While I don’t disagree with you. This applies to the whole industry. I have personally had 3 lg video devices with bad power supplies causing the screen to blink and be unusable after the warranty period. The first one actually was replaced by lg, but that one crapped out after 3 years. Many years later I bought a lg flatscreen - blink, blink. After the warranty. With the exception of the first device (which actually had a 5-year warranty). LG basically never got back to me. So yah, design issues should be covered (google the lg blink- it’s a thing). , but ultimately Apple does better than most in standing behind their products. We all just wish they would have a longer design issue warranty. Of course if only a small number of devices are impacted, is the problem related to something else and not a design issue?
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'Flexgate' Class Action Lawsuit Over Faulty MacBook Pro Displays Dismissed by Judge
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I’m afraid this issue only starts to appear after months, or even years of usage. After opening and closing the lid, the cables, which are too short, end up being damaged, and this is the result. And no, Apple sometimes prefer to do nothing when there’s an issue.
No, a loss for us, customers.
Way to spout anti-corporate conspiracy theories. Fact. Some corporations return to their communities, support the rights of all people, are environmentally responsible, have high standards on working conditions, etc. (also fact - not perfectly). I’d say companies that do try to meet these standards do care. According to your conspiracy, they would all pay as little as possible, pollute the environment, never donate to social, environmental or human causes. And yet - some do
You and the other person are bascially saying the same thing. As I am as well. Anyone who thinks apple gives two flying F*^&^ about you, your privacy or anything else is living in LA LA land. It's only interested in YOUR MONEY. As much as they can sucker out of you. They do not care that their devices are junk, they do not care that their software is trash. As long as you believe the hype machine, that's all that matters.
Apple is not one of them. You think that removing the chargers from the iphone was for "environmental" reasons? If so, I have some amazing beach front property in Antarctica to sell you.
I'm not anti-corporate by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I anti-Apple. I'm simply stating fact. Simplified since I don't feel like writing a white paper on the matter, but the fundamental truth remains: Apple is a global megacorporation focused on its profits and shareholder value.
The factors you list typically are typically established and maintained for public perception as part of the brand image since many customers & potential customers feel these are important factors and wish to be associated with such. Additionally these factors play into talent acquisition & retention since many employees, especially in companies of this nature, have strong preferences regarding how "their" company engages with the community and environment.
In short - a company that wants the money in the pockets of socially/environmentally conscious customers and wants the talents/expertise of similar oriented personnel must give the appearances of being socially/environmentally conscious.
You *might* even find some of the senior leadership is indeed socially/environmentally conscious in their own right, but at the end of the day all of this serves the purpose of generating profits and returning value to shareholders. Failing to achieve those two tends to result in the replacement of the senior leadership or the demise of the company.
... but you just go on with the Blue Pill if that makes you feel better.
Just don't be disappointed when you find out they're really only interested in the contents of your wallet.
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To clarify above, I'm not anti Apple and I do enjoy their products. They're by no means perfect, but for what I need to do they generally are the better fit to my needs/preferences.
I do think they "care" about security / privacy - but more for benefit of their image in the eyes of current/potential customers and how they compare to the others than for _my_ individual benefit.
That means they don't really care about privacy, they just claim to.
Kinda weird that a case was even brought for only those models and only against apple. This has been a common occurrence for all laptops going back at least 2 decades.
A class action lawsuit that Apple was facing over "Flexgate" issues affecting MacBook Pro displays has been dismissed by a California federal judge, reports Law360.
Filed in May 2020, the lawsuit accused Apple of knowingly concealing an alleged flex cable display defect impacting some 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. The judge overseeing the case said that because the defect appeared after the warranty period, Apple was not required to disclose it because it was not a safety issue.
While the lawsuit has been dismissed, the judge is allowing it to be amended. Plaintiffs will need to include an argument that the Flexgate issue was a safety hazard, as well as providing evidence that Apple "knew with certainty that the alleged defect would occur."
The Flexgate problem affected MacBook Pro models released in 2016 and 2017, some of which began exhibiting uneven lighting at the bottom of the screen after a few years. This "stage light" effect could lead the backlighting system to fail entirely.
Repair site iFixit found that the problem was caused by a delicate flex cable that was prone to wearing out and breaking after repeated opening and closing of the display.
Apple updated the design of the display flex cable with the 2018 MacBook Pro, and launched a free repair program in May 2019 that covered the 13-inch MacBook Pro models from 2016.
The now-dismissed class action lawsuit was seeking restitution for all costs attributable to repairing or replacing affected MacBook Pro models, and it called on Apple to expand the free repair program to cover 15-inch MacBook Pro models.
Article Link: 'Flexgate' Class Action Lawsuit Over Faulty MacBook Pro Displays Dismissed by Judge
That cable isn’t really the problem, it’s the placement, and all manufacturers know it. There just has not been a viable solution.
