Apple defeats attempts to review the ‘flexgate’ lawsuit involving Mac laptops

Apple defeated an appeal to revive a would-be class action over allegedly defective MacBook Pro displays, after the Ninth Circuit said Thursday that the company had no duty to disclose the flaw, reports Patently Apple.

Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit targeted the so-called “stage light” or “flexgate” issue that presented in MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2016 and 2017. 

In 2016, Apple introduced its updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. The company described these laptops as “revolutionary” and “groundbreaking,” with “breakthrough performance.” The laptops’ main selling point was their display. Apple described it as its “brightest and most colorful Retina display yet.” 

However, the lawsuit claimed that, in an effort to make the laptops as slim as possible, used thin flexible ribbon cables to connect the display screen to the display controller board. The cables wrap around the display controller board and are secured by a pair of spring-loaded covers.

According to the lawsuit, at first these cables function correctly. But their length and placement cause them to rub against the control board each time the laptop is opened or closed, causing the cables to wear and tear over time.

Apple responded by offering a service program for 2016 13-inch models, but not for 15-inch ones. Hence, the class action lawsuit.