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15inch PowerBook Display Issues?

Mine has tiny white spots on it, though the screen is nice and bright, with no dark areas.

I've seen the spots expanding ever so slowly, so I should probably call them and have it checked out. Since I live near a apple store, should I just take it to the genius bar, or should I call? Also, are they replacing the machines, or just repairing. I'd prefer to have it repaired, as I have spent weeks putting my data on it. I don't want some tech to scratch it though. I'll be incensed if it comes back with scratches or problems it didn't have before.

Are they being repaired, or replaced? Mine was purchased the Night of Panther, so I've had it like 3 weeks.

Alia
 
It sounds like they are repairing them, and I would be worried about scratches too. I had my PowerBook G3 repaired once and it got so scratched up and the mouse button was crooked and loose so I had to call and complain until they just gave me a new one because it looked like they let a pack of cats attack it when it was repaired.
 
Weird, about a month ago, my screen on my 12" PowerBook started doing weird things.....I was running Jaguar, and was running on battery power when my screen started flickering. I could see the pinstriping along the menu bar at the top of my screen start to get all zig zagged. It hasn't happened since, so I guess all is well. Does anyone know what this was or if it's related? I was thinking it was a pixel error.😕
 
Hmmmm well I've had my 15" Alu PB for a few weeks now and I still haven't seen the dreaded white spots yet - I wonder if there were just batches that are bad or whether this problem randomly appears across the entire range?
 
I have had mine for nearly two months now without any spots, either. People say they got them from carrying them around and putting pressure on the lid. I've taken mine to a few classes, the library, and outside and still haven't noticed any issues. Every once in a while I throw on an all white background and play with the brightness settings just to check up on it, but I just can't see any spots so I seem to be doing fine with mine.
 
They've already got the new replacement screens here in Australia.
Click to expand...

My Alubook was supposed to ship ( I'm in Sydney ) on the 4th, I ordered it on the 20th of last month. I can't even get an updated shipping date out of them. 🙁

It's a real bummer, I needed it for some work in the last week. I'd rather have a late PB than a spotty PB though, I guess.

-- curious.au

P.S. Apple customer service were really nice, and seem like genuinely friendly folks - wouldn't confirm or deny that it was delayed because of the screen spotting issue though. 😛
 
I believe they have a solution for it now. I had to send mine out twice to get it fixed properly. The first time, the spots came back within a day or two. I've had it back for two weeks now since the second repair, and no white spots have appeared. In addition, the screen assembly seems to be much more rigid. I've been using it every day, carrying it around with me in my laptop bag to and from work, and it's been perfect.
 
I also believe they have solved the screen problem. I ordered a 15" AlBook on 10/22 which was supposed to ship by 11/03. I wasn't surprised when I received a message that day saying my machine was delayed and that is would ship by 12/08. A little disappointing, but as many have said, I'd rather wait for a good machine rather than deal with a bad one just to get it sooner. Anyways, I received a message today that my machine shipped! Yeah! I checked FedEx, it actually did leave Taiwan today. I doubt they'd be shipping machines which did not resolve the screen issue, so they must have fixed it!
 
after months of debate i decided to go ahead and get a 15" PB. my buddy at a local reseller ordered it for me.

that was a month ago.

i am still waiting.
i don't mind waiting as long as i know it will be RIGHT, but the apple guy on the phone got really snippy about this issue. this issue that a friend in NYC had warned me of. this issue that the apple store guy dind't know anything about (sure). this issue that seems to be something apple would like to pretend isn't happening.

i've been an apple girl since the IIe.
i hate that this is making me doubt.

at least I havn't spent the cash yet, since a reseller won't charge you till it's in yer hot little paws. still, i want my PB.
 
I manage an educational reseller, and there was definitely a sudden supply issue. 15" Powerbooks were shipping within a couple days for about a month, and suddenly everything was pushed back three weeks. I was waiting on a replacement order for a customer that the Applecare person had told us would be shipping within three days, but took almost a month. When he called the person back asking why it was taking so long, she denied saying it, even though she had talked to us seperately and we heard the exact same thing.

They wanted to address this as quietly as possible. They had to take care of everyone quickly, probably to avoid having to publicly recall them all. Their "air of secrecy" really gets in my way when I have an irate customer wanting to know why Apple gave them misinformation.
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
Trust me, the new 15" PowerBook won't disappoint, it's been the best computer I've ever used.
Click to expand...

I definitely, whole-heartedly, abso-freakin'-lutely agree 100% without a doubt!
 
Originally posted by zync
I definitely, whole-heartedly, abso-freakin'-lutely agree 100% without a doubt!
Click to expand...
Same here 😀

Amazingly I got one of the few 15-inchers without the display problems (I got it the day after they were announced)... and it's been a dream ever since I got it 🙂
 
Originally posted by MasterMac
Same here 😀

Amazingly I got one of the few 15-inchers without the display problems (I got it the day after they were announced)... and it's been a dream ever since I got it 🙂
Click to expand...