Impressive how much some Apple users have their heads inside Apple's bottom!
So the message here is that manufacturers only need to design a product to last the term of the warranty and if these products start dropping like flies after the warranty, too bad for the consumer?
I understand there was a repair program for the MBP13 but not the affected MBP15, and there were timelines for the repair program. Obviously, this issue is not normal in any laptop and is a defect.
I understand there was a repair program for the MBP13 but not the affected MBP15, and there were timelines for the repair program. Obviously, this issue is not normal in any laptop and is a defect.
How much more are you willing to pay? Apple sold ~20 million MBPs last year. For sake of argument, lets assume 5% per year suffer a failure that costs $500 to fix. That's about $500M in expenses, spread out over 20 millon machines works out to an extra $25 per year, so two additional years would add $50 to each MBP. Personally, I'd gladly see Apple hike their prices $50 or so but give a 3 year bumper to bumper warranty plus tech support, since I buy Applecare anyway.
Do you have a reference for a 6 year warranty requirement? If that is teh case it would be cheaper to buy a MBP in Portugal than in the US + Applecare since Apple has a worldwide warranty.
As I understand it, the EU mandates a 2 year period for goods sold in teh EU. It is not a manufacturers warranty, but rather from the trader. So if you by a Mac at FINAC then you need to go back to them to get it fixed, not Apple. You can still go to Apple during their waranty period. If you live in Portugal but bought it from a store in Germany you need to ship it there to get it serviced. If it is defective then you don't have to pay shipping, but may have to pay upfront and request a refund. The real kicker, though, is defects that appear within 6 months are assumed to have been their from the date of purchase, after that the trader can ask you to prove it existed at time of purchase for you to get free repairs, repalcement or refund.
Then why are baseline prices higher? Warranty costs are one part of what goes into determing the list price of any product, a company would be stupid not to and take a hit on the bottom line, and Aplle may be many things but they aren't stupid in terms of making a profit.
Sure products get better generally as more experience is gained in manufacturing them; and getting a rep for quality never hurts.
I did not say they would increase their prices, but that the current prices include some amount to account for any additional warranty costs due to local regulations, along with costs of localization, distribution, etc. How much is debatable, but otherwise it is just simple cost accounting.
Same for us. White iBook was in the shop 5 times for logic board, black MacBook Pro cracked palmrests and logic board failure. 2015 12" MacBook screen failure and that keyboard. 2016 MBP - screen failure and that keyboard.
Switched to Dell Latitude and zero problems. Used them at work for years and they ran just fine.
I’m pretty sure they would increase prices if they felt like it, regardless of the result of this lawsuit
The judge ruled correctly based on the laws that exist. That's his job, not to "think about how he would feel if it were his Mac" and make a decision that would be popular with faulty MacBook owners but wouldn't comport with the law.
Well that’s good! They replaced the screen out of the one year warranty? How many years had it been since purchasing? Thank you
This right here is why I sold my 2017 MacBook Pro right before Apple Care expired.
We have only the most basic consumer protection laws -- for most purposes limited to intentional failure or failures that cause substantial safety issues. This is a result of what is referred to among American class-action lawyers as the "private attorney general" concept -- in essence, outsourcing typical governmental responsibilities to private enforcers of the law (i.e., plaintiffs' law firms, who are necessarily entrepreneurial in how they look for cases). It's a rather extreme extension of free-market capitalism in that it puts most non-criminal legal enforcement power in the hands of private actors who compete with one another in the marketplace.
Well, if you consider how bad of a cluster**** the 2007-8 15” & 17” MacBook Pro’s were with their notoriously failing NVIDIA Graphics, I’d say it’s more your luck than any kind of proof that Macs used to be more reliable back then.
It’s hardly a safety issue. But I gotta admit that I am very surprised that Apple issued a repair program that only applies to a small percentage of the machines that could be affected by this, as the program only covers 2016 MBP’s, despite the fact that 2017 models suffer from this too and use the EXACT SAME (and interchangeable) display assembly. And were sold until recently.
I was burnt by Flexgate and the monitor no longer works. It was Apple Certified Refurb 15” MBP and flexgate occurred right after the warranty + AppleCare expired. Fortunately, I’m able to still use the MBP when connected to an external display.
A known defect that’s renders that $1,500+ machine useless in less than five years is unreasonable. I think Apple should consider a few options for those impacted with Flexgate:
A known defect that’s renders that $1,500+ machine useless in less than five years is unreasonable. I think Apple should consider a few options for those impacted with Flexgate:
- Repair: Offer repairs at no cost to the customer OR at max 20% cost of the current value of the machine or total cost of repair, whichever is lower.
- Replacement: Offer a trade-in credit when buying another Mac, up to the total cost of the repair or the current value of the machine, whichever is higher.
