It was just a month ago that there was the issue of iPad Pro with Cellular being shipped with a slight bend to them that Apple said was normal. I'll repeat that, bendy iPad Pros are considered normal, according to Apple's head of hardware.

The new problem du jour is the Touch Bar generation of MacBook Pro's beginning to show problems with flex cables prone to fatigue and failure. Famed iFixit that does quality teardowns of Apple products with great precision is now pointing out to the Mac Community that "Flexgate" is a real problem you're likely to run into over time.

iFix states that the issue is fairly simple: the current generation of MacBook Pro laptops (2016–present) uses flexible ribbon cables to connect the display to a display controller board beneath the Touch Bar. These cables wrap over the board, where they’re secured by a pair of spring-loaded covers—and they’re subjected to the stress of bending with every opening and closure of the laptop. Within a seemingly short time, those cables are starting to fatigue and tear. The backlight cable is generally the first to go, producing the infamous “stage light” symptoms (as noted in the nightmare photo below from MacRumors), and eventually giving out entirely when the laptop is opened more than about 40°.

When it first debuted, the design seemed fine. But as always, the devil is in the details. Apple opted for thin, fragile flex cables as opposed to the beefier wire cables used in previous designs that could be routed through the hinge instead of wrapped around it, helping mitigate the stress of repeated openings and closings. But the bigger problem is that, in an apparent effort to make the display as thin as possible, Apple designed the cables as part of the display, so they cannot be replaced.

This means that when (not if) those cables start to fail, the entire display unit needs to be replaced, as opposed to one or two little cables—effectively turning a $6 problem into a $600 disaster. You could read the full iFixit report here for more.

If you're experiencing this problem, there's a petition with 2,500 people on board already over at change.Org that you may want to check out and join.

Of course when there's a big annoying problem with an Apple product, Louis Rossman isn't far behind. In fact, this time around Rossman's time stamp shows that he was actuall on this issue prior to the iFixit report.

Be warned that Rossman can upset die-hard Apple fans. If you get agitated easily, it's best that you pass on the video.