Whether it’s for business or personal use – there’s not much more frustrating than a malfunctioning computer.

What’s worse, though, is when you have to shell out your own money to correct what’s clearly an existing issue with hardware. Now, after successfully battling a class-action lawsuit over the matter last year, Apple has finally admitted a long-running issue with MacBook Pro’s hardware and has begun to offer free repairs.

• In late 2014 a lawsuit was brought against Apple by a large number of customers claiming that the MacBook Pro’s they purchased in 2011 had severely defective graphics cards that Apple should pay to repair.
• While for a while Apple maintained it wasn’t their issue, it was clear quickly that it wasn’t an isolated problem – a Change.org petition gained nearly 40,000 signatures calling for Apple to issue replacements.

Too Little Too Late?

Apple had the lawsuit dismissed in January of this year when the Judge in the case ruled that the “plaintiffs have failed to allege that Apple’s logic boards were unfit for their ordinary purpose or lacked a minimal level of quality.” – but now, Apple seems to have changed their position.

Last month the company announced they would repair affected products free of any charge. There’s currently no real indication of how many MacBook’s were affected by the issue over the past four years, though Apple does contend that a percentage of the products may exhibit:

• Distorted video (especially when watching HD)
• Failed video
• Unexpected system restarts

The free repair program began last month in the U.S and Canada and rolled out throughout other parts of the world as well – it’s set to run until February 27, 2016. Many customers are upset that the program involves no refunding; they’ve already spent money trying to repair their MacBook Pro’s when Apple denied the issue, and many have outright bought new computers and even left Apple behind.

Here are the models impacted:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15 inch, Early 2013)

Still, if you’re currently working on a computer that’s still experiencing these issues, you should take your device into an Apple Store or any authorized retailers to get it fixed.

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