MacBook Air Flexgate is an unofficial name increasingly used for screen problems that appear when the laptop lid reaches a particular angle. The display may flicker, lose its backlight, show colored lines or turn completely black even though the computer continues running.

The term can be misleading. The original Flexgate controversy involved certain 13-inch MacBook Pro models from 2016, not MacBook Air. Apple later created a display backlight service program for eligible MacBook Pro units after determining that a small percentage could develop uneven lighting or lose the backlight entirely.

No equivalent MacBook Air repair program currently appears among Apple active service programs. Individual Air models can still experience failures involving display cables, connectors, backlight components or the LCD panel, but that does not establish one confirmed defect affecting every generation.

Owners therefore need to identify the symptom before assuming the screen has the same problem associated with the earlier MacBook Pro.

MacBook Air Flexgate Is Not the Original Flexgate

MacBook Air Flexgate usually refers to damage or wear affecting the thin cables carrying display information and power between the computer body and the screen.

These cables must flex every time the lid opens or closes. When a cable, connector or bonded section begins failing, the problem may initially appear only at certain screen angles. Moving the lid can restore the image temporarily, followed by another blackout when the display opens farther.

The original MacBook Pro issue became associated with a short backlight cable integrated into the display assembly. Repeated movement could place stress on the cable, producing a stage-light effect along the bottom of the screen before the backlight eventually stopped working.

MacBook Air designs also use compact display connections routed through the hinge area, but the internal construction differs across generations. A cable-related Air failure should not automatically be treated as evidence that Apple reused the exact defective MacBook Pro component.

The distinction matters during repair. A technician may use “Flexgate” as convenient shorthand, while the written diagnosis may identify a damaged display cable, backlight circuit, panel connection or complete display assembly.

Customers should ask which component has failed and how the conclusion was reached rather than accepting the nickname as the diagnosis.

Which MacBook Air Models Are Mentioned Most

Reports of angle-dependent MacBook Air display failures most commonly involve Retina models introduced from 2018 onward.

The 2018 and 2019 Intel MacBook Air share a thin Retina design with display connections running through the hinge area. The early 2020 Intel version and late 2020 M1 MacBook Air use closely related chassis designs, making symptoms across these machines look similar even when the failed component is not identical.

Owners describe displays that work when opened slightly but flicker, develop lines or turn black when moved toward a normal viewing position. Some units recover after the lid is partly closed, strongly suggesting a physical connection affected by movement.

The M1 MacBook Air receives particular attention because it sold in large numbers and remained available for several years. A greater number of public complaints does not necessarily mean it has a higher failure rate, but many of these computers are now old enough for wear, accidental pressure and repeated hinge movement to become relevant.

The redesigned M2 MacBook Air introduced in 2022 uses a different enclosure and display assembly. M3 and later versions continue that flatter design. Individual screen and cable failures can occur, but there is no established evidence of a single Flexgate defect covering those generations.

Older wedge-shaped MacBook Air models released before the 2018 Retina redesign can also develop display cable problems. They are not normally included in the Flexgate discussion because their screen architecture predates the MacBook Pro controversy and their failures follow different repair patterns.

The exact model can be checked through:

Apple menu > About This Mac

The model year and screen size are more useful than the date the Mac was purchased. Retailers may sell an earlier generation long after its original release.

How to Recognize a Display Cable Failure

A strong Flexgate-style symptom is a display that changes immediately when the lid moves.

The screen may operate normally below a particular angle, then flicker or disappear as it opens farther. Returning the lid to the previous position restores the picture without restarting the Mac.

Uneven illumination along the bottom edge can point toward a backlight connection. Several bright or dark patches resembling stage lights are especially associated with cable or backlight distribution problems.

A completely dark screen may still contain a faint image. Shining a flashlight toward the display in a dark room can sometimes reveal the desktop beneath the failed backlight. This test should be performed gently without pressing against the panel.

Colored vertical lines, black bands or duplicated images can involve the display data connection, but they may also indicate panel damage. Lines that remain unchanged at every lid angle are less characteristic of a flex-related failure.

