Ask the company: can you do better. As a trillion dollar company that sells 3000 dollar machines, can you do just a little bit better then something we would expect from a first year intern. - Louis Rossman ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jahtu1_idVU ) In defence of the first year intern I think that fucking up catastrophically is beyond their capability than say a well established Apple engineer with little oversight and overwhelming approval. Last time this document was updated: Sun 15 Dec 2019 21:48:15 AEDT If you want to contact me for any corrections or to shoot the shit my email is: ks@fastmail.com.au Anything in this file is placed in the public domain and it is well within your rights to do whatever you want with it. # Backstory (seriously skip to the next section for a Summary of this compendium) I wrote this because Apple simply wouldn't sell me a genuine part without forcing a labour service fee down my throat. I was in need of the genuine part and I was in a pinch and so I surrendered my laptop for an issue that Apple is culpable for. The problem of making the issue wide known is that nobody has put in the effort. The issue is flys under the radar because the issue is spontaneous and latent so that it might affect you out of the warranty period like it did to me. But the DIY fix is cheap and a cinch and almost always is a success. It wasn't for me and that's part of why I'm writing this document, to explain where and why it can go wrong. the problem yourself. So even if you got Apple for a repair as a last resort, they won't publicly acknowledge the issue and in my case deny me my Australian Consumer Law rights for a remedy because the laptop is not of Acceptable Quality (free from defect and durable) which means it is Not Fit For Purpose because the built-in keyboard & trackpad cease to work. I have an on-going dispute with the Apple Sydney Store and their resident in-house AppleCare expert in Australia Consumer Law (ACL). The Sydney store just wants to shoo me away and shunts me to their legal team (only contactable by snail mail - why would I ever do this?) when I assert my ACL rights. They say - over the phone but won't put it in writing - that they have an agreement with ACCC that products are covered under ACL for 36 months. This is misinformation, misleading, dishonest, and just generally unscrupulous. They want to gouge consumers over a design flaw. All this over a $15 AUD part and a 10 minute repair job for which I gave the Genius Bar tech the diagnosis. The level or arrogonace is unnerving. To put things into perspective they charged somewhere between $800 and $1400 an hour (it is a fixed labour fee) to swap out a cable that I could've easily done myself, or showed a 6 year old how to do. But the primary reason I wrote this document is to help other people that are affected by the issue. Know what to look out for if you do a DIY. What are the relevant part numbers (some don't know there's 2 revisions of the cable, both which can fail). Conjectures as to why the problem happens. Who this affects, which is everyone with an A1502 2015. As for my dispute, this compendium is inspired by my dispute but now lives independently. I tried to work with Apple bottom-up an exhausted all reasonable avenues, and I'm now at an impasse. Since then I have contacted Executive Phil Schiller who has acknowledged and has an Executive Liason investigating the case. So we will see how the top-down approach works. In the end it doesn't matter I have my rights and there's a few other avenues for recourse such as NSW Fair Trading & NCAT (small claims court). I also hope anyone that feels stiffed by Apple over this problem asserts their consumer rights if they have them. I know Australia is similar to NZ. I know that UK and EU probably have pretty good consumre law rights. I know US, like always, is massively behind - but they love litigation so maybe this document may help serve as evidence. In my opinion regardless if you have consumer law rights, Apple should be providing redress for this issue via a repair program. I hope this document also helps visibility of the problem and I have asked AppleIssues.net to also list it on their site. They only list widespread issues. This one affects all A1502 2015 laptops and so I believe it deserves to be on the site. Naysayers think the laptop is too old to deserve a repair program. I completely and utterly disagree. The 2012-2015 lines of laptop in my opinion are the best and I am not interested in the ongoing beta test of all the new lines of laptops since 2016. Also from my experience it is quite telling that Apple loves to mislead consumers about their rights and do so with impunity. Even when they get caught they receive a slap on the wrist. The in-house Apple Consumer Law Expert tried to attack my character and make me feel bad for asserting my rights. He reckons that Apple would be under scrutiny if they got away with not acknowledging a well known fault (like this issue). I think it is safe to say he is wrong and the ACCC doesn't seem to have any teeth in our country. See: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/iphone-and-ipad-misrepresentations-cost-apple-inc-9-million-in-penalties The specific contention with my dispute is actually not the content of the claim which this entire document is about, but rather what is the