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iPad Air screen defect?
- Thread starter xenaki
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Whether you think this is an issue or not, the Ipad is now as thin and light as it needs to be, Apple concentrating on screen quality and uniformity as their next big move would be good for everyone.
Well, I returned my 1st iPad Air today and do not plan on ever trying one again.
After reading this thread and, and after seeing how bad the display model was at the store, I requested - and thankfully - granted a full refund.
For those interested, the serial number I had was DMPMN, which was built in May 2014. That means that Apple has STILL not corrected the issue, and therefore is not worth my time going through 8 different replacement screens until I find one that is 'acceptable'.
After reading this thread and, and after seeing how bad the display model was at the store, I requested - and thankfully - granted a full refund.
For those interested, the serial number I had was DMPMN, which was built in May 2014. That means that Apple has STILL not corrected the issue, and therefore is not worth my time going through 8 different replacement screens until I find one that is 'acceptable'.
I just got my third (second replacement) iPad Air 32GB wifi. The serial number begins with a combination of characters I haven't heard of before: F6QMN.
Going to the serial number lookup site gives the following results:
So the site where I expected to be told where the iPad was manufactured is asking me to tell them where it was manufactured!
It's too early for me to tell what the screen is like (I'm restoring from backup now), but I'll let you know.
Going to the serial number lookup site gives the following results:
So the site where I expected to be told where the iPad was manufactured is asking me to tell them where it was manufactured!
It's too early for me to tell what the screen is like (I'm restoring from backup now), but I'll let you know.
Sorry, but just because you never witnessed the issue for yourself does not make it non-existant. The yellow hue on one side of the screen was not a warmer color temperature. You'd think most people on this board would know the difference. There was a, for lack of a better term, piss yellow tint to just a third of the screen. Very noticeable in regular usage.
It's not just with the iPad Air, the iPad 4 has very obvious green-pink shift left from right. I did get a perfect iPad 4 within 3 tries though.
I got an iPad Air last week and most of the problems were fixed. Bookspine was very unnoticeable, and no yellowing. Only a very slight green-pink shift like the 4 had.
I got an iPad Air last week and most of the problems were fixed. Bookspine was very unnoticeable, and no yellowing. Only a very slight green-pink shift like the 4 had.
So bookspine issues and half-yellow screen issues have mostly been ironed out? I we t though bunch at release before giving up and going Microsoft, but I'd like to come back to Apple.
Those issues, especially the book spine thing have always been largely non-existent except for a small minority of extremely picky people. Don't worry about it. Get your Air and enjoy it.
Mine was bought a few days ago on the target sale. Screen is perfect. I would give the serial number info but that site wasn't working last time I checked.
Those issues, especially the book spine thing have always been largely non-existent except for a small minority of extremely picky people. Don't worry about it. Get your Air and enjoy it.
I beg to differ. For me, display quality was a real issue with the Air upon release, especially coming from an iPad 3 without significant issues. I wound up buying a retina mini (used, purchased originally in December) and it does not share the book spine or partial tinting issues that the Airs I owned had(though it does shave a slight blue/dim effect along the top and right edges, but I can easily live with it). I can still see issues in the display models in best buy, though I'm sure that they've been there since release. The book spine effect is the ugliest manufacturing defect I've seen in any modern displays I've owned.
Those issues, especially the book spine thing have always been largely non-existent except for a small minority of extremely picky people. Don't worry about it. Get your Air and enjoy it.
The person you responded to is concerned because of "already going through a bunch at release before giving up". Yes there were screen issues and not just because of a few extremely picky people. I purchased 3 with yellow screens before getting a good one. I'm glad you apparently got a good screen on your first try but you shouldn't discount the experience of others. You have no way of knowing whether there were screen problems or not based on your own limited experience. I don't think anyone here really knows if the amount of screen issues on the Air are significant but it sure hasn't stopped some from acting like an authority on the issue.
I picked up a 32GB Air this week and unfortunately in portrait mode the lower half of the screen, especially the lower left, is noticeably yellow. There's no line anywhere though. I hoped that the problem was maybe fixed as this thread has slowed right down, but sadly not. I'm not being picky either, it really is noticeable and saw it as soon as I turned it on with the welcome screen
Comparing it next to my original iPad, it's weirdly way more uniform overall. My iPad has slightly pinkish sections and a few darker patches, but it normal use I just don't see this, and haven't for the last 4 years. The Air is lovely, bright and even except for the lower left corner, but it's really noticeable on any light background and in normal use. It does improve very slightly as it's used more, but as bad as ever when I come to it cold. Even on full brightness it's visible.
