I'm glad to hear you finally got someone with a brain. It's pretty obvious that the problem is something besides the screen at this point and that they need to be diagnosing hardware upstream from it.
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powerbook 15 uneven screen backlighting
- Thread starter Paolo30
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I'm glad to hear you finally got someone with a brain. It's pretty obvious that the problem is something besides the screen at this point and that they need to be diagnosing hardware upstream from it.
Originally posted by Darkside
Thanks for quoting everything in my previous post; it was fun to reminisce.
Haha, sometimes I can't decide where to cut since the whole post was relevant to my reply.
new screen
The screen of my new 15" powerbook also showed white spots after a couple of weeks. It's a known problem and it had to be replaced. My reseller told me that the inside of the screen glued against the cover (?). It was repaired in a week. I think there's a whole new screen on it. The diagnosis on the repairform also says something about a Foam diffuser.
The screen of my new 15" powerbook also showed white spots after a couple of weeks. It's a known problem and it had to be replaced. My reseller told me that the inside of the screen glued against the cover (?). It was repaired in a week. I think there's a whole new screen on it. The diagnosis on the repairform also says something about a Foam diffuser.
I wish I could get a feel for how big this problem is. It seems to be affecting less people than the white spot issue.
When I brought my PB into the Cambridgeside Apple Store in Boston, the tech had either never seen the problem or deserves an Oscar. He looked genuinely surprised and talked about white spotting, so he wasn't just giving me rhetoric.
We'll see. M zero key was falling off as well, so I had them look at the keyboard as well. Guy was very friendly and assured me that if the problem crept back up, it'd get fixed until it was right.
Not the most cost-effective fix, especially if they're just treating the symptom, but at least they're being proactive about it.
I'll keep you all posted. I love that Mac, and I hate being without it even though it's only been about 14 hours!
~S~
When I brought my PB into the Cambridgeside Apple Store in Boston, the tech had either never seen the problem or deserves an Oscar. He looked genuinely surprised and talked about white spotting, so he wasn't just giving me rhetoric.
We'll see. M zero key was falling off as well, so I had them look at the keyboard as well. Guy was very friendly and assured me that if the problem crept back up, it'd get fixed until it was right.
Not the most cost-effective fix, especially if they're just treating the symptom, but at least they're being proactive about it.
I'll keep you all posted. I love that Mac, and I hate being without it even though it's only been about 14 hours!
~S~
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. I just got number 3 machine (number 4 screen), and I'm the proud owner of an unevenly illuminated lcd once more. Only now I'm told that this is within spec , so I have nothing to complain about.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you.
whew! that took a while to get through. that aside...
i'm planning on purchasing this machine @ rev.b (obviously i'm planning on a rev.b sometime this spring/early summer as well). and being the grahic designer that i am, i demand perfection when it comes to my laptop screen (as this will also be my first laptop). so now, i'm not worried about whitespots, but i am worried about unveven illumination. {sigh} anyhow, my question is this:
i think macbandit posted that you should get a 3rd party support plan (as some may support accidental breakage, etc) where can I find these plans, and how good are they?
and a followup:
does anybody have a 3rd party care plan on their powerbook? good? bad? and can you purchase it later from another retailer (i.e. laptop bought from apple, a few months later, service plan bought from RetailerX)?
Thanks!
i'm planning on purchasing this machine @ rev.b (obviously i'm planning on a rev.b sometime this spring/early summer as well). and being the grahic designer that i am, i demand perfection when it comes to my laptop screen (as this will also be my first laptop). so now, i'm not worried about whitespots, but i am worried about unveven illumination. {sigh} anyhow, my question is this:
i think macbandit posted that you should get a 3rd party support plan (as some may support accidental breakage, etc) where can I find these plans, and how good are they?
and a followup:
does anybody have a 3rd party care plan on their powerbook? good? bad? and can you purchase it later from another retailer (i.e. laptop bought from apple, a few months later, service plan bought from RetailerX)?
Thanks!
3rd party warantee
Michael,
I bought my A/15" with Superdrive at CompUSA and they sell 3rd party packages as well. I have the white spots as well but will get a few more months of use out of this screen before I get it replaced. Besides they may have a better handle on the problem or perhaps have a better manufacturer in place by then.
Michael,
I bought my A/15" with Superdrive at CompUSA and they sell 3rd party packages as well. I have the white spots as well but will get a few more months of use out of this screen before I get it replaced. Besides they may have a better handle on the problem or perhaps have a better manufacturer in place by then.
I may have suggested 3rd party warranties but I do not recall at this moment for sure. There are certainly some better warranties out there then Apples. Some of them are performance based warranties so if the product doesn't function as you think it should they will replace or refund it. Also there is insurance coverage specifically for laptops available that will cover repairs even if the problem was user incurred like if you dropped it or something.
