Apple was aware of a hardware issue affecting certain customers' 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models. This is according to the judge in charge of the long-running lawsuit.

Apple was aware of a defect, later known as Flexgate, that caused the backlight at the bottom of the user's screen to fail, rendering the MacBook unusable. This defect was due to a design error in the ribbon cable connecting the display to the MacBook Pro itself.

When the MacBook opens and closes, the cable flexes in tandem. However, due to an inherent weakness in the flex cables of these models, the cables frayed with continued use, eventually breaking the backlight.

MacRumors published findings from a Law360 report, in which U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, noting that Apple would have been aware of the cable's fragile nature before the notebooks hit store shelves.

Apple is accused of not fixing the problem when iFixit first released its findings, choosing instead to lengthen the flex cables and removing comments from support forums to hide the problem.

The court found that "customer complaints are sufficient to show that Apple had exclusive knowledge of the alleged defect."

Apple countered, stating that the plaintiff had used the MacBook for three years without any problems. Apple also believes that the trial was based on faulty assumptions rather than probative facts. For example, Apple believes that the pre-launch stress test does not prove that the company knowingly shipped a defective product.

The judge also expressed the opinion that if Apple had edited the negative comments, it should have been fully aware that this was an issue affecting a substantial number of users.

That is all. While bad news for Apple, the fine is just a drop in the ocean of profits for the company and is unlikely to hinder worldwide sales of the latest and greatest MacBook models.

More: check out our review of the Apple MacBook Pro with M1