New Powerbook missing pixel...

Well, I'm sorry about it. Just one small piece of advice - do not listen to anyone who tells you try try to rub it to fix it. This'll just - at best - scratch your screen. It won't fix it. On the other hand, it's not all that bad. Again, though, I'm sorry. I know it sucks.

Duff-Man says....I don't believe there is any manufacturer of lcd's or computers that will replace for 1 bad pixel...one thing though - if you are seeing that pixel as green then it is "stuck" and not "dead" - it is possible that it may become unstuck at some point. I do not have any first-hand experience with this, but I have heard a few other say that running one of the pixel check utilities has sometimes unstuck a pixel...I have my doubts, but running them won't do any harm either....oh yeah!

Give it time and see if it will sort itself out. My old PowerBook had two in the center that disappeared after about a week and I never had a issue after that. Now if only that red dot in the center of my new HDTV would go away I would be really happy...

You have a stuck-on pixel if it's shining a color.

Dead pixels are black.

Get a magnifying glass and look to see if it is a single red/green/blue pixel -- or a cluster of dead pixels.

The ones that are stuck-on are generally more annoying for most people that a dead/black pixels.

Duff-Man said:

Duff-Man says....I don't believe there is any manufacturer of lcd's or computers that will replace for 1 bad pixel...one thing though - if you are seeing that pixel as green then it is "stuck" and not "dead" - it is possible that it may become unstuck at some point. I do not have any first-hand experience with this, but I have heard a few other say that running one of the pixel check utilities has sometimes unstuck a pixel...I have my doubts, but running them won't do any harm either....oh yeah!

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I got my powerbook 2-3 weeks ago, and within an hour of playing around with it, I noticed a bright green dot at the center of my screen. And yes, I've come to terms that Apple will not replace/fix it. I ignore it for the sake of my sanity, but during movies, it gets quiet irritating. My hopes are up with the pixel check utility. How do you run it, and does every powerbook come with this program? Do you have to download/buy it?

thanks

dorqiekat said:

I got my powerbook 2-3 weeks ago, and within an hour of playing around with it, I noticed a bright green dot at the center of my screen. And yes, I've come to terms that Apple will not replace/fix it. I ignore it for the sake of my sanity, but during movies, it gets quiet irritating. My hopes are up with the pixel check utility. How do you run it, and does every powerbook come with this program? Do you have to download/buy it?

thanks

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You can get pixelchecker from versiontracker.com, but I highly doubt it will do anything so don't get your hopes up. Each pixel on your machine can be in one of 5 states... black, white, red, green, or blue. All the pixel checking apps do is make every pixel black, every pixel blue, every pixel red, etc so you can look for any anomalies. If a pixel is stuck on it will show up at some point. The apps don't try to "fix" the pixels, the just run them through the 5 states so you can look for bad ones.

Stuck pixels are a bummer, but as mentioned you won't find a manufactuer out there that will replace a 1,000 dollar screen over one stuck pixel. Unfortunately it is like that. If the did do this it would up the costs big time.

Sometimes stuck pixels go away, and other times you just get used to them and don't even notice them. I have had a machine from Apple before that had one, and a Dell that had one. Don't worry, after a while you don't notice it.

Cheers,

James

i have had a few lcd monitors that had stuckon pixels and the best way 2 combat those, is 2 grab a cloth (really soft make sure no scratchy), and massage it slowly and lightly,it should go away

ive had toshiba replace my screen on laptop, because of 1 stuckon pixel, they even refunded my shipping

DrPepper said:

i have had a few lcd monitors that had stuckon pixels and the best way 2 combat those, is 2 grab a cloth (really soft make sure no scratchy), and massage it slowly and lightly,it should go away

ive had toshiba replace my screen on laptop, because of 1 stuckon pixel, they even refunded my shipping

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i agree with that.... i say massage GENTLY and i might dislodge....

My new 15" also had a green dot right in the middle. I took the risk and massaged it, and it disappeared within a few minutes of doing that. I pressed gently but firmly with my finger, not the nail of course, trying to get that pixel right in the center of the "pressure pool" I was creating on the LCD. At first the green became fainter, and then disappeared, and that pixel doesn't appear to be dead either, so looks like it worked for me.

Don't try this on my recommendation though...

Hope that pixel goes away soon for ya...I know it's irritating as hell.

madforrit said:

My new 15" also had a green dot right in the middle. I took the risk and massaged it, and it disappeared within a few minutes of doing that. I pressed gently but firmly with my finger, not the nail of course, trying to get that pixel right in the center of the "pressure pool" I was creating on the LCD. At first the green became fainter, and then disappeared, and that pixel doesn't appear to be dead either, so looks like it worked for me.

Don't try this on my recommendation though...

Hope that pixel goes away soon for ya...I know it's irritating as hell.

