iPad All This Talk Of Bad Screens Is Seriously Putting Me Off

mattoligy · Oct 23, 2014

After paying this amount of money I don't expect a "lottery" as to whether or not I get a defect free screen! It's a joke!

1) How common are defective screens and what particular defect is most rife?

2) What can one do in store after purchase to check the screen before leaving? Considering the harsh lighting of an Apple Store?

I made this album that one could use to test after purchase... But is it enough on the spot?

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A55ON9t3QTCMU

Here's some of the threads that talk about display issues on the Air 2

Are the Ipad air's display uniformity issues on the air 2?

IPad Air 2 display models: obvious screen defects.

Anyone else's iPad Air 2 feeling a little blue...?

It's time to play Find Something Wrong with Your iPad 'Air 2'

Air 2 Screen distoring when holding.

Charliebird · Oct 23, 2014

I think I'm having a serious flashback.

Username Here · Oct 23, 2014

I havent even heard about it...till now !

Nozuka · Oct 23, 2014

GoCubsGo · Oct 23, 2014

You should really know that this place is a breeding ground for paranoia. It is silly. This isn't the be all end all website, as such, problems reported here actually only make up a small amount of actual users.

mcdj · Oct 23, 2014

mattoligy said:
After paying this amount of money I don't expect a "lottery" as to whether or not I get a defect free screen! It's a joke!

1) How common are defective screens and what particular defect is most rife?

2) What can one do in store after purchase to check the screen before leaving? Considering the harsh lighting of an Apple Store?

I made this album that one could use to test after purchase... But is it enough on the spot?

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A55ON9t3QTCMU

The ideal image to check for color shift is solid gray. I use this...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Solid_grey.svg/2000px-Solid_grey.svg.png

For light bleed, black is best, but I don't obsess about bleed because every LCD has some in my experience.

Finally, I would hesitate to characterize the Air 2 as having "all this talk". There are literally 5 or 6 people here who have mentioned something.

And while I had to go through 6 or more iPad Airs last year to find an acceptable one, I just returned my first one and the second one is fine.

Take it from someone who is utterly obsessive about screens...don't assume the worst.

26139 · Oct 23, 2014

Siiiiigh

This paranoia will soon eclipse "Safari seems snappier" as the most obvious, annoying comment people make about Apple upgrades/updates.

mattoligy · Oct 23, 2014

mcdj said:
And while I had to go through 6 or more iPad Airs last year to find an acceptable one, I just returned my first one and the second one is fine.

I assume you mean you took your first Air 2 back? May I ask what was wrong with it? Also, I don't like the idea of multiple trips to the Apple Store so what can I check before I leave, just the above images!?

I also have ocd and can't deal with defective screens! Does my head in...

mutelight · Oct 23, 2014

If it makes you feel any better, I have no issues with my screen and I am very sensitive to imperfections in panels.

FrankB1191 · Oct 23, 2014

mcdj said:
The ideal image to check for color shift is solid gray. I use this...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Solid_grey.svg/2000px-Solid_grey.svg.png

For light bleed, black is best, but I don't obsess about bleed because every LCD has some in my experience.

Finally, I would hesitate to characterize the Air 2 as having "all this talk". There are literally 5 or 6 people here who have mentioned something.

And while I had to go through 6 or more iPad Airs last year to find an acceptable one, I just returned my first one and the second one is fine.

Take it from someone who is utterly obsessive about screens...don't assume the worst.

I went through a few last year after reading about your troubles. My Air 2 is on the UPS truck for delivery today, and I'll look, but not too hard. I had forgotten about screen issues until I saw the question posted here yesterday. It's going to be a long few hours waiting, but there are four Apple stores within 45 minutes of me.....

vmflapem · Oct 23, 2014

Has anyone else realized that the new ipad has more microbial organisms per cm^3 than the previous ipad? It is pissing me off. Should I apply some antibiotics like vancomycin?

mcdj · Oct 23, 2014

mattoligy said:
I assume you mean you took your first Air 2 back? May I ask what was wrong with it? Also, I don't like the idea of multiple trips to the Apple Store so what can I check before I leave, just the above images!?

