Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Apple for MacBook Pro Flexgate Issue

[paeschli]

As reported by iFixit:

Quote

A class action lawsuit filed in Northern California federal court alleges that Apple knowingly sold MacBook Pros that contained display cables destined to fail, in what we and others termed “Flexgate”. The suit also claims Apple intentionally responded with a limited display repair program response that only included a limited number of less-expensive MacBooks, and did not cover the issue with its AppleCare extended warranties.

The suit, filed by the Parris law firm of Lancaster, CA, includes in its proposed class anybody who bought a MacBook Pro in 2016 or later, and asks Apple to expand its free repair coverage to 15-inch models. The filing contains a number of iFixit photos demonstrating the relatively short cables wrapped around the hinged display.

[...]

In March 2019, we noticed that the newest MacBook Pros had longer display cables. A little over two months later, Apple announced its limited repair program for 13-inch models sold in 2016, though we knew other models were affected.

A similar issue has appeared on my gf 2016 15 inch MacBook Pro (A1707 model) with the screen glitching out (as if it was a GPU issue) once you open the lid more than 5 cm.

 

We were quoted a 650€ repair by an Apple Premium reseller (Apple Stores are still closed due to COVID-19).

 

Any advice on how to proceed? Get it fixed by Apple and hope for a refund in the future, send it to an independent repair shop in the hope it ends up cheaper, or wait until Apple acknowledges the issue?

[aaradorn]

Have you tried contacting apple about it? You can always send it to Louis Rossman, I'd trust him with my macbook any day of the week.

[Praesi]

Apple is scamming their customers whenever they can.

If you need a repair i agree with @aaradorn

 

Dont buy Apple "lifestyle" Products in the future.

[Curious Pineapple]

Here we go again, another week, another CA for shitty products. Naturally there will be a rush of defense for Apple from people who have "only" have their Macbook repaired 3 times in 5 years and never had the display ribbon break so it must be user error.

[aaradorn]

7 minutes ago, Praesi said:

Apple is scamming their customers whenever they can.

If you need a repair i agree with @aaradorn

 

Dont buy Apple "lifestyle" Products in the future.

Apple does make some great stuff tho, iPads and the base model 2019 macbook pro was still a great laptop. It absolutely destroyed my GF's windows laptop in battery life and and speed, they both have the same specs and same upgrade options. None. That does not mean apple is great but, a lot of other brands have had the same issues, but other brands can bury the broken laptops with different models, something apple can't.

 

I will always be a windows guy but I can't deny the usefulness of my macbook and iPad. They work great together and the battery life is excellent.

[Ashleyyyy]

i had a 2017 model and this didn't happen, but like, it was defective in other ways so i won't defend it lol. 

 

it's good that they fixed it in later models but it's scummy not to put the 2017 and 2018 models on the list.... 

[Guest]

Happened on my 2016 15” model. Was annoying as they needed to replace the logic board.

[GDRRiley]

when will apple learn you need to spend more time in engineering testing this shit. they keep having stuff fail

[Mutoh]

17 minutes ago, GDRRiley said:

when will apple learn you need to spend more time in engineering testing this shit. they keep having stuff fail

 

Why bother learning when people buy them up anyway?

[GDRRiley]

8 minutes ago, Mutoh said:

Why bother learning when people buy the up anyway?

at some point apple will get sued enough that they may actually lose money on a product

[Belgarathian]

I'm starting to think that my Apple tax is really just a lawyer and settlement tax.

[StDragon]

11 hours ago, aaradorn said:

I will always be a windows guy but I can't deny the usefulness of my macbook and iPad.

iPhone users here. It's not the tech that I care about insomuch as the iOS platform. Though Apple seems heck-all bent on screwing that up too lately.

 

I'm not going to get on the Android platform again for two primary reasons.

1. It's Google. The "Do No Evil" company that is in fact evil.
2. Android phones are a motley crew of UIs and pre-loaded software. If I must pick my poison among that platform, I would would go with Samsung FWIW.

