Buyer Beware: Retina MBP Burn-In Extraordinaire

Mojo1 · Jun 23, 2012

http://macperformanceguide.com/blog...okPro-Retina-screen-burn-in-ghost-images.html

This has to be the worst case of burn-in since the early days of CRTs... I guess that screen-savers are on their way back, at least for Retina Macs.

BlazednSleepy · Jun 23, 2012

Clearly a defect. No body else has been complaining.

jcpb · Jun 23, 2012

Not seeing it, and I've let it run at max brightness for hours at a time.

Queen6 · Jun 23, 2012

Early days, and early adopters let`s see how it pans out. That being said if none of us jump in at the deep end, well 640K would still be more than enough

Seamaster · Jun 23, 2012

Whoa ... if that's for real, that's serious business.

leenak · Jun 23, 2012

Someone on the apple forums said that their iPad 2 had the same issue. It is definitely a defect if it occurs.

mattopotamus · Jun 23, 2012

leenak said:
Someone on the apple forums said that their iPad 2 had the same issue. It is definitely a defect if it occurs.

I was thinking the same thing. If this was common wouldnt people with retina iPads experience it.

jcpb · Jun 23, 2012

Everything is srs bzns when it comes to Apple 'problems'.

Southernboyj · Jun 23, 2012

leenak said:
Someone on the apple forums said that their iPad 2 had the same issue. It is definitely a defect if it occurs.

My iPad 2 had a slight burn in, I noticed it mostly on the address bar in Safari, it wasn't really noticeable though so I didn't return it.

Queen6 · Jun 23, 2012

Were going to need something a little more solid before we go into DRAMA MODE...........

Dronac · Jun 23, 2012

As if soldered on RAM wasn't enough of a reason for Applecare...

If this is a widespread issue, there will be a design revision. If your keeping your MBPR longer then a year, I'd pick up Applecare and if this happens, just let Apple swap it out.

ixodes · Jun 23, 2012

Another thread with a title designed to alarm users. Sadly it's a baseless claim. The display Apple has implemented in this model is of very high quality, durability & long life.

Nonetheless it's always possible to get a defective component of any type.

These are mass produced in very large quantities. If one studies how these displays are made, you'll find a fairly high number per thousand that are scrapped, as they're defective. It's a normal characteristic of the manufacturing process & has been for years.

Once again this is simply a reminder that all mass produced products come with a warranty for a reason. Nothing is perfect.

Queen6 · Jun 23, 2012

Dronac said:
As if soldered on RAM wasn't enough of a reason for Applecare...

If this is a widespread issue, there will be a design revision. If your keeping your MBPR longer then a year, I'd pick up Applecare and if this happens, just let Apple swap it out.

FIRE, FIRE, lets keep it in context one forum, one post if this was a was wide spread issue the Net would be wired, I am not defending Apple just dont want wildfire to spread on the basis of a few isolated incidents.....

Dronac · Jun 23, 2012

Queen6 said:
FIRE, FIRE, lets keep it in context one forum, one post if this was a was wide spread issue the Net would be wired, I am not defending Apple just dont want wildfire to spread on the basis of a few isolated incidents.....

I didn't mean to imply this was widespread. Rather that Applecare is probably a good idea already given how integrated the MBPr is, which would make an issue like this less of one, even if it was widespread.

mahdz · Jun 23, 2012

I'm getting it too. At first I thought it was my eyes adjusting to the darker desktop, but I was able to take a picture. You can see the Adblock and Flash Block icons about 2 inches left and 1 inch down from the batter percentage. You can make out the address bar too. It's a lot more visible immediately after closing/minimizing Chrome. So far it's gone away every time after about 30 min.

Mojo1 · Jun 23, 2012

ixodes said:
Another thread with a title designed to alarm users. Sadly it's a baseless claim. The display Apple has implemented in this model is of very high quality, durability & long life.

I didn't start this thread to alarm users, merely give them a heads-up. When considering spending $2200 or more on a laptop computer one might want to know about this...

Second, it isn't a baseless claim. There is burn-in, it is readily apparent, I provided a link to the original source and there is a clear image of the burn-in.

You claim that the Retina MBP display "is of very high quality, durability and long life." Upon what verifiable source are you basing these claims? As far as I know there has not been a 15" Retina display available in a mass-produced portable computer. iPads and iPhones, yes, but not a laptop. And the Retina display hasn't been around long enough to categorically state that it has a "long life" when used in a consumer product.

I'll grant you that it is most likely a defective display, hopefully one of a few rather than one of many. But in recent memory Apple has released products that have exhibited a serious manufacturing defect that affected thousands and even millions of customers. The company's response to these flawed products has often been slow in coming and Apple's remedies have not always made its customers whole again.

I am seeing other reports online about problems with the Retina display in the MacBook Pro. We will have to see if these are relatively isolated incidents or just the tip of the iceberg. It is up to the individual consumer to decide if it is worth the risk to buy the rMBP now or wait awhile.

therealseebs · Jun 23, 2012

I've been using IPS displays for years.

I have never, ever, seen one that did not have fairly severe "burn-in", but it's temporary; lasts a longish time (you can still see it a day later), but goes away over long-term use.

Same for my Retina iPad, a little noticeable on the iPad 2, same on my 26" NEC display which is by far the nicest display I've ever had.

So I am not surprised or worried about it.

spdntrxi · Jun 23, 2012

digilyod is generally a pretty good source..atleast I know him from the camera info... although he tends to be a Nikon fanboy

mond · Jun 23, 2012

ixodes said:
Another thread with a title designed to alarm users. Sadly it's a baseless claim. The display Apple has implemented in this model is of very high quality, durability & long life.

