Apple has obviously learned its lessons from "bendgate" and "chipgate" by offering free repair of MacBooks and MacBook Pros with stained retina displays to avoid a bigger "staingate" crisis.
So far, more than 4,100 people have joined a Facebook group with complaints over their Retina displays and over 4,700 are signatories to a change.org petition for Apple to fix the problem. The stains appear as early as seven months from date of purchase, according to Staingate.org, a portal dedicated to the Retina problem.
According to Staingate.org, there is no clear pattern how the problem begins. In some owners of MacBook - which costs more than $2,000 - owners notice small spots around the edge. But in some displays, it appears in the middle part as large patches.
Newsweek reports that the Cupertino-based tech giant has been receiving complaints about the anti-reflective coating of the two devices wearing off and leaving behind blotchy screens. To address the issue, Apple issued an internal notice of a new quality program that replaces for free the damaged Retina displays.
Those who had their units fixed but paid because the MacBooks are no longer covered by warranty could ask for a refund from Apple, reports MacRumors on Saturday. The standard Apple warranty is three years from date of sale.
Engadget notes that Apple launched the program quietly. An Apple spokesman had confirmed the program, saying, "If customers are experiencing an issue with their Mac, they should contact AppleCare."