Cracks do not always appear on the outer glass. Pressure from a webcam cover, keyboard protector, plug, pen or other object left between the keyboard and display can damage the internal LCD while leaving the surface relatively smooth.

Liquid exposure may create lines, discoloration or intermittent operation around the hinge and display connectors. In those cases, repeatedly opening the lid can spread contamination or worsen damaged connections.

An external monitor provides one of the most useful tests. When the external image remains normal while the built-in screen fails, the graphics processor is probably still generating the picture correctly. Attention then moves toward the internal display assembly, cable or connector.

A screenshot can provide another distinction. Capture the screen while the fault is visible, then inspect the file on another device or external monitor. When the screenshot looks normal, the problem is likely occurring after macOS generates the image.

What Owners Should Do Before Paying for Repair

Back up the Mac as soon as an intermittent display problem begins. A screen that works at one angle today may become completely unusable after another cable movement.

Avoid repeatedly opening and closing the lid to demonstrate the fault. Each movement can place further stress on an already damaged connection.

Record a short video showing the display at different angles. Intermittent failures can disappear when a Mac reaches a repair counter, and clear documentation helps the technician reproduce the condition.

Apple Diagnostics may identify some hardware problems, although a clean result does not rule out a damaged display cable. Testing in macOS Recovery or during startup can help exclude an ordinary application problem.

Apple and authorized providers commonly replace the complete display assembly when the cable is integrated with the screen. That approach can make an out-of-warranty repair expensive even when the visible fault involves a small cable.

Independent repair specialists may offer component-level cable work for certain models. The quality and durability of those repairs vary considerably, and newer Air displays can require specialized equipment, adhesives and calibration.

Before authorizing work, request a written estimate identifying the model, suspected component, warranty on the repair and whether the replacement display is new, used, refurbished or genuine.

AppleCare+ may reduce the cost when coverage remains active, particularly if the screen shows accidental damage. Standard warranty coverage depends on the diagnosis and whether Apple determines that impact, liquid or external pressure caused the failure.

The current Apple service-program list should also be checked before paying. A MacBook Air display program could be introduced or changed later, while consumer-protection laws may provide additional rights in some countries even after the limited warranty ends.

Owners using the Mac with an external monitor can often continue working while evaluating repair options. FileVault credentials, backups and any essential recovery codes should be confirmed before service because a technician may need to erase, reset or retain the computer during inspection.

The post MacBook Air Flexgate Can Become a Costly Screen Failure appeared first on AppleMagazine.

Pre-Covid, the movie landscape was dramatically different: YouTubers weren’t dominating the box office, video game spin-offs rarely made an impact and Winnie-the-Pooh wasn’t yet the star of a slasher movie. Why such a flurry of innovation – and what will be next?

Cinema has always been a medium of research and development. At any given point, the industry is searching for yet another breakthrough that can drive it into the future. Synchronised sound in the 1920s. Technicolor in the 1930s. The invention of the modern blockbuster in the 1970s.

Conversely, the consensus is that, if the 2020s has a defining trend, then it is one of decline. The theatrical experience is under attack from all angles: streaming, YouTube, a once-in-a-century health crisis that shut cinemas down entirely. And yet, if you look closer, this has actually been one of the most innovative decades that cinema has ever seen. Whether down to technology or desperation, the film industry has spent these last few years figuring out new ways to make films that simply could not have existed even at the turn of the decade.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: SKLAE/Signature Entertainment

© Photograph: SKLAE/Signature Entertainment

© Photograph: SKLAE/Signature Entertainment

RED 100 Go propose un forfait mobile sans engagement à 9,99 €/mois avec une enveloppe data confortable, pensé pour les utilisateurs connectés qui veulent éviter de payer plus que nécessaire.

Prixtel Oxygène propose un forfait mobile flexible capable d’évoluer chaque mois selon la consommation de données. Une approche pratique pour éviter de payer des gigaoctets inutilisés.