reasonable lifetime expectancy of a laptop to a reasonable consumer. From personal experience I think the Macbook Air lines should have 5 years minimum and Macbook Pro 8 years minimum. But I think the more reasonable expectation is that it should last as long as Apple keeps providing software updates for it. That was my experience with my Powerbook G4 12" in 2003 and my Xserve G5 I purchased in 2004. Once general software and updates are not available you can probably consider these vintage items. Both Sydney store and Apple Consumer Law Expert in no uncertain terms have said that 36 months is the cut off for eligibility under ACL. The condiiton of the product is irrelevant (doesn't matter if it is pristine). And the nature of the claim is irrelevant. Reasonable lifetime expectancy according to their Consumer Law expert is solely determined by (1) when did the fault happen and (2) how old is the laptop. You can see this discussion at length at https://whrl.pl/RfYHZW . I feel in general that at least in Australia that a lot of people are confused about Consumer Law. I think this actually applies in many other countries as well. And Apple gets a free pass and even praise because of this. But incase you were wondering how Apple sees the Australia Consumer Law you can see it here: https://www.apple.com/au/legal/statutory-warranty/ I personally find it weasely worded and deliberately confusing because they conflate consumer law and warranties. Your rights are not voided regardless if you have or do not have warranty. Microsoft doesn't pull this shit, they are incredibly clear and upfront and they acknowledge that your rights are for a reasonable period from date of purchase which depends on the nature or cost of the product & service: https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/legalau/australian-consumer-law/ Lastly Apple is very careful in communicating with me by doing it over the phone. Every phone interaction I keep a written trasncript and ask/prod for any clarifications to any determinations or statements. I recommend anyone doing this with any company they interact with, especially if you haven't established any trust with them. # Summary All A1502 2015 models a.k.a Macbook Pro 13" Early and Mid 2015 have a widespread issue stemming from a design flaw where the keyboard and trackpad simultaneously and spontaneously fail. The quick work around is to use an external keyboard and mouse but as a long term solution this is preposterous. The 2015 line compared to previous years did a few things different. First the trackpad flex cable (in Apple Repair Expert parlance "IPD cable") integrates both keyboard and trackpad. So the keyboard piggybacks on the trackpad which connects via the flex cable to the logic board. Previous years used two separate cables. Also another distinguishing "feature" is the trackpad flex cable runs over the top of the battery instead of under. This is great because the cable is easy to replace, just need to pop the bottom shell and swap the cable. Takes like 5-10 mins and this document will discuss the DIY fix and what parts are needed and the issue with buying 3rd party parts versus Apple genuine. The bad news is because of this choice of how they route the cable it is the culprit of why the cable fails. According to a few sources it comes down to the battery running hot and the cable corroding internally (the failing cable isn't physically visible). Also another distinguishing feature of the A1502 2015 compared to previous years is the introduction of Haptic feedback. Haptic feedback gives that feeling of vibration and pressure when applying pressure on the trackpad, e.g. bottom right clicking to bring up the right-click menu. The trackpad configuration settings in MacOS also lets you fiddle with the sensitivity, pressure, and firmness which is pretty cool. Anyway I make mention of this later when talking about replacement parts because some are known to work except for haptic feedback and this experience have been shared by a small minorit of which I am a part of. I have also linked to what I consider the best DIY fix guides and videos. Please read them and watch them before attempting to do the repair yourself. But I can confidently say you could instruct a 6 year old to do this if you provide the tools and specific instructions. Making the repair is harmless and you would have to try very hard and be quite intentional if you wanted to wreck your laptop doing this job. So fear not, it is easy, very safe to do, cheap, and a cinch. The problem is if you're reading this wondering about the issue because it matches your symptoms, then it is probably too late and you're in a hurry to get things sorted. I have also collected a bunch of reports from other consumers that have attempted the DIY fix or had repairs by Apple. Some consumers have even had the issue manifest in the order of months after they bought the laptop. Some were covered by standard AppleCare of 1 year in the course of their first or subsequent replacements. The problem can occur or reoccur at any time during the lifetime of your laptop. And once outside the warranty you can probably opt for a DIY solution because it is cheaper and less headache than Apple gouging consumres because they hold parts captive, refuse to publicly acknowledge the issue, and provide a permanent remedy or a perpetual "repair program". I