Status: 3 displays failed over 2 machines; currently using 1st replacement, has Uneven Illumination (left side, bottom-right corner).
I just had the most infuriating call with a Product Specialist.
After I gave her my Case Number, she reviewed the notes and asked if I'd like to set up a repair. I told her I didn't want to send it in unless there was a solution that worked.
She checked a database and said there was no new information about the problem. I specifically asked if there was any new information from my previous system, which was captured by Engineering for evaluation; the answer was "no".
Then, I asked if she knew of any other cases of this problem. The Product Specialist confirmed that Apple knows about Uneven Illumination, and that her records indicated 4 systems had been captured by Engineering for review. She didn't reluctantly state this; she immediately and confidently said "oh yes", it was well known.
This poses an interesting question, which I asked her: If Apple is aware of the issue, but the information available to Product Specialists and Technicians doesn't include a fix, why are they still authorizing customers' requests for repairs, or suggesting repairs themselves, as my Product Specialist did?
Her response: they are still having systems sent in for repair, and are replacing parts, so they can find out what will actually fix the problem. If no recurrences are reported after a repair, they know that replacement part could be the solution.
Think about that! Apple is using their customers as guinea pigs, blindly replacing parts without clear knowledge of what will actually fix Uneven Illumination!
If they are replacing parts, trying to find a cause, I asked the Product Specialist why only one part, the LCD, is usually replaced. Since so many people in these Discussions have had their screen replaced and still have Uneven Illumination recur, why are they still replacing only the LCD?
She said, "because the LCD is the most common cause". My Product Specialist said Apple doesn't know what's causing Uneven Illumination, and that the LCD is the most common cause!
My Product Specialist is either incompetent, lying to me... or she's confirming Apple is selling defective systems, with no resolution in site, and is wasting the time and money of customers, trying to find a solution by replacing parts in already-purchased systems sent in for repair and seeing if they fail again.
The Product Specialist sent a Request for Technical Assistance (RTA) to Engineering. Initially, she said there would be a response in 5 days, and that she would call me; she also gave me her direct number.
After I grilled her about their process and got conflicting information, I asked to speak with a Customer Relations agent. She then suggested we wait until after the RTA came back; she then marked the RTA as "Business Critical", which supposedly ensures a response from Engineering in 3 business days.
"It will definitely come back by Thursday", she said; the Request will be available to Engineering tomorrow morning. However, she then said she would call me "either Thursday or Friday". So much for the 3-day guarantee.
I don't know what to do. I need a PowerBook; a refund and return won't do any good. I have too much experience and money invested in Apple and MacOS to switch to disgusting Windows. A replacement machine, on the slim chance they authorize it, still means I'll be without a system for a week; and with the current track record, the replacement system will be failing in two weeks anyway.
Meanwhile, the time left on my AppleCare warranty keeps slipping away. By the time I get a fully-functional, lasting system, who knows how little coverage I'll have on it? When they do finally and completely solve this problem, I'm going to insist my 3 years of coverage start from that point.
I just had the most infuriating call with a Product Specialist.
After I gave her my Case Number, she reviewed the notes and asked if I'd like to set up a repair. I told her I didn't want to send it in unless there was a solution that worked.
She checked a database and said there was no new information about the problem. I specifically asked if there was any new information from my previous system, which was captured by Engineering for evaluation; the answer was "no".
Then, I asked if she knew of any other cases of this problem. The Product Specialist confirmed that Apple knows about Uneven Illumination, and that her records indicated 4 systems had been captured by Engineering for review. She didn't reluctantly state this; she immediately and confidently said "oh yes", it was well known.
This poses an interesting question, which I asked her: If Apple is aware of the issue, but the information available to Product Specialists and Technicians doesn't include a fix, why are they still authorizing customers' requests for repairs, or suggesting repairs themselves, as my Product Specialist did?
Her response: they are still having systems sent in for repair, and are replacing parts, so they can find out what will actually fix the problem. If no recurrences are reported after a repair, they know that replacement part could be the solution.
Think about that! Apple is using their customers as guinea pigs, blindly replacing parts without clear knowledge of what will actually fix Uneven Illumination!
If they are replacing parts, trying to find a cause, I asked the Product Specialist why only one part, the LCD, is usually replaced. Since so many people in these Discussions have had their screen replaced and still have Uneven Illumination recur, why are they still replacing only the LCD?
She said, "because the LCD is the most common cause". My Product Specialist said Apple doesn't know what's causing Uneven Illumination, and that the LCD is the most common cause!
My Product Specialist is either incompetent, lying to me... or she's confirming Apple is selling defective systems, with no resolution in site, and is wasting the time and money of customers, trying to find a solution by replacing parts in already-purchased systems sent in for repair and seeing if they fail again.
