[iPad Mini] ipad mini quality control

mrdinh · Jan 23, 2013, 08:58 AM

just got a mini last night...excited to open up another apple product like always...then saw on the back of the mini some imperfections...marks etc...can't believe its there!...this is brand new..not refurb...i'm dissappoinmented in apple QA....my first ever apple product in 10yrs that has this prob...quality is everything to apple right? or going down hill now...btw, heard iphone 5 users are getting this poor quality too?

ConCat · Jan 23, 2013, 09:03 AM

Well, you can't expect them to check every single individual iDevice for the slightest scratch. These parts go through a few hands before reaching the point where the thing is actually assembled. These things happen occasionally. I've yet to hear of anything widespread, just lots of the usual unhappy forum posts.

darngooddesign · Jan 23, 2013, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrdinh

just got a mini last night...excited to open up another apple product like always...then saw on the back of the mini some imperfections...marks etc...can't believe its there!...this is brand new..not refurb...i'm dissappoinmented in apple QA....my first ever apple product in 10yrs that has this prob...quality is everything to apple right? or going down hill now...btw, heard iphone 5 users are getting this poor quality too?

If this is the first time in 10 years that this has happened, that's pretty good quality control.

flavr · Jan 23, 2013, 09:53 AM

The first two 16GB iPad minis I bought were perfect, decided to return one for a 32GB model, the third had a slight light leak so I returned it for a fourth which was perfect. now we have two iPad minis, one 16 one 32, both perfect.

Just return it, Apple will hand you a brand new one. If you return it to an Apple Store open the box and inspect it before you leave to make sure. Nothing to get upset about, these things happen and Apple will offer you a return with no hassle.

PDE · Jan 23, 2013, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darngooddesign

If this is the first time in 10 years that this has happened, that's pretty good quality control.

I'm always amazed when people say that they haven't had problems with Apple quality control before. I've been buying Apple products since 1993 and I can't remember a product that didn't have at least some (minor or major) quality control issue at one time or another. The ipads seem to be unusually lacking in QC issues...but of course it's still a mass produced device that will have occasional production issues.

The good news is that Apple is great with replacements and will replace it for you...most probably without any questions. Not a big deal - get it replaced and enjoy the new one.

T5BRICK · Jan 23, 2013, 12:45 PM

When I got my iPad mini I don't think I even looked at the back. Now it's covered in smudges and a couple small scuffs. I don't know if they were there when I bought it, but it doesn't bother me; the screen is flawless and thats the part I'm looking at when I use it.

Ellethor · Jan 24, 2013, 10:20 AM

I bougth 2 minis, one for my brother and the other for me, Totally Perfect both devices.... I love my mini

darngooddesign · Jan 24, 2013, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PDE

I'm always amazed when people say that they haven't had problems with Apple quality control before...

I agree. I've had some, but not a lot of, issues over the years. Apple has always taken care of me; although sometimes it requires a fight.

cruzmisl · Jan 25, 2013, 03:40 PM

My first 16gb Ipad Mini was perfect--great color production, no defects whatsoever. I decided I wanted a 32, so I exchanged it and got one with brown splotches and some dirt under the screen. I did a warranty exchange on that one and got a brown boxed mini, which was flawless except having a remarkably pink tinted screen. Blacks didn't look black, whites were off, but the uniformity was good. It made reading text heavy sites like forums and blogs a headache, which is primarily what I do on my iPads. A jailbreak + color profile would have fixed it, but I didn't want to wait to rely on that for something I just bought.

I went in a few days after the exchange to return the 32 after trying to get past the pink. The lady was pretty cool about it and offered to grab new ones until I found one that worked.

The first one still had a slight pink cast, but was noticeably better than the last one, and actually better than all the display models they had out at the time. The retina 4 gens had the worst pink. This actually displays blacks and whites more to my eyes liking, so I walked out of there a happy camper.

It does seem like a lottery though. If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have just kept my 16.

All iPads I had didn't have any blemishes on the body, just maybe a few marks that rubbed out with my finger. I would have happily taken any marks / scratches for a perfect screen though.

Jan 23, 2013, 08:58 AM	#1
mrdinh macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2007	ipad mini quality control just got a mini last night...excited to open up another apple product like always...then saw on the back of the mini some imperfections...marks etc...can't believe its there!...this is brand new..not refurb...i'm dissappoinmented in apple QA....my first ever apple product in 10yrs that has this prob...quality is everything to apple right? or going down hill now...btw, heard iphone 5 users are getting this poor quality too?
	0

Jan 23, 2013, 09:03 AM	#2
ConCat macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: behind you. No, seriously.	Well, you can't expect them to check every single individual iDevice for the slightest scratch. These parts go through a few hands before reaching the point where the thing is actually assembled. These things happen occasionally. I've yet to hear of anything widespread, just lots of the usual unhappy forum posts. __________________ Con + Cat
	0

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Jan 23, 2013, 09:53 AM	#4
flavr macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2011	The first two 16GB iPad minis I bought were perfect, decided to return one for a 32GB model, the third had a slight light leak so I returned it for a fourth which was perfect. now we have two iPad minis, one 16 one 32, both perfect. Just return it, Apple will hand you a brand new one. If you return it to an Apple Store open the box and inspect it before you leave to make sure. Nothing to get upset about, these things happen and Apple will offer you a return with no hassle.
	0

Jan 23, 2013, 12:45 PM	#6
T5BRICK macrumors 68000 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Oregon	When I got my iPad mini I don't think I even looked at the back. Now it's covered in smudges and a couple small scuffs. I don't know if they were there when I bought it, but it doesn't bother me; the screen is flawless and thats the part I'm looking at when I use it.
	0

Jan 24, 2013, 10:20 AM	#7
Ellethor macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Venezuela	I bougth 2 minis, one for my brother and the other for me, Totally Perfect both devices.... I love my mini
	0

Jan 25, 2013, 03:40 PM	#9
cruzmisl macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2012	My first 16gb Ipad Mini was perfect--great color production, no defects whatsoever. I decided I wanted a 32, so I exchanged it and got one with brown splotches and some dirt under the screen. I did a warranty exchange on that one and got a brown boxed mini, which was flawless except having a remarkably pink tinted screen. Blacks didn't look black, whites were off, but the uniformity was good. It made reading text heavy sites like forums and blogs a headache, which is primarily what I do on my iPads. A jailbreak + color profile would have fixed it, but I didn't want to wait to rely on that for something I just bought. I went in a few days after the exchange to return the 32 after trying to get past the pink. The lady was pretty cool about it and offered to grab new ones until I found one that worked. The first one still had a slight pink cast, but was noticeably better than the last one, and actually better than all the display models they had out at the time. The retina 4 gens had the worst pink. This actually displays blacks and whites more to my eyes liking, so I walked out of there a happy camper. It does seem like a lottery though. If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have just kept my 16. All iPads I had didn't have any blemishes on the body, just maybe a few marks that rubbed out with my finger. I would have happily taken any marks / scratches for a perfect screen though.
	0