think the Butterfly keyboard lcass action lawsuit tells a lot about the anti-repairability and anti-consumer stance by Apple. ## Is this issue widespread? Yes. It affects only the A1502 early and mid 2015 models. In the last section I will provide sources and links with choice excerpts from various consumers and Apple repair techs. But I think it is best if I appeal to authority Presenting... Youtube Celebrity, Outspoken Apple Critic, Pro-Consumer and Pro-Repair advocate, the motherfucking god of Apple repair, and just a down-to-earth decent-as-fuck authentic-as-fuck dude... Louis Rossman: [/u/RX-Nota-II asks if this issue is widespread. So what do you reckon Louis?] Only on the 2015 A1502, and the older A1278 hard drive cable. To paraphrase/plagarize my friend Duco who used to be the primary tech on my forum: > The copper traces are cold deformed and stretched making them prone to > cracking. > It is a metallurgical problem. Copper that is cold deformed has internal > stress in it and without annealing it it will in some cases start to crack to > relieve the stresses. Copper/brass are very prone to this problem and it is > known. It is also referred to as stress-corrosion, common anywhere where > copper is bend without annealing it. It's also fun to remove the black covering under a microscope and take a look at the actual copper underneath to see what it looks like on failed cables. Very cool. :) The same thing happens with the 821-1480-A and Apple's followup to try to fix the problem(which didn't) of the 821-2049-A. Most 821-2049-A you see on the market are Chinese knockoffs, or people printing 821-2049-A on an 821-1480-A cable... The A1502 Macbook from 2013-2014 uses a different cable which does not have this failure. I have never replaced the trackpad cable outside of extreme liquid damage on an A1425 Macbook Pro Retina or an A1502 Macbook Pro Retina from 2013-2014. We replace several each week on the A1502 from 2015-2016, and these machines we are replacing them on have zero liquid or physical damage. I give Apple credit for routing the cable over the glued-in battery, rather than under the glued-in battery like in 2013-2014. This issue is not a big deal if you carry around a spare cable and a pentalobe in your laptop case(which I suggest anyone do if they own an A1502 from 2015-2016), because it is super easy to replace. Two screws, unplug, plug a new one in. If the cable were routed under the battery like in older years, it would be a total nightmare. This is actually not a maintenance nightmare, you do not have to be a specialized technician to replace this. Anyone can do it. You can feel the materials used on the A1706, A1707, A1708, A1989, and A1990 for their respective trackpads - they do not have this problem at all. It is really strange to me how this occurred on the older, non-retina machines. This problem plagued the 13" A1278 Unibody Macbook Pro terribly, but not the 15" A1286 Unibody Macbook Pro or the 17" A1297 Unibody Macbook Pro, which used what appeared to be the same exact material, even if it is in a different cable. This never happens on the A1286/A1297, but was a normal occurrence on the A1278. What is also strange to me is that Apple did not solve this problem even after 3-7 years of failing HDD cables on the A1278, when they produced the A1502 2015 model. My man! Thanks for the vindication. And thanks to /u/RX-Nota-II for asking. You can read this in full glory here: https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/eaixeq/write_up_on_keyboard_and_trackpad_cable_failure/fatmunt/ # http://appleissues.net/ I have notified https://appleissues.net/ of the issue. If you feel this issue is as widespread as me and they haven't posted anything yet (I will remove this if they do), then please contact them by going to their website and let them know you're having the: A1502 2015 Macbook Pro 13" Keyboard and Trackpad failure because of Trackpad Cable issue. Feel free to link to this document which will always live here: http://a1502-2015-macbook-pro-13-trackpad-cable-failure.ks.fastmail.com.au/references-to-issue-failure.txt . Like I said in my backstory I think this issue has gone unnoticed for way too long because there's a cheap DIY fix. But in any case it is a design flaw that Apple should own up to and take responsibility for. We don't know how many non-savvy consumers they're gouging. # Which models are affected? This problem affects 2015 Macbook Pro 13" Early 2015 & possibly Mid 2015. This doesn't affect the 2012-2014 models. The 2012-2014 models use separate keyboard and trackpad cables and are placed properly so the cables don't deteriorate over time. I think all the pro 13" laptops from this era are also A1502. So use precise terms if you want to search the web for more information. # Symptoms The keyboard and trackpad spontaneously cease to work correctly. You may find that your Macbook Pro may register it sometimes and sometimes not. The issue can happen early in its life, multiple times, even in both the standard and extended warranty period, and easily outside of it. This can be an early or latent issue and the symptoms of the issue is the keyboard & trackpad spontaneously becomes finicky and shortly or immediately after it ceases to work. You may reboot and it will no longer boot into the OS. Some people think the problem is with software or firmware because