MacBook Pro Backlight Display Issues Causing Problems for Some

A new hardware controversy is brewing for Apple that has to do with some of its MacBook Pro laptops. The issue has been dubbed “flexgate,” and it allegedly has something to do with the internal cable used to connect the MacBook display to the control board under the keyboard of the computer.

Apple switched to that setup in 2016 for the MacBook Pro. The setup has a pair of flexible ribbon cables that are reportedly pulled tight every time the lid to the notebook is opened. The act of opening and closing the lid is damaging the cables over time.

As the cable gets damaged, it can cause a feature seen in the image above called “Stage light” effect reports The Verge. Essentially instead of seeing a bright and uniformly lit backlight across the bottom of the screen, it appears as if you can see individual lights.

Eventually, some users with this issue see the screen fail to function at all if the lid is opened more than halfway. There are multiple reports of this issue, but it’s unclear how widespread it is at this time.