I also have ocd and can't deal with defective screens! Does my head in...

My first Air 2 had a band of pink tint across the bottom.

cababah · Oct 23, 2014

OP, you must be new around here....this is SOP for all new iDevice launches.

Bokes · Oct 23, 2014

My first Air2 had a nick on the screen.
I returned it to the store.
The replacement is fine.
I compared the white and gray test to my iPad 3 vs the Air2.

The Air2 has an ever so slight lean toward a pinkish hue compared to the iPad which is bone white. It's so slight- you really have to be looking for it in order to see it.

Comparing both screens on the normal home page- they look identical.

My only minor gripe has to do with smudges.
Smudges on the new Air2 seem more prominent that smudges on the iPad 3.
Perhaps this is because the device is new- or it might have something to do with the anti-reflective coating. Jury is out on that. I assume I'll get use to it.

Lobwedgephil · Oct 23, 2014

My Air 2 had a horribly black screen, not to mention the first piece of laminating plastic just ripped right off. Heading to Apple store now for replacement. Can't believe it. Haven't even turned it on and the screen is horribly black.

Chupa Chupa · Oct 23, 2014

OMG! I saw this threads title and thought someone brought it back from 2010 or 2011 or 2012 or 2013.

Funny how it's always "this years" screens are terrible and always judged so by the same people or types.

FrankB1191 · Oct 23, 2014

Lobwedgephil said:
My Air 2 had a horribly black screen, not to mention the first piece of laminating plastic just ripped right off. Heading to Apple store now for replacement. Can't believe it. Haven't even turned it on and the screen is horribly black.

Now that's funny..... LOL

mattoligy · Oct 23, 2014

Bokes said:
My only minor gripe has to do with smudges.
Smudges on the new Air2 seem more prominent that smudges on the iPad 3.
Perhaps this is because the device is new- or it might have something to do with the anti-reflective coating. Jury is out on that. I assume I'll get use to it.

Smudges?

And for all those undermining screen issues, go do a google image search! There's plenty of pretty shocking evidence of pretty bad defects on iPads! Or are they fake?

screensaver400 · Oct 23, 2014

My advice: Be picky, but don't go looking for a problem. Only use these "test" techniques if you need to prove an issue to get a replacement device. If you don't notice a problem in everyday use over the first week, why agonize over whether you might have a problem?

Faelan · Oct 23, 2014

With screens, it's always a lottery. It's not just iPads. It's not even just Apple products. Surface Pro 3 has yellow tint issues as well. Also, in my experience, there is no such thing as a perfect screen. Look long enough and you will find something that could have been better. It's more a question of, is it good enough? Is there something obviously wrong? Can you unsee what has been seen? Sometimes it's just as much in your mind as in the screen itself. Sometimes it's just being so used to one screen and then you replace it with another and it feels all wrong because it's ever so slightly different.

With iDevices, I find myself being a bit more picky since they're so pricy and the screen is basically the whole experience. Flaws that I would be more willing to accept in a $200 monitor can be an absolute deal-breaker to me in an iDevice. I mean, I paid almost as much for my 6 plus as I did for my gaming PC. The screen better deliver then!

But what can one do? There is always a chance that whatever product you buy is going to be flawed in one way or the other. At least it's fairly easy to get an exchange or return an Apple product. Take advantage of that. The screen on my iPad 4 is almost perfect. The screen on my first iPad Mini 2 was terrible. Yellow tinted 1-2" thick band along the home button side. Returned that and got an acceptable screen. Not quite as good as my iPad 4, but not terrible either. My iPhone 6 plus screen is beautiful and so is the screen on the Air 2 that I received today. In short, most of my iDevices have turned out good on my first try.

Now, can I find flaws in those screens if I look long enough? Absolutely. Do I notice them when I look for them? Yup. Would it be worth my time and effort exchanging them? Nope, because I know I'll most likely be trading one tiny flaw for another. As long as have to actively look for the flaws and they in no way, shape or form affect my experience, then I'll just have to put my perfectionism aside and enjoy the devices for what they are. Truth is, most people wouldn't even see the flaws I see. I'm very much a perfectionist. Sometimes, half the battle is just keeping that in check and not let it get away with me.

mcdj · Oct 23, 2014

Bokes said:
My only minor gripe has to do with smudges.
Smudges on the new Air2 seem more prominent that smudges on the iPad 3.
Perhaps this is because the device is new- or it might have something to do with the anti-reflective coating. Jury is out on that. I assume I'll get use to it.

