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2010 MacBook Pro 13" Ambient Light Sensor Sensitivity Problem

A

Amasashi

macrumors member
Original poster
May 17, 2010
85
0
Yesterday, my girlfriend bought a 2010 MacBook Pro 13". One of the features she was excited about was the backlit keyboard because she enjoys working in low-light settings. This feature on my 2009 MacBook Pro 13" worked flawlessly, seamlessly turning on and off as needed.

However, on her MacBook Pro 13", the keyboard backlight is always on, even in a brightly lit room, even when she's using the computer right next to a desk lamp. I have to literally shine a flashlight at the ambient light sensor for it to register and turn off the keyboard backlight. Anything short of that and the backlight stays on.

Anyone else experiencing this problem? The guy at the Apple Store said that the ambient light sensor is working fine because the screen brightness does in fact respond to subtle chances in ambient lighting, but the keyboard is not. Is this a hardware problem or a firmware one?
 
turn it down it starts off at highest, after i adjusted mine once it started adjusting on its own
 
Amasashi said:
However, on her MacBook Pro 13", the keyboard backlight is always on, even in a brightly lit room, even when she's using the computer right next to a desk lamp. I have to literally shine a flashlight at the ambient light sensor for it to register and turn off the keyboard backlight. Anything short of that and the backlight stays on.

Anyone else experiencing this problem? The guy at the Apple Store said that the ambient light sensor is working fine because the screen brightness does in fact respond to subtle chances in ambient lighting, but the keyboard is not.
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I picked up a 17" MBP yesterday, and I'm having the exact same problem with my keyboard (though my problem is compounded by the screen being very wavy with the auto-dimming). I know that I can turn off the auto-dimming for the screen and I could adjust the keyboard lighting manually, but dammit I didn't pay $2500+ so that the sensors could have a mind of their own. With my screen, I'm sitting still with no light changes and the auto-dimming is wavy. With the keyboard, just like your girlfriend's, the backlighting is always on unless I hold the sensor directly under a very, very bright light source.

It's almost like my keyboard is not sensitive enough while the screen is overly sensitive. Anyone know if they work off of the same sensor? I already talked to Apple support, and they suggested waiting for a while to see if the problem is more widespread (since these have been out less than 2 months).
 
cotasm said:
I picked up a 17" MBP yesterday, and I'm having the exact same problem with my keyboard (though my problem is compounded by the screen being very wavy with the auto-dimming). I know that I can turn off the auto-dimming for the screen and I could adjust the keyboard lighting manually, but dammit I didn't pay $2500+ so that the sensors could have a mind of their own. With my screen, I'm sitting still with no light changes and the auto-dimming is wavy. With the keyboard, just like your girlfriend's, the backlighting is always on unless I hold the sensor directly under a very, very bright light source.

It's almost like my keyboard is not sensitive enough while the screen is overly sensitive. Anyone know if they work off of the same sensor? I already talked to Apple support, and they suggested waiting for a while to see if the problem is more widespread (since these have been out less than 2 months).
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In the end, we exchanged it for 2 others, but they also had the same problem. Maybe the batch at that particular Apple Store was bad, I don't know.

The guy at the Apple Store suggested to wait until more complaints arise and Apple acknowledges this problem and release a firmware update. Or, if Apple never does, I should just send it back for repair and be firm about wanting to get it fixed right. Even if they can't fix it, they'll probably give me a new machine that doesn't have this defect.

I think I'm going to wait maybe 3 months. After that I'm sending it in. Like you said, I'm not paying top dollar to manually adjust a supposedly automatic keyboard backlighting.
 
It's unclear what you mean when you say "wavy" ?

We have about 35 new 13", 15" & 17" MBP's in our office. I just walked around to check them out of curiosity. Like mine, none of them display what you seem to be describing. Since the replacements you got are alike I wonder if it's normal.
 
wirelessmacuser said:
It's unclear what you mean when you say "wavy"?
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By wavy, I mean I can sit there motionless in a room that does not have changing light and the brightness will fluctuate.

Hey, all... I found this fantastic discussion on Apple's website covering this problem... WE ARE NOT ALONE: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2407559

Good advice in that thread... the consensus is to wait for a fix which is almost certainly doable via driver or firmware update, but NOT to wait beyond your warranty. One Genius said to definitely insist on sending it back to be fixed if you're nearing your warranty end and no fix has come out yet.
 
Perhaps I spoke too soon... This doesn't sound good:

I have been in contact with Apple Support here in Tokyo over past couple of weeks to sort out what the cause of the problem is and what can be done about it.

The Apple in engineer in Tokyo worked with Apple in the US and were able to confirm that indeed there is a problem with the 'light ambience' of the April 2010 release of the MacBookPro series.

