The 2016 models of the MacBook Pro suffer a design fault which is dubbed "flexgate." Apple has never acknowledged the fault exists, but it looks as though it may have been quietly fixed in 2018 models of the laptops.

Flexgate occurs because Apple decided to use very thin and flimsy cables to connect the MacBook Pro display to its base. Those ribbon cables are wrapped around a hinge and pull tight when the display is fully opened, so over time they become damaged and ultimately fail.

Ribbon cables are cheap, suggesting a repair shouldn't cost very much, but Apple decided to make the cables a part of the sealed display unit. Therefore, a fix that should cost a handful of dollars instead requires a complete display replacement costing $700.

Here's iFixit's explanation as to why flexgate happens:

Based on a tip from Olivia88 in the MacRumors forum, iFixit decided to check the display cables in the latest 2018 MacBook Pros, and sure enough they have been made longer. 2mm longer to be precise. That's a tiny amount of extra cable, but it makes all the difference when a MacBook Pro display is fully opened. The extra length means the cable is no longer being pulled tight around the hinge and therefore not suffering the same stress as the old, shorter cable.

There's no confirmation from Apple that this is indeed a fix for flexgate. The fact Apple won't even confirm there is a problem with older models is concerning enough, but to fix it quietly is worse as it suggests the problem is known about but Apple is choosing to ignore it and therefore forcing customers to spend $700 fixing a design fault they can't avoid experiencing.

It may be the cable was lengthened for another reason, but what other explanation could there be? It's also possible this won't solve flexgate, but we will be waiting at least a year to find out as owners open and close their new Pros repeatedly and test the cable strength.