Nonetheless it's always possible to get a defective component of any type.

These are mass produced in very large quantities. If one studies how these displays are made, you'll find a fairly high number per thousand that are scrapped, as they're defective. It's a normal characteristic of the manufacturing process & has been for years.

Once again this is simply a reminder that all mass produced products come with a warranty for a reason. Nothing is perfect.

You realize you just called his claim baseless, and then followed it with a baseless claim?

If you follow the link there's a picture of the screen & a link to apple's forums where multiple people say they have the issue. His claim seems to have more of a base than yours.

edit: video from apple forum thread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Y-b9B2hJc&feature=youtu.be

ixodes · Jun 23, 2012

Mojo1 said:
1) I didn't start this thread to alarm users, merely give them a heads-up.

Then use a reasonable title. The title you chose is alarming.

Mojo1 said:
2) When considering spending $2200 or more on a laptop computer one might want to know about this...

Price has nothing to do with anything. Apple is well known for charging very high prices. Any product at any price can have a single defective component. That's why they come with warranties.

Mojo1 said:
Second, it isn't a baseless claim. There is burn-in, it is readily apparent, I provided a link to the original source and there is a clear image of the burn-in.

Then don't make it sound like they all may have this issue via the title.

Mojo1 said:
You claim that the Retina MBP display "is of very high quality, durability and long life." Upon what verifiable source are you basing these claims? As far as I know there has not been a 15" Retina display available in a mass-produced portable computer. iPads and iPhones, yes, but not a laptop. And the Retina display hasn't been around long enough to categorically state that it has a "long life" when used in a consumer product.

Many years of using IPS displays (same technology) in Workstation class ThinkPads within an engineering & design company that has used hundreds without problem.

Mojo1 said:
I'll grant you that it is most likely a defective display, hopefully one of a few rather than one of many. But in recent memory Apple has released products that have exhibited a serious manufacturing defect that affected thousands and even millions of customers. The company's response to these flawed products has often been slow in coming and Apple's remedies have not always made its customers whole again.

I am seeing other reports online about problems with the Retina display in the MacBook Pro. We will have to see if these are relatively isolated incidents or just the tip of the iceberg. It is up to the individual consumer to decide if it is worth the risk to buy the rMBP now or wait awhile.

Time will tell, the risk is no different than any other product.

jcpb · Jun 23, 2012

mond said:
You realize you just called his claim baseless, and then followed it with a baseless claim?

If you follow the link there's a picture of the screen & a link to apple's forums where multiple people say they have the issue. His claim seems to have more of a base than yours.

edit: video from apple forum thread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Y-b9B2hJc&feature=youtu.be

It's also a well-known fact that the people most vocal about this sort of things are also the people who run into problems with something that they expected to work perfectly inside and out.

OP cried "wolf" with its sensational thread title, designed to draw your attention. And, judging by the responses, it's working exactly as he wanted.

PhoenixRising · Jun 23, 2012

Queen6 said:
Were going to need something a little more solid before we go into DRAMA MODE...........

You kidding? This is MacRumors. Someone posts a problem, it's the end of the world as we know it.

but I feel fine.

Marconelly · Jun 23, 2012

therealseebs said:
I've been using IPS displays for years.

I have never, ever, seen one that did not have fairly severe "burn-in", but it's temporary; lasts a longish time (you can still see it a day later), but goes away over long-term use.

Same for my Retina iPad, a little noticeable on the iPad 2, same on my 26" NEC display which is by far the nicest display I've ever had.

So I am not surprised or worried about it.

I've seen burn-in happen on certain LCDs, IPS, or non-IPS, sometimes even permanent. However, I've never seen problem manifest on any LCD after just 15 minutes of use, and I really don't think I've ever seen it happen on iPhone 4 screen which is IPS as well.

Xcelerate · Jun 23, 2012

This is a little bit odd. I don't doubt that the images are real, but it seems more like a defect than real burn-in.

LCDs are manufactured in such a way that there is a back light, color filters, and then a polarizer that acts like a window shutter. When the shutter is open, light comes through, and when it is closed, light cannot pass (well, any light that does pass through is what is referred to as the black level).

So unlike plasma technology, the only reason this burn-in would occur is if there is some sort of polarizer defect, which may be because of an electrical connection.

Just a thought. Someone who knows more about LCDs can perhaps provide more information.

therealseebs · Jun 23, 2012

Marconelly said:
I've seen burn-in happen on certain LCDs, IPS, or non-IPS, sometimes even permanent. However, I've never seen problem manifest on any LCD after just 15 minutes of use, and I really don't think I've ever seen it happen on iPhone 4 screen which is IPS as well.

I see this on my iPad 3 all the time, and also on my big NEC. It's not really burn-in, but there is a VERY noticeable effect there. If I leave my iPad 3 in an app that has an easily-recognized pattern for a 10-15 minutes, then go to something with a smooth screen, I will see that "burn-in". It's totally normal, so far as I can tell; I got all excited when it happened to my NEC, then I started reading threads and found that basically all IPS displays have ... well, I want to call it phosphor memory, but obviously that's wrong.

Edit: And no, it's not a "polarizer defect". IPS displays do not work quite the same way other LCDs do, and this is normal for them.

Buyer Beware: Retina MBP Burn-In Extraordinaire

macrumors 65816

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502a

macrumors G4

macrumors 65816

macrumors 68020

macrumors G5

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 68000

macrumors G4

macrumors member

macrumors 601

macrumors G4

macrumors member

macrumors newbie

Attachments

macrumors 65816

macrumors 65816

macrumors regular

macrumors newbie

macrumors 601

macrumors 6502a

macrumors newbie

macrumors 6502

macrumors regular

macrumors 65816

Our Staff