I even have the problems and I still stand by my opinion! Besides, they'll fix it anyway so there's really no problem other than having to part with it for a few days 😀
 
PC vs MAC

I have not made the switch to MAC products yet. After reading 5 pages full of Display horror stories, I am not sure if I am ready to take the plunge yet. Well, at least not with a Laptop. And I was this close too! I have to hand it to all of you guys for your devotion to MAC. There must be something there...
 
Not everybody was having display issues with their powerbooks (me being one of them). AFAIK, Apple has fixed the problem so if you decide to buy now then it should be fine.
 
Originally posted by MasterMac
Not everybody was having display issues with their powerbooks (me being one of them). AFAIK, Apple has fixed the problem so if you decide to buy now then it should be fine.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's what it seems like....just gotta find time to get mine fixed 😀
 
Re: PC vs MAC

Originally posted by cbz38a
I have not made the switch to MAC products yet. After reading 5 pages full of Display horror stories, I am not sure if I am ready to take the plunge yet. Well, at least not with a Laptop. And I was this close too! I have to hand it to all of you guys for your devotion to MAC. There must be something there...
Click to expand...

You should switch...I'm one of the most extreme cases of a switcher....For some reason I hated macs, so much so in fact that I stood outside when my friends (who still aren't apple users) would go into the Apple store...it was something of a protest I guess...I started to become more open minded about it and loved the iPod....I bought it for a class in which I had to use macs and that's when I started looking at them and their advantages....it's not for everyone I guess...though I would think it hard to find someone who wouldn't like a mac after they've used one...
 
Excuse my ignorance but what makes the Apple OS so much better than M$? Wouldn't a program like Photoshop Elements work the same on either machine?
 
Originally posted by cbz38a
Excuse my ignorance but what makes the Apple OS so much better than M$? Wouldn't a program like Photoshop Elements work the same on either machine?
Click to expand...

Interfaces are somewhat different...you don't have the grey background (in Photoshop, I don't have elements to compare to)...which allows you to access the desktop quicker which is nice because I've started to use my desktop a whole lot more when I'm working on projects and other things...also exposé rules...hell even the key commands to make letters with accents is so much easier...if you haven't tried a mac, try one....be open-minded and play with it for a good while....I found that when I used windows I was always so obsessive compulsive about running everything maximized...on my mac I have windows all over the place but exposé keeps them in line...at first the non-true-maximize-button left me dissatisfied but now it's really nice to not be so anal about my work environment...I don't really know what else to tell you other than test it and see for yourself.....also programs run differently for each platform regardless of whether or not they're the same program...many mac programs are optimized further because the variation in hardware is far smaller...plus altivec lends quite a hand to many applications...
 
Re: Re: PC vs MAC

Originally posted by zync
For some reason I hated macs
Click to expand...
I can tell you the reason I hated macs - every OS up to and including 9. When Jobs returned to Apple I hoped and hoped that the OS would be influenced by NeXT, and eventually it was. Now I love macs, and tomorrow I'm going to go and place an order on a 15" PB 🙂

I don't mind if it gets leprosy as long as they replace it.
 
OS 9 wasn't that bad, and it was definitely better than the Windows ME that was on the Gateway at home, so when given the choice, I gladly used OS 9.
 
Whats the offical word?

I have the white spot issue right now and have been waiting for the offical word from Apple that they have fixed the issue before I send in my powerbook. Does anyone know of or have a link that will answer this?

thx...

first time apple user, and loving it despite the white spots... 🙂
 
posted elsewhere, but what the hell...

I received my PB 1.25 in the second week of October here in the UK and it was perfect.

Then about a week ago I started to notice that the screen brightness was uneven, with the right lower corner ever so slightly darker than the left. At first this just made me think there was something wrong with my right eye, but now it is spreading to the whole right side of the screen and is getting obviously darker.

(after a net search, Mac Bidouille have an article on the brightness problem here - http://www.hardmac.com/niouzcontenu...2003-11-15#1050 )

I have notified Applecare who are happy to repair/replace the screen but I will wait another couple of weeks so that the problem is REALLY noticable before sending it in.

Also, an added problem is that my reseller installed the Hitachi 7200rpm drive inside the PB (which, by the way, makes a huge performance difference over the 4200) and Applecare are refusing to accept the machine unless it is returned to factory condition incase they replace the whole thing. While I understand the policy, anyone else who has taken the PB 15 apart will understand how depressed my reseller is at having to do it twice more.

The moral of the story - never buy a first generation Apple product. I should have learnt that with my PM7500, then the very first iBooks and again I should have learnt it with the first G4 towers. Oh well, maybe I'll learn for next time!!

Grizzly
 
17" PowerBook affected?

i am ready to purchase a new 17" PowerBook. however, will the screen on the 17-inch models be affected?? i have heard issues on both the 12" and the 15", so i am concerned.
 
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