a reboot sometimes fixes the problem. I thought this at first. I then thought otherwise when the cable replacement actually bought stability and fixed the problem for the forseeable future. However it's worth keeping an open mind. See the bottom of the Apple discussions thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7582605 ## But why does the trackpad cable fail? See Louis response earlier in the document about why this issue is widespread. But probably because it's too fucking hot when you place a cable over a battery. Many conjecture and Louis agrees that the issue is identical to the a1278 sata hard drive cable that plagued Macbooks 3-7 years ago which Apple knew about and had 4 or so attempts of revising the cable and I don't even know if there was ever a permanent fix. But if this is the case Apple shouldn't have made the mistake twice. iFixIt expert Dan has a contrasting view that is worth reading. See the thread at https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/605470/Why+precisely+does+the+trackpad+cable+fail . He says he is unconvinced the issue is identical to previous a1278 cable problem. ## Being prepared or anticipating failure and what you should do. Louis recommends you should keep tools and some spare parts handy to administer the fix in a pinch. I agree completely. I recommend you pick up a Macbook/iPhone repair kit which includes the needed pentalobe and torx T5 screwdrivers and a few spudgers that are incredibly handy. Make sure you have a few cables spare and test them by swapping each out and ensuring the keyboard and trackpad fully function including the haptic feedback features. DIY is a cinch and doesn't really need technical knowledge to administer. If you read the DIY articles and videos which should take you no longer than 30 minutes then you should be able to do this in 10 minutes. Also see my DIY tips. I postulate because the DIY is so easy and anyone can do it and gives a bit of that dopamine when you complete the repair yourself. Therefore this issue goes unnoticed because nobody cares to assign blame to Apple or recognise the design flaw. That doesn't mean Apple shouldn't be culpable nor responsible. Also if they just made the parts available directly I probably wouldn't have even researched the issue or written this document in the first place. I encourage anyone to join their "right to repair" chapter. # Fix (Skip to next section for DIY articles and videos.) You can do a DIY replacement or ask Apple to do a repair. An apple repair will have a guaranteed outcome (everything works again). The DIY can vary but from all the reviews I've seen on this part, it looks like almost every time it solves the problem. It didn't for me but I must've fallen through the cracks and got a dud cable that worked 90% but no haptic feedback. Or some cables work on some models and no others. Who knows. Anyway I was frustrated that I didn't have haptic feedback (click pressure feel and noises) so I immediately went to Apple to source a genuine part for $15AUD and allow them to extort me for a $120AUD service charge with a total invoice of $135AUD. Because I provided the diagnosis it took liek 5-10 minutes for the Apple store to fix. So over $1000/hr for a repair. If I was just sold the part I would've been very happy. I'd do the replacement myself. If it failed I'd take it to the Apple store and ask for a replacement to the replacement part and try it out. And if that fails, surrender to the labour charge (and then claim it back on consumer law guarantee). In any case I recommend trying to get a genuine part if you can. The only seller I know that isn't apple that makes genuine parts available is powerbookmedic.com. They are all used genuine parts. Also one last thing. The non genuine parts have been said to have varying characteristics. Some are elongated and don't fit nicely when you replace it. Some are prefolded and fit nicely. Some don't have the folds near the connector ends (you'll see what I mean if you pop open your laptop or view a repair video). Anyway back to parts. There are two trackpad cables, the first revision, and the second revision. I think neither can permanently fix the problem and Apple hasn't bother addressing it anymore. * 821-00184-A (Apple part number: 923-00518) which is the first revision of the cable in most Macbook Pro 13" 2015s that haven't encountered this issue. * 821-00721-A (Apple part number: 923-01376) which tries to fix the first revision cable that is prone to failure. In one of the youtube links I will provide to DIY you will find someone replacing this cable due to failure. So you never know. You can buy the parts here (from order of recommendation). You will also need to get a Torx T5 and a Apple Pentalobe screwdriver to do the repair. Google around for a convenient place to source these parts - you will need them again anyway for many other repairs. I would recommend just getting a Torx set from your local hardware shop. Apple are aresholes for the proprietary pentalobe screws :/. Anyway here's where you can buy the parts (check the part number for the revision). These links are in no particular order and I think you should invidually assess what is comfortable for you because shipping times vary depending on where you purchase. You may want to check with eBay. I encourage whoever you buy from - ask them to test the cable first before they ship it. It only takes 5 or so minutes and will save a lot of effort if you end up with the haptic feedback issue like I did. And also if the test it and it passes but haptic feedback fails for you, then I think it might indicate there's a variation of the 2015mbp13 that needs to be accounted for. If you do happen to find that the cable works in one 2015mbp13 and not in another, please contact me with that information. * https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32900188432.