Apple has been hit with a class-action lawsuit claiming that the company concealed what’s commonly referred as “stage light,” or “Flexgate,” a display issue experienced by some 2016 MacBook Pro owners.
In 2019, iFixit reported that the 2016 MacBook Pro’s the compact design for the display’s flex cables was prone to fatigue and failure, leading to a host of display problems that couldn’t be easily or cheaply fixed.
Mike Peterson for AppleInsider:
Dubbed “stage lighting” due to abnormal backlighting patterns emanating from the bottom of an impacted MacBook Pro’s display, the problem was tied to stress or tearing on the laptop’s cable when the lid was opened and closed repeatedly. Apple eventually launched a repair program for the issue in 2019 and quietly fixed the underlying culprit in the next generation of MacBook.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles resident Mahan Taleshpour lodged a complaint in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California alleging that Apple was aware of the defect in its product and failed to disclose the issue to consumers… The plaintiff is seeking an official disclosure about the “defective nature” of the display cables, restitutions for MacBook Pro repair costs or economic losses, an expansion of AppleCare and repair program service to 15-inch models, and legal fees.
MacDailyNews Note: Here’s Louis Rossmann’s explanation of the issue:
Here’s iFixit’s explanation:
Apple has a repair program for the problem. Thus, the only relief that is really being sought in the case is the last-mentioned one — legal fees.
All too true.
As the article states: “The plaintiff is seeking……an expansion of AppleCare and repair program service to 15-inch models.”
The repair program currently covers only the 13″ models, not the 15″, even though the 2016 15″ models suffer from the same issue.