Regular readers of my blog have probably already guessed that I am a fan of Apple technology. Indeed, I am. Right now, I am typing this article on a MacBook Air, with an iMac waiting at home and an iPhone in my pocket. And in general, due to my professional activity, I have held in my hands a huge number of different devices of this brand. Therefore, I consider my choice to be justified. But this is not the topic of today’s material. With all the love for “Apple” gadgets, it is worth admitting that they are not perfect. The corporation’s engineers are cool, but they also make blunders. These are the cases I will tell you about.

What is a manufacturing defect?

First of all, we need to understand what is a factory defect. According to the official definition, it is a product manufactured in violation of production standards. Accordingly, at the testing stage, such defective devices should be withdrawn and sent for recycling. But not everything is so simple. The fact is that many defects are hidden, or are manifested after a certain period of operation. Thus, you can buy a seemingly fully serviceable gadget in a store, but over time you will encounter an unexpected breakdown, discover a defect in assembly, etc.

With Apple products – it would seem that there is nothing wrong with reliability. The company produces equipment to the highest standards and performs multiple checks for compliance with quality criteria. But sometimes it happens so that the defect becomes a surprise for the company itself. There are many examples, such as an unfortunate location of the cooling cooler, poor sealing of the screen unit, too short a display loop, vulnerability to dust keyboard mechanism, and much more. In other words, the corporation develops a new device, tests it, launches it into production… And after a while, it “sits in a puddle”. I must give Apple credit – most of the recognized defects are eliminated free of charge, or a replacement program is launched.

Examples of Apple product defects

For the readers of my blog, I have put together a small selection of famous examples of defects in technology. I think you will find it interesting to familiarize yourself with the punctures of engineers, and perhaps even allow you to know your case.

Flexgate screen cable defect on MacBook Pro

The 2016-2018 edition of the Macbook Pro has over time manifested a problem that has been dubbed “Flexgate“. The company’s engineers made a miscalculation by making the flexible display loop too short. Because of what it quickly frayed or broke when opening the lid of the laptop. As a result, the image shows stripes, and artifacts, filling with one color. Subsequently, this detail was improved.

Curved display on the iMac M1 (2021)

One of the most recent examples is that on some of Apple’s new 24-inch monoblock, the screen may be “skewed”. In other words, it’s mounted unevenly on the foot, easily identified by measuring the distance between its corners and the table.

“Green” screen on iPhone 12

Some owners of brand new Model 12 iPhones have discovered that the display image has a greenish tint. Apple did recognize the problem, although it did not hurry to make loud statements about the mass defect. This fact may be due to the huge demand for this model, so the requirements for the quality of its components may have been reduced.

Bright lights on edge of the iPad Pro 12.9 display

The new model of the tablet based on the M1 processor pleased fans with its huge power and high speed. But it did not do without a “spoonful of tar”. Many owners of iPad Pro noticed that on a black screen, there is a “halo” effect around light parts. It is not yet known how widespread the problem is, but the fact remains.

Crackling in the AirPods Pro headphones

The company received numerous user complaints about annoying crackling in one or two headphones. This defect was not eliminated by software means, so, in the end, Apple did recognize the defect in a small number of devices. Accordingly, it launched a program to replace the defective headphones.

These are just a few examples that show that even a tech giant like Apple is not immune to missteps. The good news is that the company usually recognizes its mistakes and tries to correct them. And that’s worthy of respect.