[Curious Pineapple]

1 hour ago, RorzNZ said:

Happened on my 2016 15” model. Was annoying as they needed to replace the logic board.

I bet they didn't "need" to

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Curious Pineapple said:

I bet they didn't "need" to

Yes they did it was also water damaged apparently. I also spilled coffee on it. It was working fine after that, but I would imagine if you don’t get passed the right information you don’t know. 
 

TBH most computer repair shops do this, not just Apple. There’s simply nowhere else to go so they can charge what they want. 

[Curious Pineapple]

Just now, RorzNZ said:

Yes they did it was also water damaged apparently. I also spilled coffee on it. It was working fine after that, but I would imagine if you don’t get passed the right information you don’t know. 
 

TBH most computer repair shops do this, not just Apple. There’s simply nowhere else to go so they can charge what they want. 

Every machine they look at seems to be water damaged. It worked fine afterwards because they will have likely changed the fucked cable too

[DrMacintosh]

Flexgate certainly is a real thing that exists, however I've deduced that it only occurs to people to treat their MacBooks with little to no respect. 

 

When the hinge is opened all the way, the display cables are being hyper extended. Further, moving the laptop by its screen can put severe stress on the display cables. I've got a 2016 13" MacBook Pro and it's display has never been replaced (though the keyboard has). 

 

I've managed to avoid this issue by not hyper-extending the display and by handling the laptop by the chasis, not the display. 

 

That being said, Apple should definitely lose this lawsuit and I hope they do. 

[GDRRiley]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

When the hinge is opened all the way, the display cables are being hyper extended.

this just sounds like people who use their laptops in weird angles not always abuse.

[DrMacintosh]

2 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

when will apple learn you need to spend more time in engineering testing this shit. they keep having stuff fail

tbf, in my experience, when a MacBook is treated with respect, it doesn't get Flexgate. When people whip their Macs around by the screen, that's when the display cables get wrecked. 

 

Apple seems to design their Macs for reasonable use cases and does not plan for users doing dumb things like trying to extend the display past the maximum or spinning it around by the display. 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, GDRRiley said:

this just sounds like people who use their laptops in weird angles not always abuse.

The traditional "horizontal with knees up" position with the laptop in your lap is about the only "extreme" position that Apple designed that hinge for. Otherwise it's probably just expected to be at like 90-120 degrees. 

[Curious Pineapple]

4 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

tbf, in my experience, when a MacBook is treated with respect, it doesn't get Flexgate. When people whip their Macs around by the screen, that's when the display cables get wrecked. 

 

Apple seems to design their Macs for reasonable use cases and does not plan for users doing dumb things like trying to extend the display past the maximum or spinning it around by the display. 

One would assume that the hinge design limits the display movement to a designed maximum. If the internal cables can't handfle that then either them or the hinge isn't correct for the application.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, Curious Pineapple said:

If the internal cables can't handfle that then either them or the hinge isn't correct for the application.

Which is exactly what happened. In later designs Apple increased the length of the Display cables to increase the range at which the display could be extended without causing damage. 

[GDRRiley]

21 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

The traditional "horizontal with knees up" position with the laptop in your lap is about the only "extreme" position that Apple designed that hinge for. Otherwise it's probably just expected to be at like 90-120 degrees. 

given I often use my laptop in bed at 180 so it lays there easily it should be a consideration. part of the design of something "premium" should be it being able to handle slightly odd uses. I'm not talking tuffbook level

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, GDRRiley said:

given I often use my laptop in bed at 180 so it lays there easily

Extending the display 180 degrees would physically break a MacBook Pro  

[GDRRiley]

10 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Extending the display 180 degrees would physically break a MacBook Pro  

I'm on a HP probook. not macbook level qaulity but not bad for 700$ vs what I got 7 years ago

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Curious Pineapple said:

Every machine they look at seems to be water damaged. It worked fine afterwards because they will have likely changed the fucked cable too

To clarify, this was not an Apple store but an authorised servicer