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iPad Am I the only one with dust in my iPad Air 2?

0

0087215

Cancelled
Original poster
Sep 20, 2008
495
36
Hey guys,

I have already been through 6 iPad Airs and ALL of them had flaws: one had two stuck pixels (green) and dust between the glass and the screen (yes, I know that now they are glued together - so the dust particles were trapped in the production process), the other iPad had dead pixels, the third one had around 20-25 dust particles in the centre of the screen etc. Unbelievable? Am I too picky? Use a flashlight and shine some light on the screen (with the iPad turned on) and I am sure you will see some dust particles. Some of them are visible on the white background.

Today, I have received two iPads Air 2 from Apple as a replacement and guess what. One of them had a perfect screen in terms of dust: I could not find even one dust particle - it is the first iPad without any dust. I was planning to keep this one but have discovered a dead pixel and loose volume buttons. Yes, the buttons are really loose: I have already been through 4 other iPads and ALL of them have perfectly sturdy buttons. The second iPad had - guess what - more than 3 dust particles and some of them are visible.

I cannot believe it. Guys, is the QC of Apple that bad nowadays? Or am I asking for too much? Cannot I just have an iPad with a screen that does not have any dust trapped between it and the glass and without any scratches/loose buttons etc.? Man oh man... :(

Update - photos of one of such particles of dust:
(made using a flashlight)

1.JPG
2.JPG
 
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0087215 said:
Hey guys,

I have already been through 6 iPad Airs and ALL of them had flaws: one had two stuck pixels (green) and dust between the glass and the screen (yes, I know that now they are glued together - so the dust particles were trapped in the production process), the other iPad had dead pixels, the third one had around 20-25 dust particles in the centre of the screen etc. Unbelievable? Am I too picky? Use a flashlight and shine some light on the screen (with the iPad turned on) and I am sure you will see some dust particles. Some of them are visible on the white background.

Today, I have received two iPads Air 2 from Apple as a replacement and guess what. One of them had a perfect screen in terms of dust: I could not find even one dust particle - it is the first iPad without any dust. I was planning to keep this one but have discovered a dead pixel and a loose volume buttons. Yes, the buttons are really loose: I have already been through 4 other iPads and ALL of them have perfectly sturdy buttons. The second iPad had - guess what - more than 3 dust particles and some of them are visible.

I cannot believe it. Guys, is the QC of Apple that bad nowadays? Or am I asking for too much? Cannot I just have an iPad with a screen that does not have any dust trapped between it and the glass and without any scratches/loose buttons etc.? Man oh man... :(
Click to expand...

No, you don't ask for too much. You simply want a product - naturally -without any compromise, like dirt, scratch, dead pixel, loose button etc.
It is absolutely normal as you buy a NEW item, not a used one where such things can happen.
And it is not a pack of candy which is reflected on the price tag.
 
Thanks for your replies. I have already lost so much time calling Apple and exchanging these iPads that I just want to give up. When I get a new iPad, the first thing I do is going here in Safari - http://jasonfarrell.com/misc/deadpixeltest.php?p=1 - and checking the screen for dust / dead or stuck pixels on different backgrounds. I have seen so many flaws already: one of the iPads had even a huge and deep scratch on the screen itself. I know that most people never check their new iPads as I do and keep them, but I want to have at least a perfect screen if I pay €600 for my iDevice. So disappointed... It is however indeed one of these first world problems, but nevertheless.
 
0087215 said:
Thanks for your replies. I have already lost so much time calling Apple and exchanging these iPads that I just want to give up. When I get a new iPad, the first thing I do is going here in Safari - http://jasonfarrell.com/misc/deadpixeltest.php?p=1 - and checking the screen for dust / dead or stuck pixels on different backgrounds. I have seen so many flaws already: one of the iPads had even a huge and deep scratch on the screen itself. I know that most people never check their new iPads as I do and keep them, but I want to have at least a perfect screen if I pay €600 for my iDevice. So disappointed... It is however indeed one of these first world problems, but nevertheless.
Click to expand...

Max, is there an Apple Store somewhere near you? You might follow Captain's practice, if possible. Otherwise, you will spend a lot of time, energy and nerve-cells on getting a normal iPad.
 
Why are you using a flashlight to look for dust?

Do you shine on a flashlight on your iPad during normal use? Would you have found any of this dust just doing a basic check by looking at the screen turned off under a normal overhead light in your kitchen?

I mean there is the normal basic check for defects which I think is rational and something everyone should do, but then there's just being foolish and not being satisfied until you find an issue, no matter how small or insignificant or outrageous the circumstances it takes to find it. If you look hard enough, you will find an issue on EVERY. SINGLE. IPAD. so you may as well just collect a refund and forget about it.

I'm as picky as anyone, but I'm not going to go ballistic shining flashlights on my iPad or trying to intentionally burn images into my retina MBP. Quite frankly, while I agree everyone is entitled to a quality product, people like you who abuse return policies are part of the reason these products cost so much.
 
puma1552 said:
Why are you using a flashlight to look for dust?

