Apple may appear in court yet again if enough 2011 MacBook Pro owners get their way, after a class action lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for Northern California. The lawsuit began as a petition which was signed by thousands of people who are experiencing issues with the GPU on their MacBook Pros.
The class action lawsuit, which was filed on October 24, claims that Apple failed to resolve the graphics card issues present in certain MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2011.
The graphics card issue is said to occur when the lead-free solder used in the manufacturing process of the device is exposed to significant temperature changes. The increase or decrease in temperature reportedly caused a short circuit, which made the displays on some 15-inch and 17-inch models unreadable.
The claims suggests that Apple has ignored thousands of complaints from customers who are experiencing this issue.
On Apple’s discussion forms, several users (who have brought their laptops into an Apple Store) have reported that having the company fix the issue if you are no longer under warranty could cost between $350 and $600.
If the many customers who have complained get their way, we could see Apple introduce a repair or replacement program to address this issue. Apple did offer a graphics card replacement for some mid-2011 iMacs that were experiencing a similar issue. However, it is very rare that Apple issues a recall on one of its products.
Apple has not yet released an official comment about this issue. If you have a 2011 MacBook Pro, have you been affected by this GPU issue?
[via ZDNet]