The Product Specialist sent a Request for Technical Assistance (RTA) to Engineering. Initially, she said there would be a response in 5 days, and that she would call me; she also gave me her direct number.
After I grilled her about their process and got conflicting information, I asked to speak with a Customer Relations agent. She then suggested we wait until after the RTA came back; she then marked the RTA as "Business Critical", which supposedly ensures a response from Engineering in 3 business days.
"It will definitely come back by Thursday", she said; the Request will be available to Engineering tomorrow morning. However, she then said she would call me "either Thursday or Friday". So much for the 3-day guarantee.
I don't know what to do. I need a PowerBook; a refund and return won't do any good. I have too much experience and money invested in Apple and MacOS to switch to disgusting Windows. A replacement machine, on the slim chance they authorize it, still means I'll be without a system for a week; and with the current track record, the replacement system will be failing in two weeks anyway.
Meanwhile, the time left on my AppleCare warranty keeps slipping away. By the time I get a fully-functional, lasting system, who knows how little coverage I'll have on it? When they do finally and completely solve this problem, I'm going to insist my 3 years of coverage start from that point.
i demand perfection. i demand apple reduce their tolerance from mimmimeters to nanometers. i demand that there is never a dead pixel. i demand apple release software only after it is completely, utterly, 100% bug free. i demand i get all this, at a lower price.
idkew said:i demand perfection. i demand apple reduce their tolerance from mimmimeters to nanometers. i demand that there is never a dead pixel. i demand apple release software only after it is completely, utterly, 100% bug free. i demand i get all this, at a lower price.
WTF?? Can't you give us a normal answer. I read on some forums that Apple was unable to solve te problem and now I am only asking if people got their laptop back from repair and do not suffer uneven illumination after that...
Again WTF is wron with you....
HJR said:WTF?? Can't you give us a normal answer. I read on some forums that Apple was unable to solve te problem and now I am only asking if people got their laptop back from repair and do not suffer uneven illumination after that...
Again WTF is wron with you....
Don't worry about him you would have to know him a bit better to realize he's making a smart a** remark.
As far as I know the screens have been fixed. I got a Al15" in November which was of the second batch and have never had any problems with the screen.
I just got my 15" Alu a week or two ago, and It's been perfect so far...
Reading this thread has made me think about extending the coverage though =O. Though if it makes it a full year without problems, you'd think it'll be OK from there...
Reading this thread has made me think about extending the coverage though =O. Though if it makes it a full year without problems, you'd think it'll be OK from there...
Anticipat3 said:
just be sure to get applecare with time to spare. sometimes apple bases the year of protection from the manufacturing date. (if you buy off ebay, this seems to be the case, if you buy from apple, they know when it was sold).
i would rec. applecare for a laptop, just becase the chances a repair costs more than $350 is almost 100%.
New Rev. C Powerbook screen problems
Hey all. I just got my brand new 1.5GHz 15" Powerbook on the 3rd of Feb and already I have noticed the upper left corner is about 2 or 3 notches darker than the rest of the screen Is this a problem apple is still having even on the new powerbooks??? I have had the WORST experience with apple and their quality control/customer service over the last month leading up to even having this laptop and I shudder to think about having to go through that again.... Is this something apple sees as a defect? Can I get them to give a replacement? Thanks.
Hey all. I just got my brand new 1.5GHz 15" Powerbook on the 3rd of Feb and already I have noticed the upper left corner is about 2 or 3 notches darker than the rest of the screen
Is this a problem apple is still having even on the new powerbooks??? I have had the WORST experience with apple and their quality control/customer service over the last month leading up to even having this laptop and I shudder to think about having to go through that again.... Is this something apple sees as a defect? Can I get them to give a replacement? Thanks.Darkside said:
First of all, I'm so sorry. I understand what you're going through, as I've sent my Rev. B PB 15" 4 times for problems related with an uneven, poor quality keyboard, illumination and shoddy repairs. At this point my case has been "escalated" to Engineering and I'm awaiting a response.
I've really lost my faith in the 15" model, among other things. I never hear of any widespread problems with the 12" or 17"... and of course those are extremes and that makes choosing difficult. If they offer me a replacement this time I don't know what I will do.
It's just unacceptable that they keep offering a repair and a) nothing gets fixed or b) they make things worse.
Paolo30 said:
Wow, nice job at ticking Apple off. I had an issue with my 12" PowerBook. They seemed to assume that it was my fault (and with a laptop, I might do the same-- who knows what happens to em?) but after 1:05 on the phone I'm shipping it in today. I was polite, explained whatever they asked, and was honest. I did not demand anything-- not even that they fix it (due to the nature of the problem, they were considering the possibility that it was falling damage which I explained why it wasn't). Be nice, it gets done. I was on hold for ~15 minutes too, and yet didn't ask why. Just be nice to em!