With each new release of a MacBookPro, there is usually a change, no matter how small, to the hardware specs and the internal layout of the hardware. The April 2010 release MacBookPro's all have the light sensors right next to the isight camera. As a result, the light sensor is somewhat hidden from overhead lighting such as a strong light in a room, etc. This is why the backlight on the keyboard lights up even in a brightly lit room.

This is a default design of the April 2010 release MacBookPro series and the engineers cannot currently cannot come up with a software fix to correct the situation. It is a hardware design issue.

I had been in contact with an Apple Support manager high up in command. This same manager had also just recently purchased an April 2010 MacBookPro, the 15" model. He told me he deeply sympathized with this issue because he noted a very big difference between his new 15" compared to his 2007 model. So, even Apple Support staff personally are not happy with the design because of this issue.

The only 'fix' that Apple can provide us is to have us tilt back the screen a little to enable the light sensor measure the proper light ambience.

If we want this issue to be fixed properly, the only hope is that more people report this problem to the point were Apple considers it a major design flaw. This can be done my contacting Apple support and visiting the Genius. Unless there are a large number of reports, the issue will fall off Apple's radar completely.

The only other action is to contact Mr Jobs himself (sjobs@apple.com) and hope that he responds with some action.

I am disappointed that the issue cannot be currently fixed easily by a software update. And now we must depend on more new MacBookPro owners making a fuss about the issue.

If anyone has any other ideas or strategies, please post. In the process of the investigation of the issue, Apple engineers read the posts for this thread. So thank you to those who posted. It all helped.
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This really ruins the Apple experience for first-timers. And in all honestly, I doubt Apple's going to acknowledge this problem anytime soon. Apparently we are a very small minority.
 
Amasashi said:
This really ruins the Apple experience for first-timers.
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I agree. This is my first MacBook Pro purchase (my first Mac was a MacBook about 4 years ago). I was so looking forward to these lighting sensitivity features -- and now it looks like I won't get to enjoy them due to a stupid design flaw.

Apparently we are a very small minority.
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I wouldn't be so sure. From what I've read, ALL MBP's that are designed this way (beginning April 2010) have this problem. People are going in to Apple stores to have them file technical reports and also people are logging their complaints directly with Apple HERE. Join in! Maybe we can get them to offer us a swap if they make this a short cycle and do a design change.
 
The ambient light sensor is a poor design. The screen going up and down as it feels like it, even on the previous gen, was annoying.... I happily turn the automated screen brightness feature off.
 
SonicBoom1981 said:
The ambient light sensor is a poor design. The screen going up and down as it feels like it, even on the previous gen, was annoying.... I happily turn the automated screen brightness feature off.
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I agree with the screen auto-adjusting being annoying -- I finally decided to turn mine off, too. But, I REALLY wanted the keyboard ambient lighting feature to work properly... It did in previous models because the sensor is mounted under the speakers. But, the new models have them next to the iSight camera, so it doesn't pick up lighting as well and therefore leaves the keyboard lighting on even in well lit rooms; only VERY bright rooms shut it off. That sucks.
 
cotasm said:
I agree with the screen auto-adjusting being annoying -- I finally decided to turn mine off, too. But, I REALLY wanted the keyboard ambient lighting feature to work properly... It did in previous models because the sensor is mounted under the speakers. But, the new models have them next to the iSight camera, so it doesn't pick up lighting as well and therefore leaves the keyboard lighting on even in well lit rooms; only VERY bright rooms shut it off. That sucks.
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You'd think the designers would have a bit more sense than move it to a place that has nothing much to do with the keyboard. Maybe they were thinking it makes for a better position for the screen's ambient light changing.
 
My 2010 15" Macbook Pro backlight is always on as well. I purchased through Amazon. I just noticed it the other day. Im guessing a firmware update will fix it. Otherwise I just manaully adjust it for the time being.
 
drew0020 said:
My 2010 15" Macbook Pro backlight is always on as well. I purchased through Amazon. I just noticed it the other day. Im guessing a firmware update will fix it. Otherwise I just manaully adjust it for the time being.
Click to expand...

Somewhere in a thread above they say it's a hardware issue, due to where the sensor is placed.
 
drew0020 said:
Im guessing a firmware update will fix it. Otherwise I just manaully adjust it for the time being.
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Highly unlikely that this is fixable via firmware. This is a design flaw that we probably can't overcome. See the quote that I posted above (about 8 msgs back) that came from a discussion on the Apple site. :(
 
cotasm said:
Highly unlikely that this is fixable via firmware. This is a design flaw that we probably can't overcome. See the quote that I posted above (about 8 msgs back) that came from a discussion on the Apple site. :(
Click to expand...

I should have read the thread more closely. Oh well guess ill have to live with it.
 
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