Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

All iPads Finally got my iPad Air... Screen was defective

A

Alundra

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 31, 2012
186
10
I was hoping I was going to be one of the lucky guys getting a 100% perfect screen, like my former Ipad Mini had. But no, I turned it on, and I could not unsee the faint dark shadow in the left side of the screen when in white backgrounds :(.

Oh well. I turned it in on an Certified Apple repair store, and Im getting a replacement brand new unit on monday.

There goes my weekend studying using my brand new Ipad Air :mad:
 
Last edited:
Alundra said:
I was hoping I was going to be one of the lucky guys getting a 100% perfect screen, like my former Ipad Mini had. But no, I turned it on, and I could not unsee the faint dark shadow in the left side of the screen when in white backgrounds :(.

Oh well. I turned it in on an Certified Apple repair store, and Im getting the replacement tomorrow or monday.

There goes my weekend studying using the Ipad Air :mad:
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry that happened. I was super excited about my iPad Air on launch day, and just couldn't get over it. I've exchanged a few, and I've got one that's near perfect, but not 100%.

Please let me know how the repair goes - I'd love to know! Good luck to you!
 
Alundra said:
I was hoping I was going to be one of the lucky guys getting a 100% perfect screen, like my former Ipad Mini had. But no, I turned it on, and I could not unsee the faint dark shadow in the left side of the screen when in white backgrounds :(.

Oh well. I turned it in on an Certified Apple repair store, and Im getting the replacement tomorrow or monday.

There goes my weekend studying using the Ipad Air :mad:
Click to expand...

Why didnt you turn it into the Apple Store? They wouldve just swapped it out.
 
The certified store is right next to my house. So less trouble for me.
 
Alundra said:
I was hoping I was going to be one of the lucky guys getting a 100% perfect screen, like my former Ipad Mini had. But no, I turned it on, and I could not unsee the faint dark shadow in the left side of the screen when in white backgrounds :(.

Oh well. I turned it in on an Certified Apple repair store, and Im getting the replacement tomorrow or monday.

There goes my weekend studying using the Ipad Air :mad:
Click to expand...

Good luck with that! I've yet to see an Air without this 'problem'. I think we're at the cusp of the affordable technology thing here. My new Kindle HDX has blue bleed down both sides and all the Airs I've seen have this grey shadow including my own. The rMini's are even worse with uneven yellow shading in most of the ones I've looked at including the two I've returned.

So we want low cost and high quality and at some point that doesn't compute.
 
I fail to see how ipad air can be termed as 'low cost'.

At that price, the quality needs to be unimpeachable.
 
Dlanod said:
Good luck with that! I've yet to see an Air without this 'problem'. I think we're at the cusp of the affordable technology thing here. My new Kindle HDX has blue bleed down both sides and all the Airs I've seen have this grey shadow including my own. The rMini's are even worse with uneven yellow shading in most of the ones I've looked at including the two I've returned.

So we want low cost and high quality and at some point that doesn't compute.
Click to expand...

I've been so lucky. My iPad Air is perfect. Crisp, clean and no 'bookspine' effect. No pink, no yellow. Just nice, even tones. I was really worried after I ordered it but it turned out to be a non-issue.

I just received my new Kindle HDX 7" and it doesn't have any of the blue bleeding either.

So there are good screens out there. I hope you score one - of either tablet or hopefully both if you join the 'Great Screen Lottery of 2013' and try again.
 
I feel your pain! I returned my first iPad Air (not sure if it had a problem screen or not?) because i wanted to upgrade to the 32gb version during BF when i could take advantage of some deals.

Well that proved...interesting. I've ordered and canceled two ipads (from quills.com and staples due to incompetence of those companies for selling ipads they didnt actually have in stock) and i ended up accidentally ordering two ipads from best buy becuase yesterday they wouldnt let me select in store pickup but then today all of a sudden it was an option and I didn't want to wait for shipping to my apartment which is always a pain.

Anyway I just picked up my ipad from best buy and I checked the screen as it was starting up and the first thing i see is this grayish edge along the left side of my screen. It was obvious enough for me to notice upon first boot but subtle enough that it isn't really bothering me too much in apps. Now I'm considering waiting for the other ipad (ridiculous i know) to arrive and try opening it up to see if the screen is better and if so return this one. But I feel kind of bad opening up the spare ipad and what if Best Buy doesn't accept the return? (I've returned a few things in the past and i don't want to end up on their blacklist)

Any advice? Is this issue so common that I should just get used to it? It isn't THAT bad but i want this iPad to last awhile.
 
I've received a call from the repair shop, telling me I could get my new ipad.

Went there and decided to turn it on in front of the technician to verify if this new one had the same issue or not.