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4d99Nc6N (the MAC111 video recommends this one in their description and says it has the ends pre-bent which makes it easier to fit when you replace). THis is the second revision cable as far as I can tell. Probably not genuine. * https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Retina-Early-2015-Trackpad-Cable/IF123-130 (the description says older revision - the reviews say mostly say it fixed the problem, one reported the same issue as me with no haptic feedback, so YMMV) - but iFixIt are bloody champions, so I would recommend buying their kit. Again, first revision part number for the cable, probably not genuine, but will very likely do the job anyway - with the caveat i just mentioned). See if iFixIt can first test the cable to ensure it works correctly before shipping it out. * https://store.rossmanngroup.com/index.php/bf5-821-00184-a.html - from Louis Rossman company, this dude is a really authentic, wonderful, and all around legend. He can be misconstrued as arrogant when he's really just candid and perhaps crass. At the end of the day he is all heart and what he says comes from a really good place (he wants to empower consumers when Apple give them the run around). Anyway this is the first revision part number, it may or may not be genuine, but very likely to work. Try contacting rossmangroup to test it before they ship it. * https://powerbookmedic.com - just search for the part numbers above, these are all genuine used parts from real Macbook Pro 13" or maybe sourced from an AASP. They don't sell non genuine parts. So good find. Thanks to Branes on freenode ##apple for this information. You can ask them to test the part to make sure it works before they ship it. * https://www.amazon.com/ask/answer/MxE4J8SM23SEQK - this cable has a lot of praise and in the Q&A one of the person says that she's been through many trackpad cables but this one has had a longer lifetime. Apple are serious arseholes for not publicly acknowledging and administering a permanent fix to this problem. Also a really choice comment from the reviews of the cable: I mention this because it was extremely frustrating to lose all keyboard/trackpad function, and the fix did not work. It turned out to be a bad part, but this one worked perfectly. Because they are relatively inexpensive, I tried a 2nd replacement and I'm glad I did. I hope this helps other MacBook users - especially because this inexpensive part and the tools required cost about $25, and Mac was going to charge me nearly $500. ## DIY blog article http://www.james-a-russell.com/blog/macbook-pro-a1502-model-year-2015-trackpad-ribbon-cable-replacement/ I found this article to be highly informative. The author appears to have been stuck fixing his wife's laptop and tried every possible avenue until performing the trackpad cable transplant. It's a great read and would encourage anyone attempting this fix to first read it before viewing the videos below. ## DIY videos So if you decide to DIY and buy the parts above here's a few videos that'll tell you how to do it. I have listed the videos that helped me the most in preferred order. The first two should sort you out though. But please read my tips which covers information that I felt is missing. Also I've said it a couple of times now - but sometimes the haptic feedback won't work when you replace the cable. Go back to the section where I talk about parts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AVoXTd-N0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzcBL1NBtik (in this video Jeremy actually replaces second revision cable with part number 821-00721-A - which means apple has not even fixed the issue, similar to the A1278 hard drive cable saga which took them 4 attempts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywbkocHoH7A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdjj7PlOLQo ## My tips It is really easy. A few things, I actually didn't know how to get the back shell off after I unscrewed it. You need to pull the cover upwards from where the display hinge is. It's pretty easy. I never bothered to disconnect battery before doing the service but you probably should. After you unscrew everything, you will want to use a plastic spudger to pop open the connectors. Some of the videos will show this. You will also want to make sure to pop the black clamp/flap on the bottom connector and gently but firmly slide the cable towards the battery rather thank yank it out (you may harm the connector if you yank). It is preferably to use a spudger to do everything. After a few repeat times replacing the cable I used the spudger less and less because it was a bit annoying to position it right. You can use your fingers I reckon - but I wouldn't recommend it because of potential damage. # Consumer Law in Your Country I advise anyone having this issue