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chickengrease16

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2003
47
0
Tallahassee, FL
i wonder if anyone can explain this. i have a 15GB ipod, and my roommate has a 10GB (3rd gen) ipod. he bought his first, in june or so, and i just got mine this month. exactly the same of course, but his backlight is a blueish color (like on the pictures apple has on their site and on the ipod box) while mine is a white-ish color, no where near blue. i've attached a picture. maybe someone could explain this? when he got his 10GB, it would have been the time that the 10GB 15GB and 30GB models were out, so really ours should be the same. i wonder if this is because apple changed vendors for their screen, or if i just got a bad one.
 

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chickengrease16

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2003
47
0
Tallahassee, FL
if you didnt pick this up by how i described it, the one on the left is my 15GB and on the right is my roommate's 10GB ipod. another thing i thought of is that he bought his in Massachusetts, and i bought mine here in florida.
 

mmmdreg

macrumors 65816
Apr 14, 2002
1,393
0
Sydney, Australia
Originally posted by applemacdude
I just heard this but if you press a button(dont know which one) for a amount of time it sets off the backlit screen

Now that was completely unrelated.
If it gives you any comfort, my 30gig is white as well so you aren't the only one. Actually, I think his blue one is the dodgy one.
 

applemacdude

macrumors 68040
Mar 26, 2001
3,240
2
Over The Rainbow
Originally posted by mmmdreg
Now that was completely unrelated.
If it gives you any comfort, my 30gig is white as well so you aren't the only one. Actually, I think his blue one is the dodgy one.

oh...i thought that one had backlit on a another off....i wouldnt know though couse i dont have an ipod </:)
 

LimeLite

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2003
652
0
Los Angeles, Ca
Originally posted by applemacdude
oh...i thought that one had backlit on a another off....i wouldnt know though couse i dont have an ipod </:)
If the backlight were off, you wouldn't be able to see it in the dark.

Also, this issue was brought up when they first came out, and has been brought up many times since then. No one knows for sure the reason, but they both work the same, so it's not a big deal.
 

swannman

macrumors newbie
Jul 16, 2002
5
0
I purchased a 30 gig iPod in June, and (like yours) it had the white backlight. No matter how I squinted, it never appeared blue like in the box artwork.

However, I recently sent it in for service, as it seemed that the hard drive was failing. Apple promptly sent me a brand-new 30 gig iPod, and what do you know-- the backlight is clearly blue, like your roommate's. My guess is that they switched vendors somewhere late in the supply chain.

Also of note is that the new iPod I received has software 2.0.2 on it, rather than version 2.0.1 which is available to the public.

Hope that sheds some light on the subject!

--Matt
 

LimeLite

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2003
652
0
Los Angeles, Ca
Originally posted by swannman
I purchased a 30 gig iPod in June, and (like yours) it had the white backlight. No matter how I squinted, it never appeared blue like in the box artwork.

However, I recently sent it in for service, as it seemed that the hard drive was failing. Apple promptly sent me a brand-new 30 gig iPod, and what do you know-- the backlight is clearly blue, like your roommate's. My guess is that they switched vendors somewhere late in the supply chain.

Also of note is that the new iPod I received has software 2.0.2 on it, rather than version 2.0.1 which is available to the public.

Hope that sheds some light on the subject!

--Matt
More likely than the theory that they switched vendors is that they've had two vendors since the beginning, since neither could meet the demand for the amount Apple needed.
 

smada

macrumors member
May 7, 2003
93
0
My 15 gb used to be blue and then i left it in my hot car and it's been white since.
 

deadpixel

macrumors newbie
Mar 19, 2003
5
0
I recently sold my 30gb for the 40. the 30 was white where as the 40 is on the blue end of the spectrum. I always wondered why the box art had the blue tink when I bought the 30gb. I guess the various lcd vendors have different manufacturing processes. It's a shame too because the blue tint definitely give it an additional Wow factor!
 

rainman::|:|

macrumors 603
Feb 2, 2002
5,438
2
iowa
i'm willing to bet they switched vendors because the new ones are cheaper, they certainly look cheaper... as long as apple can keep a profit margin on the ipods, they're riding a wave of cash...

pnw
 

LimeLite

macrumors 6502a
Mar 20, 2003
652
0
Los Angeles, Ca
Originally posted by paulwhannel
i'm willing to bet they switched vendors because the new ones are cheaper, they certainly look cheaper... as long as apple can keep a profit margin on the ipods, they're riding a wave of cash...

pnw

Ok, they DID NOT change vendors part way through. They use more than one vendor at the same time.
 

ZildjianKX

macrumors 68000
May 18, 2003
1,610
0
I've had a 30 gig, a 2 40 gigs. All have been blue, but the screen quality of the 40 gig seems higher since its not "warbly" on the left side.
 

TEG

macrumors 604
Jan 21, 2002
6,621
169
Langley, Washington
I have the 40 GB and Mine is Blue. All the ones I've used at the 4 Apple Stores I've been to since the 3Gs came out have been blue, and any one I know has a blue one. However, speeking with an Apple Store Sales man, he said the difference is that the same screen is being made by two different companies. One has a backlight that has a redish tint, like normal car headlights, and another is quite blue, like the super bright car headlights, they are both white, they are just at different color temperatures.

Its kind of how when you move the white point in OSX, how OSX can be sepia or ultra bright, its just color, as long as it works, its no big deal.

TEG
 

ibookin'

macrumors 65816
Jul 7, 2002
1,164
0
Los Angeles, CA
My friend got a 15GB in May, which has a white backlight.

My sister bought a 15GB refurb just recently, which has a blue backlight.

I think that they probably just use two vendors.
 
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