Do you shine on a flashlight on your iPad during normal use? Would you have found any of this dust just doing a basic check by looking at the screen turned off under a normal overhead light in your kitchen?

I mean there is the normal basic check for defects which I think is rational and something everyone should do, but then there's just being foolish and not being satisfied until you find an issue, no matter how small or insignificant or outrageous the circumstances it takes to find it. If you look hard enough, you will find an issue on EVERY. SINGLE. IPAD. so you may as well just collect a refund and forget about it.

I'm as picky as anyone, but I'm not going to go ballistic shining flashlights on my iPad or trying to intentionally burn images into my retina MBP. Quite frankly, while I agree everyone is entitled to a quality product, people like you who abuse return policies are part of the reason these products cost so much.
Click to expand...

I knew that there will be someone who will label a consumer who simply wants a defectless product and is not eager to accept what is thrown at him.
We differ and learn to accpet it.
It is Apple who is an abuser with its low QC lately.
 
It is great to read all your replies, fellows. Ulenspiegel, no, the Apple Store is quite far away and it will cost me a lot of time (and money) to go there. Well... I indeed decided to send these last two iPads back and ask for a refund. That's it. I think Apple is now producing iPads in huge quantities without taking into account quality standards... and it is sad. I might try to buy a new one in a couple of months, when Apple engineers will have more experience with making dust-free screens and the quality control will improve.
 
0087215 said:
It is great to read all your replies, fellows. Ulenspiegel, no, the Apple Store is quite far away and it will cost me a lot of time (and money) to go there. Well... I indeed decided to send these last two iPads back and ask for a refund. That's it. I think Apple is now producing iPads in huge quantities without taking into account quality standards... and it is sad. I might try to buy a new one in a couple of months, when Apple engineers will have more experience with making dust-free screens and the quality control will improve.
Click to expand...


Same here Tried three apple stores in the uk to purchase a iPad Air 2 128gb cellular and iPhone 6 both unit opened up in store guess what both had dust under the screens. What is going on with Apple QC lately this is poor.
 
That's a good idea to open your iPad/iPhone instore in order to get a good one. To be honest, recently I had to go through 9 (!) iPhones 6 to find one with a perfect screen (no dust, no dead pixels, no scratches). I am going to give this one to my fiancée as a present. You cannot imagine which iPhones I came across: they had scratches in the aluminium, scratches on the screen, dust under the screen, dead pixels, broken microphones, loose screens... Oh boy.

I do think that there is something wrong with Apple's QC. They emphasize everywhere that their iDevices set new records in sales (like iPhone 6), but I guess this is one of the downsides of this type of mass production. In my opinion, they need to get their ****** together and do something about it. We pay premium prices for Apple products and may expect great quality in return: otherwise, I can just go and grab a Samsung tablet that will cost me three times less. (and I am sure the screen will be perfect)
 
It's really tough to nail down QC on a assembly line gadget, no matter who makes it. Apple isn't the only one with these types of problems. It becomes more glaring when you are selling 50 million + iDevices vs the competition. When the sales numbers are that high, there are more complaints to go around.

Supposedly Foxconn is looking into introducing robots in the assembly line process.
 
Hah, it looks like I am not the only one exchanging so many iDevices. Well, when I bought my iPhone 3GS quite some time ago, I got a perfect one. My MBP was great out of the box. I started to get bad Apples when I decided to buy an iPad 4. (had to exchange three of them) Now, QC seems to be even worse. I will definitely fill in the feedback form and send it to Apple.
 
Ulenspiegel said:
I knew that there will be someone who will label a consumer who simply wants a defectless product and is not eager to accept what is thrown at him.
We differ and learn to accpet it.
It is Apple who is an abuser with its low QC lately.
Click to expand...

Ulenspiegel said:
So many abusers?
Wait, I know your answer: this is a "dissatisfied MacRumors minority".
Click to expand...

I guess you glossed over the part where the OP also went through NINE iPhone 6 units.

Nine iPhone 6 units and nearly as many iPad Air 2 units? Defects happen but I'm pretty sure the OP is the problem - he should just stop buying Apple if it takes 10 units to get a supposed perfect one on everything he buys.
 
I went through so many devices already and believe me I have lots of other things to do at the moment than doing the work of Apple's QC team. Each time you open a new iPad you hope for the best but get the same result. Maybe it is indeed me and others (read, average joes) will not even look for these issues, but I guess this is how a lawyer's mind works: you always keep looking for details and striving to achieve perfection in everything you do. (Does perfection actually exist?) Maybe that's what helped me get my PhD.

Don't get me wrong: the iPad Air 2 is an amazing device! I can live with TLC NAND inside the iPad (instead of MLC). I can also live with it vibrating while listening to music, but considering that the iPad is basically a huge screen, this part of the device must be flawless. I want to be able to read my articles on the iPad without constantly being reminded about dust inside the screen when you see these black dots. Apple is praising the new iPad to the skies and emphasizes that there is no gap anymore between the LCD panel and the glass (so that no dust can get trapped between them and viewing experience is improved) but fails to deliver the screen dust-free. Come on! Of course, we all live on Earth and not in the vacuum, but it must be possible to produce a screen without dust particles (and they look bad: white, quite big and visible on the white/black background).

