Apple has finally admitted there's a big problem with old MacBook Pros

After successfully battling a class action lawsuit last year, Apple is finally acknowledging a long-running issue with MacBook Pros' graphics hardware and has begun offering free repairs, MacRumors reports.

The lawsuit was brought against Apple in late 2014 by customers who claimed the MacBook Pros they purchased in 2011 had severely defective graphics cards, and Apple should be forced to pay for the repair.

It clearly wasn't an isolated problem: A Change.org petition calling on Apple to issue replacements for affected models has been signed almost 40,000 times.

In January, Apple successfully had the lawsuit dismissed, with the judge ruling that the "plaintiffs have failed to allege that Apple's logic boards were unfit for their ordinary purposes or lacked a minimal level of quality."

But it seems that Apple has now had a change of heart. The company announced yesterday that it will repair affected products free of charge. There's no indication of how many MacBooks Pros have been affected by the issue over the last four years - Apple just says a "small percentage... may exhibit distorted video, no video, or unexpected system restarts."

The program begins today in the US and Canada, and on Feb 27 elsewhere in the world. It will run until Feb 27, 2016. Customers who have experienced the issue can take their devices into Apple Stores (and authorised retailers), or call up and order a postage-paid box to send it in.

The affected models are:

• MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2011)
• MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, 15 inch, Early 2013)