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DMPL here. No shadow line, but mild color uniformity issues (yellower on the left in portrait). Not a big deal.

DMPL as well. Same color uniformity issue. Solid red/pink band approx 2" along the entire top edge of the ipad.
 
Done a side by side comparison, Air on the left, iPad 3 on the right. Increased contrast and converted to black and white to compensate for different colour temperatures between the two. Screen brightness both at 50%. Red box indicates the region of interest where the iPad Air is affected. Worth returning?

You'll get a lot of different opinions on this but I for one would return it . I have an iPad Air with a uniform slight yellow hue (third try) and an iPad 4 with a perfect white screen and have decided to keep my iPad 4. It's all about the screen for me.
 
Done a side by side comparison, Air on the left, iPad 3 on the right. Increased contrast and converted to black and white to compensate for different colour temperatures between the two. Screen brightness both at 50%. Red box indicates the region of interest where the iPad Air is affected. Worth returning?

From the pic, it also looks like you have issues on the right side with the iPad 3.

I would return the iPad Air if you're not happy with it.
 
You'll get a lot of different opinions on this but I for one would return it . I have an iPad Air with a uniform slight yellow hue (third try) and an iPad 4 with a perfect white screen and have decided to keep my iPad 4. It's all about the screen for me.
I am thinking of exchanging it, but at the same time I have a feeling this is going to be a wild goose chase trying to find a 'perfect' screen. Mind you my iPad 3 also has uneven backlighting although not as noticeable as the Air. On the Air, it feels like I am constantly reading an iBook in portrait mode due to that shadow effect on the left edge of the page.
 
I am thinking of exchanging it, but at the same time I have a feeling this is going to be a wild goose chase trying to find a 'perfect' screen. Mind you my iPad 3 also has uneven backlighting although not as noticeable as the Air. On the Air, it feels like I am constantly reading an iBook in portrait mode due to that shadow effect on the left edge of the page.

me too, I booked a genius bar appointment for saturday to give my self time to decide..
 
I am thinking of exchanging it, but at the same time I have a feeling this is going to be a wild goose chase trying to find a 'perfect' screen. Mind you my iPad 3 also has uneven backlighting although not as noticeable as the Air. On the Air, it feels like I am constantly reading an iBook in portrait mode due to that shadow effect on the left edge of the page.

My Air looks almost exactly like yours. Shadows blotches visible on a full white image.
But as you- I also feel it's a futile hunt for perfection. The replacement might have less shadows or worse- it might have yellow/pink issue or stuck pixels, etc.

Some folks are claiming perfect screens, but my guess is they are not looking that hard and maybe that's the way it ought to be.
If it doesn't jump at you and you have to go testing to see the issue- it should be a non issue.

(Or go to the Nook HD. My screen on that little guy is perfect.)
 
My Air looks almost exactly like yours. Shadows blotches visible on a full white image.
But as you- I also feel it's a futile hunt for perfection. The replacement might have less shadows or worse- it might have yellow/pink issue or stuck pixels, etc.

Some folks are claiming perfect screens, but my guess is they are not looking that hard and maybe that's the way it ought to be.
If it doesn't jump at you and you have to go testing to see the issue- it should be a non issue.

(Or go to the Nook HD. My screen on that little guy is perfect.)

As a screen quality fiend, having had returned 5 ipad 3s in the past, and having had a perfect ipad 4, 2 perfect minis, and an Air which was returned for a pink screen, I can say for certain I saw an Air this am at AT&T on display that was absolutely flawless.
 
I am getting the feeling that I might want to hold off getting a replacement, I do have some questions though.

Those who have issues in the past, do you think that we will see any changes in future builds, making it worthwhile to wait it out a month or so? I've already been to the Genius Bar and they were going to replace it since it was so bad, but they were out of stock.

As slow as my iPad 3 was, comparatively; I'm kind of disappointed that I sold it off for this. It had no issues :(
 
What put me off from getting it replaced now is the fact that I inspected every single iPad Air on display at the Apple store (Southampton, UK) and only 2 out of 8 had a perfect screen, no colour shifts, no shadowing on the left. Given such a low % of 'perfect' iPad Airs, i'm afraid efforts to replace it now would be useless. Perhaps waiting a couple months would help.
 
What put me off from getting it replaced now is the fact that I inspected every single iPad Air on display at the Apple store (Southampton, UK) and only 2 out of 8 had a perfect screen, no colour shifts, no shadowing on the left. Given such a low % of 'perfect' iPad Airs, i'm afraid efforts to replace it now would be useless. Perhaps waiting a couple months would help.

i've been reading about this most of the day today, I fear you're prediction could right...
 
I am getting the feeling that I might want to hold off getting a replacement, I do have some questions though.

Those who have issues in the past, do you think that we will see any changes in future builds, making it worthwhile to wait it out a month or so? I've already been to the Genius Bar and they were going to replace it since it was so bad, but they were out of stock.

As slow as my iPad 3 was, comparatively; I'm kind of disappointed that I sold it off for this. It had no issues :(

Well, in the future, the ones being returned/exchanged now for faulty displays will get new displays.
I think it's really hard trying to look for a perfect one now (I was very very lucky with my iPad 4... first one was absolutely perfect) as we don't know how big was the batch of defective screens.

