As smart as they are known to be, human beings cannot keep themselves from making a mistake every now and then. This fact has been proven quite a few times throughout our history, with each testimony practically nudging us to conceive a defensive cover of some semblance. We will, on our part, find that exact cover once we bring dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. You see, having a well-defined authority within each and every area was a game-changer, as it instantly gave us a cushion against many of our shortcomings. However, the stated utopia didn’t last for very long, and if we are being honest, it was all technology’s fault. We say that because the moment technology and its layered nature took over the scene; it gave people an unprecedented shot at exploiting others for their own benefit. The stated dynamic made the world vulnerable all over again and sent us back to square one, but fortunately enough, we’ll make a comeback much sooner this time. In fact, the traces of that are already evident, and a recent settlement involving Apple should only solidify their presence moving forward.
Apple has formally reached a settlement worth $50 million in relation to a case that accused the company of selling flawed butterfly keyboard switches despite having complete knowledge about it. Introduced alongside the 2015 MacBook models, these keyboards became infamous for being unreliable, as any sliver of grime, crumb, or dust would be enough to turn them unresponsive. This, like you can guess, resulted in gazillion typos, and an overall writing experience that was far from seamless. It’s not to say Apple made no effort whatsoever to solve the issue, but going by the available details, the issue still stuck around, impacting iterations as recent as the 2019 MacBook Pros and Air. Now, assuming the settlement is approved by the court, it will make people, who were forced to get their keyboard repaired, eligible for a payout. These settlement payments, however, are divided into three separate tiers. People who got at least two top case replacements will be receiving the most money, whereas people who got one or more keycap replacements will get the least. In case someone got a single top case replacement, they’ll be in the middle tier. Furthermore, you’ll only stand to receive a payout if you live in the following states; California, New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington, or Michigan, considering other ones were not included in the settlement. Talk about the estimations regarding an individual payout, it could fall anywhere between $50 and $395.
Interestingly enough, despite reaching a settlement, Apple continues to deny all the allegations in the lawsuit.
“Apple denies all of the allegations made in the lawsuit, denies that any MacBooks are defective, and denies that Apple did anything improper or unlawful. Apple asserts numerous defenses to the claims in this case. The proposed settlement to resolve this case is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing of any kind by Apple,” the company said.
