than ever – which sounded like a good thing. The issue customers had was that the keyboards were very sensitive. They were so sensitive that customers said the keyboards could malfunction if even a piece of dust were to get inside. Most people have a few specks of dust lying around no matter how clean they are. If even a speck of dust were to get inside the keyboard, it would repeat letters without warning or it might not even register that a key had been pressed.
Cost of the Replacement
If it would have been just a few Apple users, you probably wouldn’t be reading an article about these keyboards right now. Apple could have silently just moved on to a new type of keyboard. Apparently, though, many Apple users had issues with those keyboards. The years that MacBooks were outfitted with the butterfly keyboards were from 2015 to 2019. Customers with issues with the keyboard may have had to replace them either entirely or have the key caps replaced. They had to go to an Apple store or repair centre authorised by Apple to fix them. The cost to repair an out of warranty butterfly keyboard was up to $475. Yikes.
How Much?
Replacing one keyboard is not fun, but some had to have their keyboard replaced multiple times which is just not something one would expect of an Apple product. For users who had one keyboard replaced, they could receive as much as $125. For those who had to replace their keyboard multiple times, the pay could be from the $300 to just shy of $400 range. Those who replaced just a keycap aren’t left out of the payout: they can get up to $50.
Who Can get the Money?
The butterfly keyboards are kind of notorious for the troubles users have had. Apple has issued apologies for the unpopularity and issues of the butterfly keyboard. Laptops that are eligible include MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs sold between the years of 2015 and 2019.
If you’re one of the users who shelled out a bunch of extra cash to get a replacement for your Apple butterfly keyboard, stay tuned for news on how you can get your money from Apple. And rest assured that the good folks behind Apple have learned their lesson with that keyboard. They’ve moved on to other keyboards that give users much less problems and work as they were designed to work.