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Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

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Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#71

Post by SyneRyder »

forgingahead wrote: post #3

I regret not buying a stash of 2012 Macbook Pros and hoarding them for my own use. Edit: And iPhone SEs as well

Careful on the mid-2012 MBPs... as much as I love that machine, they also have their own flexgate [1]. The internal SATA flex cables bend across the Superdrive and rub against the slightly abrasive back plate, so they have a high failure rate if you actually use your device as a laptop (eg travel with it, keep it in an backpack). Apple seems to have had a problem with flex cables for nearly a decade now.

My MBP 2012 has had 6 SATA flex cable replacements by Apple in 3.5 years (I bought mine in 2015). The last few repairs have all been ~3 months apart. It's easily the most unreliable laptop I've ever owned. Thankfully Apple did all the SATA cable replacements free as required by law in Australia.

That said, you should be able to find mid-2012s for about $450 - $650 US refurbished from mom & pop Mac repair stores. [2]

[1] https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/sata-cable-problem-in-m...

[2] https://www.macofalltrades.com/apple-macbook-pro-13-inch-glo...

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#72

Post by scottydelta »

saagarjha wrote: post #57
scottydelta wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

just like their generous $30 battery replacements on iPhones after they were caught slowing down the iphones.

> they were caught slowing down the iphones This is a mischaracterization of the issue. They communicated battery throttling poorly; they weren't "caught slowing down" iPhones.

They never acknowledged the issue even though the issue has been there for quite sometime[1].

[1] https://www.collective-evolution.com/2017/09/03/study-sugges...

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#73

Post by jrib »

eecc wrote: post #32
Bud wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looking around my desk, I see a MagSafe power supply, with strain relief on both ends, a Thunderbolt cable, with strain relief, an HDMI adapter, with strain relief, a Lightning cable, with strain relief...what are you even talking about?

What strain relief, the crappy flex neck that stiffens over time becoming itself a strain point making the cables fray on their discontinuity? (Note how normally strain releifs are graduated... but let’s not get function to prevail of form!) I haven’t had an Apple laptop without the darn thing breaking after a couple years... it’s a tax, as well as guaranteed landfill material. Just google “apple power supply cable f…

What do you buy instead?

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#74

Post by 2muchcoffeeman »

andr wrote: post #53
stunt wrote: post #6

There are many examples of Apple never admitting design issues! Beside what they are doing with their reputation and customers loyalty, I’m wondering how is it going to affect their engineering culture within the company itself. They are very biased with their strategies in everything and they hardly change them. Same situation Microsoft was in some years ago.

On the flipside, Apple has a lot more data on what components fail than we do. They can detect issues before they become a "-gate" and I imagine slight improvements like this one happen fairly often. Which, I'd say, is a good engineering practice and culture.

Or they could just use standard parts and make their machines more repairable.

I recently upgraded my MacMini Server 2012 with max ram and SSDs. My Air is still going strong, so this may be the last time I get a Mac. Which is too bad. Their older machines were really really nice. The new ones are kinda shit.

Had they just kept releasing the same models with upgraded specs and none of the crazy price increases and improvements we’d all be upgrading. I don’t even mind the soldered in stuff if the machine was reliable. I use and Air. Now their keyboards don’t even work.

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#75

Post by azinman2 »

sametmax wrote: post #63
devwastaken wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, Louis rossman, a popular apple repair guy on YouTube talks similiar about this a lot. The overwhelming majority of problems are fixable for 10 minutes or less and less than a dollar in components. But apple will just tell you to buy a new board and purposefully makes it harder for repair. The whole 'sustainability' is a marketing act.

It makes you wonder how much of the privacy features are a marketing act too.

I can assure you the message is consistent internally with action. It’s not just marketing.

Disclosure: I work for Apple.

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#76

Post by davidverhasselt »

gumby wrote: post #67

The 2018 keyboard is much more robust than the earilier ones. In 8 months I haven’t had to replace it at all (though I am close). I actually don’t mind the feel, just want it to work. And the Touch Bar...if I could just disable the hypersensitive virtual escape key (I use caps lock for that) it would be perfect...all else can be disabled but not that botch, for some reason. I guess I still use it because I find the a…

You can easily disable the escape key on the TouchBar using the free Karabiner-Elements https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/

This is my setup: https://d.pr/i/sP4OMX

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#77

Post by BossingAround »

gumby wrote: post #67

The 2018 keyboard is much more robust than the earilier ones. In 8 months I haven’t had to replace it at all (though I am close). I actually don’t mind the feel, just want it to work. And the Touch Bar...if I could just disable the hypersensitive virtual escape key (I use caps lock for that) it would be perfect...all else can be disabled but not that botch, for some reason. I guess I still use it because I find the a…

So, it's a 'win' when you don't have to replace your keyboard in 8 months...? Some people are still using 2012 Macbook Pros...

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#79

Post by campercoder »

CoolGuySteve wrote: post #12

A bigger problem imo is the $700 display replacement. I have a similar problem with my wife’s broken MacBook, where replacing the display costs almost as much as the computer itself. The problem with the MacBook is that the display is bonded to the glass and the aluminum back so that you have to replace the entire top assembly to fix the display. It’s even more depressing to know that the ribbon connecting the displa…

Ives is a con artist. Impress everybody with my English accent and my Right Said Fred looks.

Meanwhile destroy the Apple ethos for making quality, long lasting products.

Re: Apple’s 2018 MacBook Pros Attempt to Solve Flexgate, Without Admitting It Exists

#80

Post by campercoder »

stunt wrote: post #6

There are many examples of Apple never admitting design issues! Beside what they are doing with their reputation and customers loyalty, I’m wondering how is it going to affect their engineering culture within the company itself. They are very biased with their strategies in everything and they hardly change them. Same situation Microsoft was in some years ago.

Well if they force their engineers to use Macbooks with butterfly keyboards, I'd imagine moral must be very low.
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