Touch-bar capable MacBook Pros were one of the welcome enhancements for Apple' vaunted notebook. It did make life easier for most, an innovating that competing brands have yet to equal.
Each MacBook comes with a different internal arrangement, cables included. And according to a report from Apple Insider, the setup of the Touch Bar capable MacBooks sees cables wrap over the controller board secured by spring-loaded covers. Though seemingly secure, these cables are subject to stress each time the notebook is opened or closed, iFixit said.
This eventually leads to stress that would end up causing tears, hitting the backlight cable of the MacBook Pro and thus leading to the dreaded "stage light" effect. The backlight may eventually start going out completely when opening a Pro's lid past 40 degrees.
Hence, the root cause of it all seems to be on the fragile flex cables that Apple had used instead of the traditional wire cables present in past MacBook Pro models. The current cables are thinner compared to the old wire cables which could be routed through a hinge instead of going around it that would cause less wear and tear.
It seems that Apple's recourse to build cables into the display rather than an easily replaceable cable has caused more problems now. Thus, if one breaks the whole panel, a replacement would be needed. This could end up forcing people spending hundreds of dollars out of warranty.
And from the warranty part is where the madness starts. Some owners have asked Apple to do the replacements without having to pay. Some were able to convince the company while others have been rejected, forcing them to shell out additional money to have the problem fixed.
With the inconsistency in address the stage light issue on the MacBook Pro, some have started to launch petitions calling for Apple to extend the warranty program. To date, there have been 2,500 signatures collected although that number could swell even more depending on how many people bought the touch bar-enabled MacBook Pro which came out in 2016.
There is no definite number of MacBook Pros who have encountered the stage light problem. As far as other models like the MacBook Air 2018, nothing has been reported. Then again, it all depends on how the internal assembly was made - particularly cable designs and materials used.
It may also be possible that the problem affects only a number of MacBook Pros since display-related problems have not really grown rampant from data collected over more than 25 Apple-authorized locations and Genius Bars by Apple Insider. Hence, affected models may have unluckily gotten defective units - yet another problem the Cupertino company may have to factor.
