If you want a solid white screen, download Colorspin Flashlight and double-tap the screen.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
All iPads Another iPad (Air), another (pink/green) unevenly tinted display.
- Thread starter Sowelu
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If you want a solid white screen, download Colorspin Flashlight and double-tap the screen.
US is a consumer driven market. If Apple did what they apparently do in your country, they wouldn't be where they are!
What is the iPad's most used feature ? It's the screen. It's what you're looking at 99% of the time and if that isn't pleasing, it's money wasted.
$499+ isn't exactly chump change for the general population, especially for a 16 GB storage Wifi only tablet. People pay the ' Apple Tax ' expecting a higher than average product [ at least in terms of build quality and user experience ]
All said, the retail pricing of any successful product has 3 important elements built in, at the basic level :
1) Shrinkage [ ~ 2 % ]
2) Returns and Exchanges [ ~ 20-25% ]
3) R&D [ variable ]
So, don't settle for an defective product
Legit complaint or not what option does Apple have? Returns are allowed for 14 days after purchase. So by exchanging Apple is saving a sale. It's in Apple's interest to exchange b/c the customer is going to return no matter what and the question is will they walk out empty handed & a credit on their CC or with another iPad and having kept the customer's money. Why wouldn't that be true in Europe too. Generally there are more consumer protections there than in the U.S.
My launch day 64GB space grey air had the greyish dark gradient (albeit lightly) down the left, with the yellowish colour giving way to a brighter pinkish white on the right side. Returned it today.
Some sales aren't worth saving. One guy on this forum said he exchanged his iPad 4 26 times. 26? There's no way all 26 were "bad". That means Apple spent $13,000 to save one $500 sale. If I were Apple, I would cut off these walking obsessive compulsive disorders after the second.
Ridiculous. Apple didn't spend $13,000. That's sensationallist mathematics. If it were true, there would be bigger lines at Apple's trash cans than at their registers, because by your calculations, they simply throw out returned iPads. Which they don't, and you know it.
My point stands. Apple still loses more money on those multiple returns than they earn from that one sale once it sticks.
Multiple and habitual returners are a huge problem in the retail industry and many companies, like Amazon and Best Buy, will cut you loose after too many returns. Apple needs to follow suit.
26 returns is obviously way over the top, however when you pay a premium price it is ok to demand a premium product.
Yes, I would imagine Amazon/Best Buy have trouble with "borrowers", who return everything and keep nothing. But with Apple, an exchange, vs a borrow, will likely be lucrative beyond just the profit for that one device. App purchases, Apple care, accessories, the potential for other purchases in the Applesphere, are all part of the equation.
I don't believe that Internet tale. Typically Apple will swap out a couple times as courtesy & beyond that will just issue a refund!& say sorry we were unable to meet your expectations.
----------
Actually Amazon keeps track of returns & will close your account & prevent you from getting a new one if returns are excessive.
which is part of why things like iPads cost more in Europe.
----------
how do you know that?
i'm with MDCJ on this one unless you can prove him wrong.
In the interest of the discussion, however, lets assume that you are right and Apple loses money on people who return items, or who return multiple items. I wonder what the ratio is of money lost to money gained from people who purchase who wouldn't otherwise have purchased save for the 14 day no questions asked return policy.
What's the best way to determine whether or not there's a weird tint or discoloration to your screen? What do you need to have opened to really pinpoint it? Sorry for being ignorant; I'm genuinely curious so I can see if I have faulty hardware as well. I'm no photographer nor an artist so I can definitely see how discoloration could upset quite a few.
Hmm... look at it from a business POV. Say you're Apple, and a customer keeps exchanging said item because it's not perfect as per him/her. After about 26 exchanges he/she is finally satisfied.
A) If you let the customer do 26 exchanges : He is happy, will spread the word by boasting how he/she was able to do x number of exchanges w/o any hassle.
You've just created brand loyalty [ in most cases ] and getting free marketing thru word of mouth, resulting on increased sales and profitability.
B) If you denied the customer after say... 6 exchanges : He is now livid. An unhappy customer will go out of his way to voice his bad experience [ forums and other Social Media are a great example here ] and may just hurt your bottom-line [ in the long run because if you're limiting one customer to a set number of exchanges, you're probably doing it with others too.. so it's never really just ONE customer ]
End result of option (B), you're loosing customers [ thus sales, leading to dropping profits.. resulting in your stock taking a hit and very unhappy stake/stockholders..] and generating a bad CS image in the industry.
Even if, hypothetically, it cost Apple $13K to satisfy one [ seemingly trivial ] it generates substantial goodwill in the long run.
However, in reality, it's not even in the vicinity of $13K to Apple. The cost of returns is very comfortably cushioned in the MSRP. The retail industry typically has a product return rate of around 20-25 %.
Finally, would you ever know if Apple took the returned iDevice, and re-sold it as brand new with a new serial number and cosmetics ?
And how long do you think Apple is going to maintain its lenient return policy if that keeps happening? There's a point where the abusers will make Apple say "enough" if it affects their bottom line.
