Apple faces a new class-action lawsuit from owners of the latest iPad mini, who apparently aren’t happy with its “jelly scroll defect.”
The lawsuit claims Cupertino acted “in an unethical, unscrupulous, outrageous, oppressive, and substantially injurious manner” by promoting a device that it supposedly knew to be defective. It seeks damages for every iPad mini owner.
iPad mini ‘jelly scroll’ lawsuit
It became apparent the latest iPad mini had a strange display quirk soon after the tiny tablet made its debut last September. However, it’s only really apparent in slow-motion video, with most users admitting they can’t see it during normal use.
According to Apple (and many display experts), jelly scroll is not a defect. It is simply a side-effect of LCD screens, which refresh line by line — which is why it’s only noticeable on iPad mini when using the device in portrait mode.
Despite this, and the glowing reviews iPad mini received, it seems one particular owner wants compensation for what they consider a defect. Christopher Bryan filed the class-action lawsuit that seeks damages for all.
“This action is brought on behalf of purchasers of Apple’s iPad Mini 6,” the filing reads. “The iPad Mini is defective, as the liquid crystal display (‘LCD’) 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.”
A ‘visual disturbance’
Jelly scroll causes “one side of the screen to look as if it’s responding faster than the other,” the filing continues. This creates a “visual disturbance” that supposedly causes motion sickness, nausea, vomiting and migraines.
The lawsuit cites an “onslaught” of complaints within Amazon reviews and online forums. It also accuses Apple of acknowledging a “defect” and refusing to fix it — or update its marketing materials to warn customers about it.
Bryan seeks “all monetary and non-monetary relief allowed by law” for himself and all other iPad mini owners in the United States.