Unfortunately not only the ipad had the same dark book spine effect on the left side of the display like before, it was also way more noticeable than in the first ipad air.

She told me she couldnt see it on the first ipad, but now she could perfectly notice it.

Now she told me that she will personally verify the next ipad display to check if it's in the same condition, so I dont waste my time coming back for another defected ipad.

This is really frustrating because the ipad is very important to me for note taking and studying.

I've already also called apple care to notify them about the issue.

Now im not sure how long im going to have to wait before getting a unit from a new batch instead of this problematic one.

:banghead:
 
Last edited:
midwestfisherma said:
Bought an Air and a new Mini w/ retina. Both are perfect. :)
Click to expand...

I'm happy for you! You're giving me the hope that my next replacement will be fine!

I truly hope you have a perfect eye sight and that there really are units out there with perfect screens like my former mini had.

lol
 
Last edited:
Finally got my Ipad Air... Screen was defective

So, i finally got some news.

I'm on my 3rd iPad. Opened it in front of the technician once again. And once again the iPad had the same dark shadow visible mostly on white backgrounds, at the left side of the display. I'm seeing it now as I'm typing this from the iPad. Albeit this one is the one with the defect less noticeable,I am not going to keep this one either.

But due to avoiding playing an endless replacement game, she asked me to try and exchange it again on January. With hopes that this defective batch sells out and I'm only left with good units.

I guess this is the best way to do it. Since I can still use the iPad air and won't get prejudiced from waiting until January to exchange it again.
 
Last edited:
Honestly I think people expect too much out of technology. If you look for flaws, you will find flaws, all technology has flaws.

When I see people returning multiple iPads and claiming every iPad they see is unacceptably defective it shows the problem is with the person not the device.

To me my iPad mini screen is perfect but I'm sure if I look hard enough I will find something amiss.

Have fun with your new devices and quit trying to find flaws, just enjoy it and use it.
 
Alundra said:
I was hoping I was going to be one of the lucky guys getting a 100% perfect screen, like my former Ipad Mini had. But no, I turned it on, and I could not unsee the faint dark shadow in the left side of the screen when in white backgrounds :(.

Oh well. I turned it in on an Certified Apple repair store, and Im getting a replacement brand new unit on monday.

There goes my weekend studying using my brand new Ipad Air :mad:
Click to expand...

Thats the first thing you did...look for something that cannot be seen unless the screen is all white and there is an eclipse?
 
chrono1081 said:
Honestly I think people expect too much out of technology. If you look for flaws, you will find flaws, all technology has flaws.

When I see people returning multiple iPads and claiming every iPad they see is unacceptably defective it shows the problem is with the person not the device.

To me my iPad mini screen is perfect but I'm sure if I look hard enough I will find something amiss.

Have fun with your new devices and quit trying to find flaws, just enjoy it and use it.
Click to expand...

Have you actually seen an iPad air with yellowing and/or darker left side? This is not about looking for flaws - you don't need to! They jump out at you and there's nothing you can do about it. It also just so happens to be the case that a lot of iOS 7 is white and so are a lot of webpages. In other words, you can't ignore it easily.

good that you got a good one, but is it so impossible to believe/accept that others did not?
 
chrono1081 said:
Honestly I think people expect too much out of technology. If you look for flaws, you will find flaws, all technology has flaws.

When I see people returning multiple iPads and claiming every iPad they see is unacceptably defective it shows the problem is with the person not the device.

To me my iPad mini screen is perfect but I'm sure if I look hard enough I will find something amiss.

Have fun with your new devices and quit trying to find flaws, just enjoy it and use it.
Click to expand...

Agreed (mostly). There is far to much expectation of "perfection" and every time I hear the ol' "we are owed as much because of what we spend" I cringe. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's required to be perfect, nor does something sub $1000 even truly classify as "expensive" in the electronics world.

Bottom line is: if it bugs you that much, DON'T buy it. It is an absolute testament to how good Apple is (and how poor the alternatives are, in both quality and experience) that people can waste day after day swapping unit after unit that makes them miserable.

I am not saying the "problem" doesn't exist. It does. In complete honesty, my Air has a little yellow tint in the bottom left corner IF I crank the brightness way down and LOOK for it. If it's an issue 99% of people wouldn't notice if they didn't know it existed, why would Apple address it? To satisfy the 1% of folks that still can't live without it anyway?

It's the best 10" tablet. Plenty of other tablets have minor abnormalities too, but none of them have the fanbase that Apple has, so Apple always has to deal with things being blown WAY out of proportion.

Enjoy the device. If you can't, find one that you can. Apple really doesn't care, and frankly I don't blame them when 99% of the user base is perfectly satisfied and not "looking for problems". I can find fault with ANYTHING. I'm glad I don't though, as it would be a pretty miserable existence.

