A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that Apple was aware of a MacBook Pro design flaw that caused some devices to display backlight issues.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the action is aimed at the so-called “stage light” or “flexgate” issue presented in MacBook Pro models produced in 2016 and 2017.
Discovered in 2018, the problem manifests as dark patches running across the bottom of an impacted display of MacBook Pro, resembling light installations often seen on a theatrical stage. Some users have reported that opening their MacBook Pro display beyond a certain angle renders the screen inoperable.
Independent repair outfit iFixit investigated the effect of ‘stage light’ in early 2019 and traced the problem back to a thin flex cable connecting the display to a controller contained on the logic board below the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. According to the court case, these flex cables were defective and would become smaller over time if the connected display was opened and closed.
Following initial reports of the “stage light” effect, a host of complaints arose claiming similar issues on social media programs, blogs, a Change.org petition and Apple’s own Support Forums.
While Apple eventually launched a repair program that included 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro models, the company failed to produce 15-inch Pros and models produced after 2016 that have identical problems. Furthermore, the tech giant delayed the release of the repair program “despite the fact that they both knew and should have known” the root cause of the problem.
Before the repair program, owners were forced to pay out of pocket for expensive repairs. Because the flex cable was an integral display component, the “stage light” often required replacement of the entire screen mount.
Apple did not disclose when it first acknowledged complications with the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro, but variants unveiled in 2018 included a longer display flex cable in an apparent bid to solve the problem.
“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 read. .
The class-action argument violates unfair competition laws in several states, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and statutes for consumer fraud in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Violation of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraudulent concealment and unfair enrichment are also considered.
Plaintiff seeks damages, litigation costs, and a judgment requiring Apple to identify and explain all defective MacBook Pro laptops, including relief measures.
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