----------
But Apple would not resell it in that manner - not to mention its illegal to change the serial number on a cellular device. Apple won't have to worry about word of mouth goodwill. I would think that anybody who hears of 26 returns will say "good, about time" if Apple told them to go pound salt.
You'll notice it in day to day usage, especially at night with a light background..
Pop up the keyboard [ say in notes ] and create a split [ hold down the space bar with two fingers and split... ]
Once done, compare the letters on the left to the ones on right [ or vice versa ]. Usually, if you have color uniformity issues, it'll show here. Take it one step further and rotate the screen [ portrait - landscape - portrait - landscape ] to view the variance.
----------
I agree Apple wouldn't risk doing so, but there's really no way for us to tell if they did..
On the other hand, imagine [ from a consumer's view ] how you'd feel if a certain company allowed you 26 exchanges ? Generally, the client would be happy as a pig in poop... Don't under-estimate an unhappy customer!
I'm not advocating allowing unlimited returns and exchanges..but if 1 out of 500 customers does 26 exchanges [ in reality ], it's no big deal for a large business.
Last edited:
Wow 26 times is ridiculous. My 1st one is perfect.min fact I've never bought any apple product that wasn't perfect with the exception of my iMac but that was fixed with Firmware. I also recall my monitor for my Mac Pro having the famous pink cast. That might be the only item I had to exchange.
I haven't returned mine yet. it may just be something I can live with. I have 45 days with Best Buy for a full refund and 1 year with Apple so I'm gonna are if the issue persists or not. I was using it this morning and wasn't distracted by it at all. In fact I almost have to look for it just to see the yellow to pink gradient and that is just not typical use. If it starts being noticed without looking for it then I may reconsider!
For others that have lines of pixels out and scuffs out of the box, I really feel for you!
For others that have lines of pixels out and scuffs out of the box, I really feel for you!
that was my point - if allowing for some people to return the item is the cost of increased profits the same policy brings in then the "bottom line" still puts them in the red.
Which is why I asked you to provide numbers showing that Apple is losing money on people returning items.
you originally claimed that "Apple spent $13,000 to save one $500 sale" in the case where some goof returned his 24 times. First, I don't believe that story. Second - even if it's true that someone returned the device that many times, the claim that Apple lost $13k is preposterous.
They lost X= ((MSRP-refurb price)xN)) where N is the number of iPads returne in the 14 day period.
the other side of that equation is y = number of customers who purchase a product who otherwise would not have made the purchase if not for the return policy.
If X<Y then the policy isn't going anywhere.
Apple is #6 on the F500...pretty sure they've worked this out.
I don't have to prove it - ALL companies lose money on returns, its a fact of retail. Circuit City was once a Fortune 100 company and when they failed, excessive returns was one of the issues cited. If Apple isn't careful, that top 10 ranking won't last forever.
i'm not saying you have to prove it. but if you want me or anyone else to believe your claims, backing them up with some sources typically helps...otherwise it just looks like you're making things up based on conjecture or how you feel.
The same goes for your claim that "excessive returns was one of the issues cited" for the reason Circuit City went belly-up which I also think is total bunk.
CC failed because of piss-poor management and an absolute unwillingness or inability to adapt. That coupled with a terrible economy, the boom of online vendors such as Amazon and brick&mortar competitors like Best Buy, Walmart and Target who were willing or able to do exactly that is what killed circuit city. Not people returning items they bought... are you serious?
but again, none of this is relevant. I will say, for the third time, that the SAME policy that allows customers to return items they purchase no questioned asked is clearly a strategic one to get customers on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase. If anything it reflects a confidence in the products they sell. This is something consumers and investors alike really appreciate.
Yes, if i buy an iPad today and return it 13 days from now then Apple loses money relative to if i just kept it. Obviously that is true. However they still make money off of refurbished items. They lose money off of items that never sell. There in lies the idea - if someone is on the fence about buying something, put it in their hands "risk free" and they might not return it. In the world of cutting edge consumer tech, items lose value in a matter of months so the quick sale is the most profitable sale. Not to mention it keeps investors happy and drives stock prices up.
And finally, what do you think Apple does with that lost revenue from the OCD customer? They pass the cost on to the rest of us just like every company does. So that is really the chief complaint we should have against these bing-bongs that are never happy with their devices. So like I said, i think it's far more likely that Apple would cut individual customers off rather than change the policy globally.
Circuit City, TOPS, The Wiz, Computer City, and CompUSA did not go belly up because of returns... It was the upper management [ or lack thereof ] along with online competition, and their unwillingness to change their business model that led to their downfall. BlockBuster has barely managed to survive thanks to Dish.
Best Buy and RadioShack are headed that way, unless the bean counters get their **** together and stop ripping people off with $90 monster HDMI cables.. The upcoming generation is even more tech savvy and will not be gullible to BB pricing.
I don't think returns cost Apple much at all. Probable less than implementing proper QA and that's why they accept returns. If apple implemented proper QA then returns would decrease but I'm sure they realize that their average customer doesn't notice dead pixels, dust, dents, bad screens, etc because they are so happy to own an Apple product.
i call nonsense on that as well. I think the generous return policy reflects a high degree of confidence in their product and its production, including QA.