I was thinking about keeping the last iPad with three dust particles, but then discovered that the other iPad I had ordered for my family had a perfect screen in terms of (the lack of) dust. Really perfect! There was not even 1 dust particle inside... and I checked very carefully, trust me. But well, that device had a dead pixel, loose volume buttons and made a strange loud mechanical sound when I booted it up: I thought it would be wise to skip that one and just send it back. I don't want to be running from one Apple store to the other later when my iPad suddenly stops working. I have experienced it once and it was enough.

What I do know now, however, is that dust-free iPad Airs 2 definitely exist! It is a fact. I am going to wait a few months until Apple engineers learn how to consistently produce screens without dust inside and will reorder the iPad. :) But at the moment I am very disappointed after loosing all this time basically doing Apple's job.

Apple's defense forces might decide to join this discussion and try to stone me to death, but my opinion is indeed just an opinion of somebody who really loves what Steve Jobs stood for, has been using Apple products with pleasure for many many years and introduced his family and friends to Apple.
 
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puma1552 said:
I guess you glossed over the part where the OP also went through NINE iPhone 6 units.

Nine iPhone 6 units and nearly as many iPad Air 2 units? Defects happen but I'm pretty sure the OP is the problem - he should just stop buying Apple if it takes 10 units to get a supposed perfect one on everything he buys.
Click to expand...

I guess you glossed over all the posts in this thread.
As I have mentioned, we differ. Some want a perfect premium device for their money, some don't pay attention to details at all and some are ready to make a compromise.
But there is no need to label (i.e. call an abuser) anyone especially w/o knowing the person.
 
I know... it is sad. I have just added two photos of a dust particle to my first post so that everyone can see how it looks like.
 
I know, it's crazy. I have an iPad mini 2nd gen and it has one or two tiny dust specks, but which are completely invisible when the screen is on, thankfully. Took me about 5 tries when I bought it a year ago, all the rest with tons of visible dust. All this time I had contemplated buying the Air 2 after Christmas for the internal improvement and gold color option AND because of the whole screen bonded to glass thing -- thought, great, I will only have to purchase one and not worry about returns due to dust! Then I saw this thread . . . looks like I'll be clinging to this mini until it dies. Wish dust wasn't an issue and that the 3rd gen mini had all of the Air's improvements.
 
My first iPad Air 2 had a few speaks of dusts under the screen. I exchanged it for a new one and it was perfect. #

While Apple's QC needs to be improved I think people are being a bit dramatic about having the 'worst' experience ever. It sounds like Apple Stores are trying to be accommodating and fostering returns and/or exchanges.
 
My wife and I got new iPads for Christmas this year. Both of them have a bit of dust under the screen. I had to go looking for it to find it. Even with my glasses on, the only way I can see it is with a flashlight. It is not even a little bit visible while in use. Seeing as neither of them has weird tints and very minimal book spine, there is no way that I am jumping on the exchange roller coaster with these. After all of my iPad 3 exchanges, I learned that I need to pick my battles with these things. I don't like my odds of getting a flaw free one on exchange.
 
usmaak said:
My wife and I got new iPads for Christmas this year. Both of them have a bit of dust under the screen. I had to go looking for it to find it. Even with my glasses on, the only way I can see it is with a flashlight. It is not even a little bit visible while in use. Seeing as neither of them has weird tints and very minimal book spine, there is no way that I am jumping on the exchange roller coaster with these. After all of my iPad 3 exchanges, I learned that I need to pick my battles with these things. I don't like my odds of getting a flaw free one on exchange.
Click to expand...

This. I've had to do a few exchanges in the past and it's not fun. I have learned to live with minor issues and be happy. My Air 2 has a great screen aside from a very faint book spine and I'm happy with it. I'm not even going to look for dust I can't see without a flashlight.
 
Hey guys,

Just a very short update on my (our) situation. As some of you had recommended me, I sent an email to Tim Cook and – guess what – received a reply from Apple Online Store Executive Relations. They told me that Tim Cook specifically asked them to contact me and to investigate the issues I have been having. :) I have already been called twice and sent all my defect iPads back.

Apple appears to be aware of the issue regarding dust under the glass of iPad Airs 2 and is apparently willing to improve the quality of these devices. Now, we need to wait and see what will happen next. I will keep you informed.

Happy New Year to you all in advance!
 
i think i have a little grain of dust under the screen, discovered very recently while cleaning the screen...

it's not annoying, but sometimes i'm not happy thinking that it is there...
 
I don't think that this is a new thing. Last year, I finally sold my original first generation iPad. When I was cleaning it up to get it ready, I saw a few specs of dust under the glass. I never noticed it in the couple of years that I used it.

I do have some dust under my Air 2 screen. So does my wife. It is only noticeable when turned off, and under a bright light. I wonder how easy it is to get one without.
 
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