A class-action complaint filed Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California claims Apple was aware of a MacBook Pro design flaw — the so-called “stage light” or “flexgate” issue — that caused some MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2016 and 2017 to exhibit backlight display issues.
Mikey Campbell for AppleInsider:
Discovered in 2018, the problem manifests as dark patches that run across the bottom of an impacted MacBook Pro’s display, resembling light installations commonly seen on a theater stage. Some users reported that opening their MacBook Pro’s display past a certain angle renders the screen nonfunctional.
Independent repair outfit iFixit investigated the “stage light” effect in early 2019 and tracked the issue back to a thin flex cable that connects the display to a controller situated on the logic board beneath MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. According to the lawsuit, these flex cables were defective and would deteriorate over time as the connected display was opened and closed…
Apple has not revealed when it first recognized complications with the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro, but variants unveiled in 2018 included a longer display flex cable in an apparent bid to fix the issue.
“Apple was aware of the issues with the backlight screen and the defective flex cable, in light of the comments posted by consumers on Apple’s discussion forum and that those comments were deleted after they were posted,” the lawsuit reads.
MacDailyNews Note: Information about Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro Display Backlight Service Program which covers the “flexgate” issue for MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) and MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports) is here.
I’m so glad I purchased a refurbished 2015 MacBook Pro last year because I didn’t want to chance buying a newer MacBook Pro with problems. So far, the 2015 Macbook Pro is working perfectly. Luke Miani had tested all the older MacBook Pros and the 2015 model was the safest of the bunch so that’s what I bought from his recommendation. So far, he was spot on.