Agree on the smudges. Very noticeable. I'm chalking it up to the AR coating, which historically shows fingerprints and oil much more than untreated glass.

macduke · Oct 23, 2014

mcdj said:
The ideal image to check for color shift is solid gray.

For light bleed, black is best, but I don't obsess about bleed because every LCD has some in my experience.

Don't forget a checkerboard pattern for image retention. My iPad 2 had that, but it got much worse over time. It was really bad around the edges. I could clearly read the URL bar from Safari for a good 5-10 minutes after I had closed out of it. Even on trickier backgrounds I could usually make it out. It was so bad! When I got my rMBP it had that issue and I tried to live with it but it got worse and Apple replaced it. My Mini Retina has weak retention, but you really have to be looking for it and I think most of the minis do. It hasn't gotten worse over time like the others.

Cidermash · Oct 23, 2014

Faelan said:
With screens, it's always a lottery. It's not just iPads. It's not even just Apple products. Surface Pro 3 has yellow tint issues as well. Also, in my experience, there is no such thing as a perfect screen. Look long enough and you will find something that could have been better. It's more a question of, is it good enough? Is there something obviously wrong? Can you unsee what has been seen? Sometimes it's just as much in your mind as in the screen itself. Sometimes it's just being so used to one screen and then you replace it with another and it feels all wrong because it's ever so slightly different.

With iDevices, I find myself being a bit more picky since they're so pricy and the screen is basically the whole experience. Flaws that I would be more willing to accept in a $200 monitor can be an absolute deal-breaker to me in an iDevice. I mean, I paid almost as much for my 6 plus as I did for my gaming PC. The screen better deliver then!

But what can one do? There is always a chance that whatever product you buy is going to be flawed in one way or the other. At least it's fairly easy to get an exchange or return an Apple product. Take advantage of that. The screen on my iPad 4 is almost perfect. The screen on my first iPad Mini 2 was terrible. Yellow tinted 1-2" thick band along the home button side. Returned that and got an acceptable screen. Not quite as good as my iPad 4, but not terrible either. My iPhone 6 plus screen is beautiful and so is the screen on the Air 2 that I received today. In short, most of my iDevices have turned out good on my first try.

Now, can I find flaws in those screens if I look long enough? Absolutely. Do I notice them when I look for them? Yup. Would it be worth my time and effort exchanging them? Nope, because I know I'll most likely be trading one tiny flaw for another. As long as have to actively look for the flaws and they in no way, shape or form affect my experience, then I'll just have to put my perfectionism aside and enjoy the devices for what they are. Truth is, most people wouldn't even see the flaws I see. I'm very much a perfectionist. Sometimes, half the battle is just keeping that in check and not let it get away with me.

So many variables, makes you wonder how they get the consistency they do given the unit numbers involved.

We buy these things to have a better experience finding out how crap they are on the Internet. Oh the irony!

There's the totally justified investigative appraisal which says "I paid "x" for this so I need to be sure it'll do what I want how I want", then there's the type of micromanaged dissection of minutiae which would have you on a "perfect iPad" mission of evaluating a mountain of the damned things to find the best one!

Life's too short for subjective "problems" which require special training to perceive. JMHO and YMMV, of course.

mattoligy · Oct 23, 2014

Having second thoughts now

might just stick with my iPad 3. I know my luck and I'll more than likely end up getting a bad one...

And I don't like how the Apple Store staff patronize you when you point out a problem and ask for a replacement!

addictzz · Oct 23, 2014

Is this a real issue or one of those which only a select few could actually see it?

I hate to check my iPad in the store after I buy it. I want to have my own pleasant unboxing experience at home

iPad All This Talk Of Bad Screens Is Seriously Putting Me Off

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