Apple hit with class-action lawsuit for ‘jelly scroll’ defect on iPad Mini 6
A California resident has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple, accusing them of knowingly selling defective products. According to the court documents, the company is being questioned about a so-called “jelly scroll” defect that is present on the 6th generation iPad mini.
The iPad Mini 6 debuted on September 14, 2021, following which, many users notice the defect when vertically scrolling through text-based content such as webpages or documents. The effect made it look as if one half of the display is responding faster than the other – or more specifically, the left side of the screen lagged behind, causing a tilting effect.
Plaintiff Chropher Bryan claims that the LCD display is prone to “screen tearing which can make images or text on one side of the screen appear to be tilted at a downward angle because of incongruity in refresh rates.” It is worth noting that Apple has acknowledged this defect, though they have continued to sell the product in said state, claiming it is normal.
Here is is slow-mo video of scrolling on the iPad Min i slowed down EVEN MORE in a frame–frame step through. Notice how the right moves up faster than the left.
In normal usage you barely see it, but every now and then it become noticeable. In landscape it goes away entirely pic.twitter.com/iq9LGJzsDI
— Dieter Bohn (@backlon) September 22, 2021
The onslaught of negative reviews prompted tech journal iFixit to tear down the tablet to figure out the source of the defect. Turns out, the iPad Mini 6 has a controller board that is mounted vertically on the left-hand side of the device. In contrast, the iPad Air has the same board fitted on the top end of the tablet.
In September, an Apple spokesperson told Ars Technica that the jelly scroll effect is normal behaviour for LCD panels. The screen is designed to refresh line line, causing a slight delay between the lines at the top and the ones coming up.
Plaintiff brings this concern individually and on behalf of others who suffered similar issues with the product – even after going through the company’s warranty policy.
