The 2018 MacBook Air. Photo : Alex Cranz ( Gizmodo )

Apple has identified a serious issue with a “very small number” of 2018 MacBook Air laptops that requires the replacement of the main logic board, 9to5Mac reported on Sunday, citing internal documents from the company.




According to 9to5Mac, the issue has been tracked down to “Retina, 13-inch, 2018 MacBook Air models with certain serial numbers,” with Apple Store and authorized repair staff instructed to replace logic boards in the qualifying units for free. Apple mentioned in the document that the issue has to do with “power” without going into further detail, the site wrote, though online searches show user reports of the affected models “not able to power on at all.” It’s not clear whether those reports necessarily refer to the issue at hand here, given the vague description.

Apple hasn’t yet listed the issue on its dedicated exchange and repair extension program website, though 9to5Mac noted it does not always do so when there isn’t a large-scale problem with a product. The documents state that Apple will contact impacted customers directly via email and that the repair program will run for four years , while those that think they are experiencing the issue can go to an Apple Store or other authorized repair outlet for a look.


Apple has had a string of unfortunate issues with its laptops as of late. Earlier this month, it announced a recall of some 15-inch MacBook Pros with Retina displays built between 2015 and 2017 due to battery issues that may cause the models to “ overheat and pose a fire safety risk.” As Wired noted at the time , since the beginning of 2018, Apple had launched no less than five repair or recall notices for its laptops, including the notorious MacBook keyboard problems, a battery replacement notice and a separate solid state drive replacement program for some 13-inch MacBook Pro (non Touch Bar) units, “Flexgate” display issues, and the aforementioned batteries that posed a fire risk.

[9to5Mac]