to seek out a remedy by asserting your consumer law rights if you country has them. In the case of Australia, Apple must provide a remedy for free because it violates (as the writer perceives) Australia Consumer Law because (1) it is not of acceptable quality (free from defect and not durable) and (2) because it is of not acceptable quality it is not fit for purpose (you expect the built-in keyboard and trackpad to work for the lifetime of the laptop). Apple will try to deny your consumer rights and maybe attack your character if you try to assert them. Please be unrelenting. It is your rights - use them or lose them. For some that can't be fed up with dealing with Apple and would just pay their hostage fee for a part and service, I understand, but I would urge you to reconsider. Apple has told me that a product is not eligible for Australia Consumer Law once it is over 36 months because a "reasonable consumer" would have a "reasonable expectation for a lifetime of a product" to be exactly 36 months and maybe a little over. 48 months (4 years) is very unlikely. This may be based on their AppleCare warranty offering (they offer 4 and 5+ year warranties for business/government/education) or some other formulation. It doesn't matter. (1) Whatever warranties Apple offers do not matter for Australia Consumer Guarantee whena product has a minor defect and (2) Apple cannot have authority when deciding what is a reasonable consumer or a reasonable lifetime expectation of a product without having full disclosure of this when a consumer buys a product (they don't advertise anything about lifetime expectancy). In any case their argument is indefensible and untenable. Please seek recourse any way you can - talk to the Apple store, talk to AppleCare, and as a last resort when working with Apple maybe contact Phil Schiller the Executive and plead your case (but please provide a high-level summary - and you're happy to link to this document). For reference choice.com.au suggests a consumer should reasoanbly expect the lifetime of a low end laptop (like an Air) to be 4 years and a high-end (like a Pro) to be 8 years. Remember a Macbook Pro 13" in 2015 was one of the most expensive laptops in that formfactor. I personally believe based on the part breakdown of the laptop, previous experience with the same generations, and previous Apple products that both the Air and the Pro laptops can have a life expectancy of up to 8 years when dealing with the physical aspects. In 8 years you may be excluded from running certain software but that is beside the point. You can find the article here: https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/consumer-rights-and-advice/your-rights/articles/how-long-should-your-appliances-last I have personally purchased about a dozen computers from Apple where most were laptops and one was an XServe G5. They've all had a minimum expected lifespan of 5 years except for one Macbook Air 13" due to user inflicted damage. For those that did pass the 5 year mark, they are still going strong. I do agree that after about 5-6 years they can be considered vintage. This is also actively being discussed in the context of Australia Consumer Law at https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/9jw87423 . However Apple is denying my rights under Australia Consumer Law because they claim a reasonable consumer can reasonably expect the lifetime of a 2015 Macbook Pro 13" to be 36 months and anything beyond very unlikely to be eligible. Anyway I digress. # Sources/Links/References/Discussion/everything you need to know by all sorts of wonderful people that are helping people fix this issue on the cheap. [1]: https://store.rossmanngroup.com/index.php/bf5-821-00184-a.html From Louis site it says this in bold: If your keyboard and trackpad aren't working and both stopped working at the same time, this cable is probably why! This cable spontaneously not working is a well known issue with the 2015 A1502 Macbook Pro Retina. [2]: Here's a few comments in the iFixit Breakdown of the 2015 Macbook Pro 13" model from https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Early+2015+Teardown/38300# - these comments are in Step 4: From mapercortesia - 08/20/2016: "This trackpad cable is proving to be the last straw for me. Not a month off warranty, the keyboard and trackpad on my MBP stopped responding and replacing this poorly-located cable was the only fix. Three months later, I'm having the same problem, albeit intermittently, and I'm probably going to have to replace it yet again. It's not acceptable that this fancy product is sold as a pro-level machine. Frankly, Apple's new engineering ethos is an embarrassment and an insult to the industry, and yet when I look into the competition, I see much the same: fancy products designed to last just beyond the standard warranty. And don't get me started on port adapters. Such a shame." From mapercortesia (in response) - 12/31/2016 "To any of you possibly reading this and in any way invested in this cable issue, I did indeed replace the cable back in August (2016) and the machine worked properly until this last week of December (2016) when the problem returned. I'll either have to replace it yet again or move on to a new machine." From dramitkrsharma (in response to above comments) - 01/01/2017 Thanks for providing me another incidence of this cable being