Now we're months down the line, I was wondering if anyone's with this kind of issue had improved at all over time? I got it from Amazon so have a month to return it. Part of me wants to wait it out and see if it does improve, but I really can't be arsed getting on the exchange treadmill and think I'll just get a refund and wait for the next update as I originally planned.
Comparing it next to my original iPad, it's weirdly way more uniform overall. My iPad has slightly pinkish sections and a few darker patches, but it normal use I just don't see this, and haven't for the last 4 years. The Air is lovely, bright and even except for the lower left corner, but it's really noticeable on any light background and in normal use. It does improve very slightly as it's used more, but as bad as ever when I come to it cold. Even on full brightness it's visible.
Now we're months down the line, I was wondering if anyone's with this kind of issue had improved at all over time? I got it from Amazon so have a month to return it. Part of me wants to wait it out and see if it does improve, but I really can't be arsed getting on the exchange treadmill and think I'll just get a refund and wait for the next update as I originally planned.
damnit apple it's almost time for the next release and the screens are still awful. I gave up after 3 on the air fingers crossed for the mini 2
If anyone's interested, I returned the defective iPad to Amazon and bought refurb from Apple. It came today and the screen is spot on. There is some REALLY slight unevenness in the whites, but no more than any other display I've seen, including my original iPad.
Very happy.
Very happy.
I bought my Air late July. The first had dust but I checked it in store and exchanged right away. My current one was made in June and the screen is perfect. There's still hope.
I bought my air in June and I also have the same thing. My boss at work also has it on his when I compared his air to mine. He never even noticed it before I pointed it out! Mine looks like this little gray shift or thin separation and has never changed at all. I asked the Apple store folks and the girl at the genius bar told me that the store had several folks complain about the same thing in the past but when I asked them if they would exchange mine she said it wasn't possible.
Call Apple. Don't deal with store folks on this issue.
Take pictures and post them.
Can't imagine anyone being able to answer that. At this point, it's not even known whether anything about the screen will change with the iPad Air 2. People have been running into this kind of issue for several generations of iPads now, though, without it being fixed in subsequent generations.
I tried getting several Airs and several rMinis when they were released last year - all of which had definite unevenness. Airs were all yellow on the lower left and pink or blue on the upper right. rMinis were all yellow on the bottom and pink or blue on the top. A couple also had a blue fringe all the way around. Airs also had uneven backlighting (bookspine).
I decided to try again a week or so ago, though, when Best Buy was having their sales. Picked up an Air for myself and one for my parents when they were $100 off. Both are pretty much perfect as far as I can tell (and I'm extremely picky).
Then also had an opportunity to get an rMini at a great deal so picked one up. Screen was awful - every bit as yellow at the bottom and pink at the top as the ones from a year ago. Decided to try one more swap, though, and the replacement is (like the two Airs) pretty much perfect, as far as I can tell. The rMini still has the reduced color accuracy and saturation compared to the Air, but that seems to be a product-wide limitation rather than a unit-specific defect.
So, whether I was unlucky last year and lucky now or whether suppliers have changed or what, can't really say...
S
Among me, my partner, our bosses, and our relatives, we've been through nearly 20 iPads starting with the first gen and at least two of each gen, and we've never had one with uneven screen tone like you describe. It's clear from complaints each year that a certain percentage of devices have this screen problem every year, but I think people who have encountered the defect multiple times have to be unlucky.
Among me, my partner, our bosses, and our relatives, we've been through nearly 20 iPads starting with the first gen and at least two of each gen, and we've never had one with uneven screen tone like you describe. It's clear from complaints each year that a certain percentage of devices have this screen problem every year, but I think people who have encountered the defect multiple times have to be unlucky.
I'd venture to say, as has been said in the past, that most people have a very high tolerance for display issues. A lot of people being vocal in such threads probably aren't imagining anything, bit are cursed with a keen eye and a brain that can't just focus on the information presented by the panel. Tbh, haven't owned a single LCD or AMOLED-bearing device that hasn't had some form if non-uniformity or something I consider a defect. I've learned to reign in my irrational love for uniformity; maybe one day we'll have the perfect panel technology and manufacturing QA!
Well, I hope the iPad Air2 has an improved screen. I've been through several Airs that were noticeably defective. I came to the conclusion that it is a manufacturing problem. I hope it gets resolved.
Whenever a new a Apple product is released, there are always people complaining about display imperfections. It's inevitable.
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