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It is irritating. But it doesn't make my PB less loveable. You sometimes want to hit it once or twice when you're watching a movie and there's this bright green dot on the character's face. My roommate has a sony, and she had a blue one, and every time she put slight pressure on it, it would go away. Unfortunately for her, it came back after a day or two. But all she had to do was touch it. Mine is a lot more resilient, it refuses to go away. But that's OK, I'm keeping it positive. After my previous PB was stolen, I'm making everyday with this one count.

I shall call him my little errant Green Apple.

Firstly, I suggest you rub it (the dead pixel ) gently. That works sometimes.

Secondly, read it and weep.....quietly.........(in the corner)

Well when I get round to ordering my PB, I will order it online. This way I will have 2 weeks to return it if im not happy.. I love the law.

I can then re-order another one, and the only cost would be one way postage for the old one back.. lookout for it on apple refurb lol.

JLS said:

Well when I get round to ordering my PB, I will order it online. This way I will have 2 weeks to return it if im not happy.. I love the law.

I can then re-order another one, and the only cost would be one way postage for the old one back.. lookout for it on apple refurb lol.

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Don't you have to pay a restocking fee after opening it?

EJBasile said:

Don't you have to pay a restocking fee after opening it?

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Not in England...

I wouldn't give up on returning a PB with a stuck or dead pixel.
Be assertive.

When the latest PB generation came out, I picked up a 15" at the Apple Store. When I got it home, I noticed 2 stuck pixels, both Green. One dead in the center, one in the lower right corner. I took it back to the Apple Store the next morning, and they replaced it on the spot no questions asked.
If they hadn't done that, I was going to turn around and sell it on ebay. A stuck pixel is a torture that no one who just shelled out $2000 should ever have to live with.

JLS said:

Not in England...

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I don't know about the main Apple Store but in the conditions of the Refurb Store it says that they may charge you £20 to cover sending it back. But in the US its 10% or something isn't it?

stevehaslip said:

I don't know about the main Apple Store but in the conditions of the Refurb Store it says that they may charge you £20 to cover sending it back. But in the US its 10% or something isn't it?

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Refurbs don't count.. its a used product, sold with the possibility of minor damage as a condition of sale in the first place.

With any online store on any new product or service (not just apple) you have 2 weeks to change your mind, and return it with no cost. (other than postage if its not faulty.. excluding pixels obvously).

JLS said:

Refurbs don't count.. its a used product, sold with the possibility of minor damage as a condition of sale in the first place.

With any online store on any new product or service (not just apple) you have 2 weeks to change your mind, and return it with no cost. (other than postage if its not faulty.. excluding pixels obvously).

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Which countries does this law apply to ?

Maxx Power said:

Which countries does this law apply to ?

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I have absolutely no idea about law other than in my own country.. its hard enough remembering what we have here (England)- never mind trying to learn about anywhere else!

I suggest you contact your local 'Office of Fair Trading' for advice to see what the case is in your country.

JLS said:

I have absolutely no idea about law other than in my own country.. its hard enough remembering what we have here (England)- never mind trying to learn about anywhere else!

I suggest you contact your local 'Office of Fair Trading' for advice to see what the case is in your country.

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Thanks!

Dead Pixels IMPORTANT LEGAL ISSUE

Technically, dead pixels are covered under Apple's warranty, and they are BREAKING THE LAW by choosing not fix even one dead pixel. Dead pixels are the result of a faulty transistor on the LCD display, and the warranty, at least for my iBook G4, specifically states that:
"Apple, as defined below, warrants this Apple-branded hardware product against DEFECT IN MATERIALS AND WORKMANSHIP under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the date of retail purchase by the end-user purchaser ("Warranty Period")."

By definition, a faulty transistor is a defect in materials, even if there are millions of them. There are no other exceptions in the written warranty that excludes them from the obligation of replacing screens with dead pixels, and they would be required by law to state in their warranty if they were not going to cover dead pixels, even one.

The law is very clear on this issue, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that a company must make a full disclosure as to the exceptions and limitations of their warranty. In my iBook warranty, there is no mention of dead pixels at all.

FEDERAL LAW!!! Sec. 2302. - "Rules governing contents of warranties" clearly states that the warranty must include "(3) The products or parts covered.", "(6) Exceptions and exclusions from the terms of the warranty.", and "(12) The characteristics or properties of the products, or parts thereof, that are not covered by the warranty."

Look it up for yourself people, Apple is not above the law. I don't have the financial resources to fight this on my own, but if we get enough people together, we all can have screens without dead pixels... YAY!!

Well I would check with Trading Standards.. but if it is right, remember in the UK at least.. if you are returning a faulty product you are NOT liable for postage costs incurred returning the item to the manufacturer..

jsw said:

This'll just - at best - scratch your screen.

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If you rub with a nail...

I've actually heard two incidents of this working. It doesn't work for dead pixels... they're dead. for a stuck pixel, it can work. I say worth a try. But yeah don't scratch the screen.

-Kevin

PixelAvenger - a single dead pixel isn't considered a manufacturing flaw... it's considered normal variations in monitor production. good luck with your battle, but it's a losing one.