the culprit in what seems to be a frequently reported bug on this particular model of the MacBook pro. And then a year later in 2017: From mapercortesia - 03/10/2017 "Last update for anyone affected by this issue: this is fundamentally a design flaw. Temperature fluctuations cause the extremely small points of contact between each end of the cable and its respective connector to disengage. Unless the cable itself is truly kaput, reseating it often resolves the problem, but only temporarily. Allowing the machine to adjust to room temperature (after carrying it around outside in colder weather, for example) may also get the keyboard and trackpad working again. Tapping on the case beneath the spacebar, at the base of the trackpad or underneath the trackpad can also get the components working properly. But, again, this is not a permanent solution. I'm not sure if there is a permanent solution. And since carrying an external keyboard and mouse around with me is preposterous (imagine someone sitting in a cafè with a keyboard on their keyboard), I'm not going to deal with this anymore. It will be a long time before I consider purchasing another Apple product." [3]: iFixIt reviews of the replacement part https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Retina-Early-2015-Trackpad-Cable/IF123-130?o=1 - here are some choice reviews of the part itself: 5 stars - "Thank god for a cheap DIY fix to a known defect" "If your keyboard and trackpad stop working on this model, this flex cable is the likely culprit. My first one lasted 2 years, and was replaced under AppleCare. That second one lasted 2 years also. Now I just installed my third flex cable myself, purchased from ifixit. This one was a bit longer than my previous one, so I used a bit of an "S" fold to fit the redundant bit near the lower connector. So far so good!" 5 stars - "Trackpad works on both macos and Linux again!" "If your track pad and keyboard stop working in macos, but still work in other operating systems like Linux, this may fix the issue for you. I was thoroughly confused why my trackpad and keyboard worked when booted into Linux but not Mac os, but I eventually found someone who said to just replace this and it worked! Who knows why" 3 stars - (i had the same experience as this person buying a non-genuine apple part from eBay, it turns out Apple holds the genuine parts captive and you must surrender to a forced labour/service charge if you urgently need a proper working cable) "I used this to fix a trackpad and keyboard that would periodically stop working. It seems to have solved the problem. Only thing is now The Haptic feedback on the trackpad is unresponsive. Has anyone had a similar issue? trackpad works like it should there is just no haptic feedback which is disappointing." 5 stars - "Solved my keyboard/trackpad issue for $10 when Apple wanted $170" [4]: A collection of salient reddit r/applehelp support threads answered by Apple Experts. They repeatedly say this is a well known widespread issue that Apple has tacitly acknowledged with a new revised cable that hopefully fixes the issue (I do not think it does though - see the youtube DIY examples below). r/applehelp says that anyone with the Apple Expert flair has attained the highest level of training from Apple to work as an expert in an Authorised Repair Shop or Genius Bar. r/applehelp vets their expertise by requiring proof that is sent confidentially to the moderators - you can trust them - and they are quite astute and wonderful for offering free help to many users. * https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/at8ok7/13inch_retina_macbook_pro_2015_trackpad_and/egzfvs8/ "The most likely cause of your issue will be a failing IPD cable (trackpad cable). It fails commonly on the MacBook Pro 2015 13". To note when Apple replace the Top case with keyboard it comes with a new IPD cable but Apple can order just the IPD cable. The IPD cable sits against the bottom case, thats why it actually fails over time. Pushing the bottom case down under the space bar and sound the edges of the trackpad can get it to work again for a week or two but the issue will return. Apple are now on the second revision of the cable due to the high failure rate, I am very surprised the Apple Store you took it to did not know this, it is common knowledge among Apple Geniuses and employees of Apple Authorised Service Providers. You can take a look at www.ifixit.com repair guides to see if it is something you can do, it is relatively easy. If you do it yourself or take it to a random repair place then you might not get a new second revision cable and you won't be able to run the trackpad calibration software that only Apple and Apple Authorised Service Providers have access to. This means that the trackpad click Force Touch won't feel the same after the repair, not a big deal to some people though. You could try taking it to the Apple store armed with this knowledge and ask to speak to a manager or go to an Apple Authorised Service Provider. I have been told that it costs roughly $100 at an Apple store in the US, AASP price might be higher as they are independent companies. The second revision cable part number is 923-01376 with 821-00721-A actually written on the part." - mayhem-8 (Apple Expert) * https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/b0c9q6/keyboard_and_trackpad_not_working/eidqcr1/ "If it’s the MacBook Pro 2015 13” then that exact model commonly suffers IPD cable (aka trackpad cable) failure causing intermittent issues with the trackpad and/or keyboard but the power on button still works. Apple are actually on their 2nd revision of the trackpad cable due to the high failure rate of the first. If you push down the bottom case under the trackpad it can get it working again for a week or so in most cases. It is a relatively cheap repair at an Apple Store." - mayhem-8 ((Apple Expert) * https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/an103p/macbook_pro_keyboard_and_and_trackpad_not_working/ "all the connectors are gold plated (which doesn't really oxidize) and solder joints do not oxidize within years either. whoever you spoke to has no idea what theyre talking about. With that said, if both keyboard and mouse do not work then it could be a few things: - IPD Flex Cable (the one going from logic board to trackpad over top of the battery). Super common failure point and cheap as fuck to replace. These cables fail for no reason so its easily possible the cable you bought only worked for a few days. Replace it again, try different supplier to rule out garbage cables. - Logic board issue and/or liquid damage. If this ones the case then youre in for a fun rabbit hole figuring out whats wrong" - cil3x (Apple Expert) * https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/9sakyu/macbook_pro_trackpad_keyboard_issues/ "It’s 99.9% likely to be the trackpad cable failing. That issue is extremely common on that model. I would advise taking it to an Apple store or an Apple Authorised Service Provider, they will say exactly the same. I would advise against taking it back to the place you already went too, it does not sound like they know what they are doing when it comes to Mac repair." - mayhem-8 (Apple Expert) * https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/9yuh4l/macbook_keyboard_and_trackpad_become_unresponsive/ (I think you get the point by now but there's even more threads) [4]: I also started an iFixIt thread to try to figure out the precise issue. There's many conjectures. One says it is just a heating/micro corrosion issue. There's other suggestions. I don't quite know exactly why - but we all know it's because Apple placed the cable on the battery and the heat is affecting it in some way. See: https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/605470/Why+precisely+does+the+trackpad+cable+fail#comment597910 [5]: This amazon.com question for a part being sold there says that someone has bought many of these cables but the Amazon one has worked flawlessly. https://www.amazon.com/ask/answer/MxE4J8SM23SEQK/ref=ask_sa_cb_sa_hza?commentPostConfirmId=Mx2PEPAUOF31FD1 "I have bought so many of these trackpad cables for my Mac book pro 2015. This is the only one that has lasted longer than three months. (On month 8 now) I’m not sure about the haptic feedback, but if you are having the known trackpad / keypad non responsiveness with the MacBook Pro 2015, this cable will fix it." [6]: Youtube videos showing the repair. I'm not going to summarise them but there's a lot of commentary and some say it is a widely acknowledged issue and because it's happened so many times they have made tutorial videos to fix it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AVoXTd-N0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzcBL1NBtik (in this video Jeremy actually replaces second revision cable with part number 821-00721-A - which means apple has not even fixed the issue, similar to the A1278 hard drive cable saga which took them 4 attempts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywbkocHoH7A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdjj7PlOLQo And there's actually more if you just search a combination of the terms (or dropping some) A1502 Macbook Pro 13" trackpad keyboard failure or not working. # From hereon I'm just going to link to people having the issue. If it is a reddit post I will probably comment and link back to this compendium. https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/e2hn49/keyboard_trackpad_not_recognized_after_update_to/ https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/dosnla/2015_macbook_pro_keyboard_and_trackpad_not_working/ https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/dmkk62/2015_13_macbook_pro_trackpad_and_keyboard/ https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/dfkige/help_trackpad_and_keyboard_stop_working/ https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/deri6u/problems_with_macbook_pro_keyboard/ (OP confirmed the trackpad cable was the issue) https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/d0hsc0/non_working_trackpad_and_keyboard/ (OP maybe did self-inflicted damage that broke trackpad but hasn't confirmed if it was trackpad cable, but let's be real, it is definitely the trackpad cable and OP is getting the run around by the repair tech who could've tested if it was the trackpad cable in all of 5 minutes) https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/d0hsc0/non_working_trackpad_and_keyboard/ https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/cxmdnx/macbook_pros_track_pad_keeps_sticking_and/ If you're reading this please let https://appleissues.net/ know about this problem. (I will remove this line if they put up a page.)