If you’ve ever swum in the ocean and been touched by seaweed, there’s a good chance it was Sargassum! This free-floating seaweed can have population explosions in coastal waters, degrading water quality, ecosystems, fisheries, and tourism. However, despite its drawbacks, scientists think that Sargassum could be useful for extracting valuable metals, known as rare earth elements (REEs). 

REEs are classified by their average masses and atomic weights. Light REEs include cerium, praseodymium, and neodymium, middle REEs include gadolinium, terbium, and dysprosium, and heavy REEs include erbium, thulium, and ytterbium. These metals are used in magnets, electronic motors, wind turbines, spacecraft, and more. Our current methods of extracting REEs, open-pit mining and chemical processing, are invasive, causing habitat loss and producing toxic waste. Additionally, REEs are difficult to import due to restricted access worldwide. But what if these metals could be extracted using natural methods? 

Scientists from Woods Hole and UCLA recently tested whether Sargassum could accumulate REEs, creating a sustainable solution to these problems. They harvested Sargassum at Waterfront Park in Woods Hole, rinsed the wet samples, and stored them in sterilized, filtered seawater, which they aerated with 12-hour cycles of light and dark to keep the Sargassum alive. They dried another set of samples in the sun under controlled outdoor conditions, stored them in sealed containers, and later rehydrated them in seawater for 3 hours before the experiments.

For each experiment, they added 5 grams (about 0.2 ounces) of Sargassum to solutions containing a mixture of 9 REEs – cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, erbium, thulium, and ytterbium – in concentrations totalling 0.1 micromolar (μM) REEs, 11μM REEs, 100 to 110μM REEs, and 575 to 600μM REEs. They performed each experiment 4 times: twice with fresh seaweed and twice with rehydrated seaweed. 

The researchers removed 1 gram (about 0.04 ounces) of seaweed from each solution after 1, 3, and 7 days, and dissolved it in acid to release the REEs it had absorbed. They analyzed the concentrations of REEs in each seaweed sample and the leftover solutions using 2 different plasma-based methods. They used these REE concentrations to calculate the ratio of REEs in the Sargassum versus in the solution, known as the bioconcentration factor, to determine how effectively the seaweed absorbed REEs. 

They found that after 7 days at lower REE concentrations (0.1μM), the fresh seaweed had bioconcentration factors of over 1,000. At higher REE concentrations (11μM), their bioconcentration factors ranged from about 400 to 700. However, these levels of REEs were eventually toxic to the fresh Sargassum, so they died after 2 weeks. In addition, the higher REE concentrations of 100 to 600μM were immediately toxic to the fresh Sargassum, which died within 1 day in solution. 

The researchers determined that once the seaweed died, it could no longer actively take up REEs into its tissues but could only accumulate them on its surface or adsorb them. Adsorption can be thought of as a powdered donut – when the surface is covered with powdered sugar, no more powder fits on the donut. Similarly, there was a limit to how many REEs could stick to the Sargassum. Due to this limit, the fresh seaweed samples had bioconcentration factors below 250 in the highest REE concentrations. In contrast, the rehydrated Sargassum consumed less REEs at lower concentrations, but didn’t experience toxicity and continued to accumulate REEs at higher concentrations.

Finally, the team compared Sargassum to a common industrial method of accumulating REEs, known as activated carbon. REEs bond easily to activated carbon because of its abundant surface area and high porosity. Both materials accumulated a similar amount of REEs in solutions of 0.1μM REEs. However, at 575 to 600μM REEs, Sargassum accumulated about twice as many REEs as activated carbon, especially the heavier REEs. 

​The researchers concluded that Sargassum is a natural hyper-accumulator, meaning it successfully concentrates REEs. However, they recommended that future researchers test whether Sargassum performs the same in the natural environment as it does in the lab. If so, Sargassum could be used to accumulate REEs from wastewater, like mine drainage, or other water sources with higher concentrations of REEs. Regardless, they suggested that using Sargassum to obtain REEs could simultaneously expand global access to these metals and mitigate toxic blooms.

The post Using seaweed to harvest valuable metals appeared first on Sciworthy.