Also, another advantage of waiting a few weeks for some service models to be sent to the Genius Bar is that usually these undergo a less rushed quality control (that said, the replacement iPhone I got once had a poorly assembled front panel which clicked every time I'd tap the upper right corner) and the chances of getting a defective one may be minor.
Then again, these are all guesses, but if you have a noticeable flaw on your display be it a stuck pixel or something else, DO GET IT REPLACED and be very firm and strict with the Geniuses about it. Don't let yourself get entangled in their "within spec" chit-chat, and if they start refusing to get you swapped, ask to see a manager and explain the situation. Don't be rude, but be very firm.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that some people say that we shouldn't expect perfection from these products. If we all had the same very high standards and expectations, Apple would be drowned with returns and they might actually DO SOMETHING about the ridiculous QC standards at Foxconn factories. It seems that most people prefer to live with defects for the sake of owning the product though, which is shameful.

Defective screens on £400+ devices are simply not acceptable especially when those same displays are one of their strongest marketing/selling points.
 
Well, in the future, the ones being returned/exchanged now for faulty displays will get new displays.
I think it's really hard trying to look for a perfect one now (I was very very lucky with my iPad 4... first one was absolutely perfect) as we don't know how big was the batch of defective screens.

Also, another advantage of waiting a few weeks for some service models to be sent to the Genius Bar is that usually these undergo a less rushed quality control (that said, the replacement iPhone I got once had a poorly assembled front panel which clicked every time I'd tap the upper right corner) and the chances of getting a defective one may be minor.
Then again, these are all guesses, but if you have a noticeable flaw on your display be it a stuck pixel or something else, DO GET IT REPLACED and be very firm and strict with the Geniuses about it. Don't let yourself get entangled in their "within spec" chit-chat, and if they start refusing to get you swapped, ask to see a manager and explain the situation. Don't be rude, but be very firm.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that some people say that we shouldn't expect perfection from these products. If we all had the same very high standards and expectations, Apple would be drowned with returns and they might actually DO SOMETHING about the ridiculous QC standards at Foxconn factories. It seems that most people prefer to live with defects for the sake of owning the product though, which is shameful.

Defective screens on £400+ devices are simply not acceptable especially when those same displays are one of their strongest marketing/selling points.

+1

I think lots of people accept these issues, I also think some of use pick up these issues more easily. I have used other peoples iPads of various models and have seen glaringly obvious screen issues (to me at least), but they either don't notice or don't care. The beauty of life I guess, we are all different :)
 
Sorry if this sounds like a silly question, but is it really that difficult to ensure consistency in screen quality across the iPads? Isn't apple using the same manufacturers (LG/Samsung) since the iPad 3 retina panels? :/
 
Isn't apple using the same manufacturers (LG/Samsung) since the iPad 3 retina panels? :/

Which all have been plagued with these very same issues, but then again, as I've said, some people decide to live with them for the sake of owning the product.

If this "shaite" would hit the fan like the scuff-gate and antenna-gate problems, they would have to do something about it. The problem is that not enough people care/complain.
 
Sorry if this sounds like a silly question, but is it really that difficult to ensure consistency in screen quality across the iPads? Isn't apple using the same manufacturers (LG/Samsung) since the iPad 3 retina panels? :/

My guess is that issues with evenness in the panel have more to do with the laminating or assembly process of the entire screen than of evenness in LCD layer. The vendors could be delivering perfectly even LCDs. It's what happens to them when they get squished into the super thin shell that becomes the problem.
 
My guess is that issues with evenness in the panel have more to do with the laminating or assembly process of the entire screen than of evenness in LCD layer. The vendors could be delivering perfectly even LCDs. It's what happens to them when they get squished into the super thin shell that becomes the problem.

And I don't want to sound like a labour activist, but having under-paid, under-trained, under-rested and possibly malnourished people doing this type of highly specialised job, probably doesn't help either...
 
And I don't want to sound like a labour activist, but having under-paid, under-trained, under-rested and possibly malnourished people doing this type of highly specialised job, probably doesn't help either...

Nah, why would the workers need training to stuff an LCD into a case? And how much could easy work like that possibly pay? 50 cents a day? A buck? And if you love what you do, you want to do it 20 hours a day anyway! Food just gets in the way!

:p
 
Nah, why would the workers need training to stuff an LCD into a case? And how much could easy work like that possibly pay? 50 cents a day? A buck? And if you love what you do, you want to do it 20 hours a day anyway! Food just gets in the way!

:p

AND the irony of it all is that the recruitment process to work at Apple extends over weeks/months...
 
Mine looks fine to me??

Edit. This ones at 100% brightness
 

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Just went to move a speck of what I thought was dirt or something from the top of the screen, but there in fact is a piece of debris under the glass. :/. Going back tomorrow. Man, this sucks.
 
Just a tip for anyone who has the left side in portrait warmer hue. Google greyscale and find one that has opposite bars from black to white and white to black on top of each other. Save the photo to your camera roll and view in photos. It becomes much easier to see there is quite a shift in color balance. Acceptable by some, others it bothers quite a bit. Just a helpful tip.
 
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