Good luck!
 
PDE said:
Have you actually seen an iPad air with yellowing and/or darker left side? This is not about looking for flaws - you don't need to! They jump out at you and there's nothing you can do about it. It also just so happens to be the case that a lot of iOS 7 is white and so are a lot of webpages. In other words, you can't ignore it easily.

good that you got a good one, but is it so impossible to believe/accept that others did not?
Click to expand...

I never said there weren't issues, I said that most people look for them and blow them out of proportion.

I haven't seen a single "yellowing or darker left side screen" anywhere and that includes the Apple Store, Best Buy, HH Gregg, and Target. Not one bad screen.

itjw said:
Agreed (mostly). There is far to much expectation of "perfection" and every time I hear the ol' "we are owed as much because of what we spend" I cringe. Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's required to be perfect, nor does something sub $1000 even truly classify as "expensive" in the electronics world.

Bottom line is: if it bugs you that much, DON'T buy it. It is an absolute testament to how good Apple is (and how poor the alternatives are, in both quality and experience) that people can waste day after day swapping unit after unit that makes them miserable.

I am not saying the "problem" doesn't exist. It does. In complete honesty, my Air has a little yellow tint in the bottom left corner IF I crank the brightness way down and LOOK for it. If it's an issue 99% of people wouldn't notice if they didn't know it existed, why would Apple address it? To satisfy the 1% of folks that still can't live without it anyway?

It's the best 10" tablet. Plenty of other tablets have minor abnormalities too, but none of them have the fanbase that Apple has, so Apple always has to deal with things being blown WAY out of proportion.

Enjoy the device. If you can't, find one that you can. Apple really doesn't care, and frankly I don't blame them when 99% of the user base is perfectly satisfied and not "looking for problems". I can find fault with ANYTHING. I'm glad I don't though, as it would be a pretty miserable existence.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Agreed. A lot of people don't understand nothing you buy will ever be perfect, especially complex electronics. I can understand things like dead pixels and the like but slight color shifts and things are normal for any flat panel monitor. The technology for a perfect screen just isn't there yet.
 
Then explain how I've never had any issues with other non apple devices displays, or even the ipad mini's screen?

Its hard to admit but apple really shot themselves in the foot on their quality control department this time.

This is the first tablet/smartphone i ever had to exchange for a replacement. Im not extremely picky or blowing things out of proportion. The issue is clearly there for me and alot of other people.

My problem is exactly this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bYnErqJX4

And I've even noticed it on some demo units.

Need more proof?
 
Last edited:
Alundra said:
...Its hard to admit but apple really shot themselves in the foot on their QA department this time.
Click to expand...

How so? Really, I'm curious. Because they are on track for their most successful quarter ever. I'm not understanding the foot shooting reference.

To be clear (and it is sad I have to be), I am not saying there are no QC issues. :rolleyes:
 
ZBoater said:
How so? Really, I'm curious. Because they are on track for their most successful quarter ever. I'm not understanding the foot shooting reference.

To be clear (and it is sad I have to be), I am not saying there are no QC issues. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes i wanted to say qc instead. I've edited the post.
 
Alundra said:
Yes i wanted to say qc instead. I've edited the post.
Click to expand...

oh, ok. It makes me wonder how the QC program actually works.

Does anyone know? I mean KNOW, not speculate.

Are there Apple engineers in the production line conducting inspections? I read about Apple returning millions of iPhones to Foxconn for quality issues. So are they seeing these screens and saying "yup, that's ok", or did they just approve a batch and then production starts, millions of iPads start rolling out, and at that points its up to the manufacturer to inspect their own quality? Apple is still responsible, but I am curious on whether these screens would be considered "acceptable" by Apple standards. I am guessing if they are, no one would admit it.
 
If only a small minority of us complain, then, to Apple, there is no problem. It appears that most customers don't mind screen defects as long as they can interact with the content. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.

My current iPad (3rd gen), has minor uniformity issues, but nothing as bad as what I've had with the 2 airs I've had. It reminds me of looking as LCD panels on gas pumps (minus the high resolution and calibration of course ;) ) where it doesn't matter what it looks like.
 
Alundra said:
...
My problem is exactly this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5bYnErqJX4

And I've even noticed it on some demo units.

Need more proof?
Click to expand...

Must be my 5-year old MacBook screen (or my 65 year eyes :D )
I've viewed that video several times, and don't see the issue that the poster is talking about. The iPad, as shown on the video, appears uniformly grey to me.

I'm not saying the issue isn't there, but only that (despite some good care in pointing out the location) the issue is not visible to me from that video.
So - for me - "unseeing" the defect is not an issue, and I would describe the iPad in that video as "no visible screen defects"
(I bet you're glad I don't work for you :D )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back