Apple admits to flaw in 2018 MacBook Air motherboards

Apple has reportedly admitted to another flaw in its laptop hardware, informing repair staff that 'a very small number' of 2018-era MacBook Air devices should be repaired with a new motherboard - 'logic board,' in Apple parlance - at no cost regardless of warranty status.

Apple has been having something of a rough go on the hardware front of late: The company was forced to admit to design flaws in its 'butterfly' keyboard switches and display ribbon cable connectors which caused them to fail unexpectedly, and followed a recall of faulty mains adapters that could give the user an electric shock with another recall for faulty MacBook Pro batteries which, it warned, could take multiple weeks to replace - leaving affected users without their laptops.

Now, the company is reportedly facing another hardware flaw, this time in its 2018-era 13" MacBook Air with Retina Display laptops. According to an internal memo obtained by 9to5Mac, Apple Stores and other authorised repairers are being informed of a flaw affecting 'a very small number' of laptops which requires a complete replacement of the device's motherboard - 'logic board,' as Apple terms it. Neither the exact nature of the flaw nor its symptoms are discussed in the memo, beyond mention of it being related to 'power.'

For those affected, who Apple pledges to contact via email, the promise of a free repair is good for up to four years past the original purchase date of the laptop - though European Union consumer rights can extend this still further - regardless of the status of the manufacturer's warranty. Oddly, the company hasn't made a public announcement of the flaw, nor published any means of checking a serial number to see if it is included in the affected batch(es) via its website.