actually it was Saturn/Mönckebergstr. They had two units on display last week: one 1.8 ssd and one 1.6 hdd. I compared them side by side. Your welcome to do that as well and report back. I am very curious if you still can see them... If so I check back as well.
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Any new screen/MBA owners?
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actually it was Saturn/Mönckebergstr. They had two units on display last week: one 1.8 ssd and one 1.6 hdd. I compared them side by side. Your welcome to do that as well and report back. I am very curious if you still can see them... If so I check back as well.
Just saw a new MBA at Best Buy
I just went to Best Buy and they just had recieved the MBA HDD version.
Sad to say it had the worst screen I had seen so far even though it is
the 9C90 that several has got without lines etc. The lines on this one were so bad that the whole screen was fuzzy and not sharp at all. Compared to the MBP next to it this one was horrible.
I saw two machines at Microcenter last weekend and they were very close to the MBP quality and unless I looked very hard I couldn't see any lines.
It seems that buying a MBA will be like a lottery with slim chances for a good machine. Will be extremely interesting to see if the refurb ones have better screens!
I just went to Best Buy and they just had recieved the MBA HDD version.
Sad to say it had the worst screen I had seen so far even though it is
the 9C90 that several has got without lines etc. The lines on this one were so bad that the whole screen was fuzzy and not sharp at all. Compared to the MBP next to it this one was horrible.
I saw two machines at Microcenter last weekend and they were very close to the MBP quality and unless I looked very hard I couldn't see any lines.
It seems that buying a MBA will be like a lottery with slim chances for a good machine. Will be extremely interesting to see if the refurb ones have better screens!
Try Again!
I returned my MBA earlier this year, but picked up another last week. If it has lines (the linen look?) they are very faint.
It DOES flicker on the now famous test image here: http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~lucas/background.html
-- but I see no flickering anywhere else.
Here's the interesting thing: I was at the Apple Store in Indianapolis two weeks ago and every new MacBook Pro showed flickering on the same image (but the Macbooks did not). I had one very helpful employee who confirmed this and brought others over to see it. It was new to them and they were surprised by it. A "genius" tried changing settings, etc. to get it stop, but could not!
Anyway, I like the MBA (9C9A) and since I see no flickering or lines, I'm keeping it this time.
Also, the image linked above does NOT flicker on my ACD but when I drag the image to the Air, it flickers badly. Not sure what this is all about, but again, that is the ONLY place I see the flickering at all.
I returned my MBA earlier this year, but picked up another last week. If it has lines (the linen look?) they are very faint.
It DOES flicker on the now famous test image here: http://www.csse.uwa.edu.au/~lucas/background.html
-- but I see no flickering anywhere else.
Here's the interesting thing: I was at the Apple Store in Indianapolis two weeks ago and every new MacBook Pro showed flickering on the same image (but the Macbooks did not). I had one very helpful employee who confirmed this and brought others over to see it. It was new to them and they were surprised by it. A "genius" tried changing settings, etc. to get it stop, but could not!
Anyway, I like the MBA (9C9A) and since I see no flickering or lines, I'm keeping it this time.
Also, the image linked above does NOT flicker on my ACD but when I drag the image to the Air, it flickers badly. Not sure what this is all about, but again, that is the ONLY place I see the flickering at all.
Picked up a new MBA in the hopes they would have fixed the screen. It's a Week 5 model from 2009, so basically, brand new.
Still has the lines, just as bad as the Week 50 I returned. It also has a problem with the trackpad button not detecting all the clicks properly. It's going back once I feel like driving to the store again.
I'm about ready to give up on finding a decent MBA and get a MBP, even with it's glossy reflective glass display.
Still has the lines, just as bad as the Week 50 I returned. It also has a problem with the trackpad button not detecting all the clicks properly. It's going back once I feel like driving to the store again.
I'm about ready to give up on finding a decent MBA and get a MBP, even with it's glossy reflective glass display.
Where did you buy yours?
Just went by a second Best Buy and same horrible screen. Have decided to try Amazon once I get my coupon and if not good will return it. Maybe try Apple h frightening and sad to see week 5 have the same issue which tells me that Apple is ignoring the issue!
Just went by a second Best Buy and same horrible screen. Have decided to try Amazon once I get my coupon and if not good will return it. Maybe try Apple h frightening and sad to see week 5 have the same issue which tells me that Apple is ignoring the issue!
Week 9 Rev.B HDD
9C90 display
faint lines and flickers on that test image, going to take it to the apple store tomorrow and will see what they can do for me. Not sure if I am going to fight for a replacement, I just want them to acknowledge it (when I bought it the sales guy couldn't see the difference between two MBAs on display, one with lines, one without!). I would be happy with an acknowledgement and some store credit but that isn't going to happen...
9C90 display
faint lines and flickers on that test image, going to take it to the apple store tomorrow and will see what they can do for me. Not sure if I am going to fight for a replacement, I just want them to acknowledge it (when I bought it the sales guy couldn't see the difference between two MBAs on display, one with lines, one without!). I would be happy with an acknowledgement and some store credit
but that isn't going to happen...
I recently brought a 1.6GHz SSD to replace my MacBook (Black) Core Duo.
It had lines and they were very noticeable, especially on light coloured backgrounds (e.g Finder/iTunes sidebar).
Apple Care told me it was “ not a commonly reported problem”, “nothing to worry about”, “perfectly normal” and “a characteristic of the panel due to the thinness and brightness of the display”.
Needless to say I haven't heard as good a fairy-tale since I last saw a Disney movie. He was clearly lying and not very convincing either. I was going to argue that the solution is then to make the screen thicker or less bright, but I couldn't be bothered to argue because the explanation was clearly a work of fiction.
So I returned it for a full refund, as I didn't want to get into the lucky dip game of replacements — too much hassle.
It's a shame, because in every other way it was almost perfect. It ran much cooler and quieter than my first generation MacBook and the screen was amazingly bright. Whether it was the faster RAM, Nvidia graphics, bigger L2 cache, SSD or a combination of all four it seemed to perform far better as well, despite the benchmarks being roughly even. Not forgetting of course the amazing form factor…
I hope Apple first admit they have a problem and then fix it, because if it weren't for the screen issue then in my opinion MacBook Air is the best laptop they make. If not I'll just carry on with my MacBook (Black) for a while longer.
Edit: Has anyone tried writing to Tim Cook about the issue and if so what response did they get? I'm sure his direct email address was in the Mark Papermaster legal documents which leaked. I may give it a go if it hasn't already been done.
It had lines and they were very noticeable, especially on light coloured backgrounds (e.g Finder/iTunes sidebar).
Apple Care told me it was “ not a commonly reported problem”, “nothing to worry about”, “perfectly normal” and “a characteristic of the panel due to the thinness and brightness of the display”.
Needless to say I haven't heard as good a fairy-tale since I last saw a Disney movie. He was clearly lying and not very convincing either. I was going to argue that the solution is then to make the screen thicker or less bright, but I couldn't be bothered to argue because the explanation was clearly a work of fiction.
So I returned it for a full refund, as I didn't want to get into the lucky dip game of replacements — too much hassle.
It's a shame, because in every other way it was almost perfect. It ran much cooler and quieter than my first generation MacBook and the screen was amazingly bright. Whether it was the faster RAM, Nvidia graphics, bigger L2 cache, SSD or a combination of all four it seemed to perform far better as well, despite the benchmarks being roughly even. Not forgetting of course the amazing form factor…
I hope Apple first admit they have a problem and then fix it, because if it weren't for the screen issue then in my opinion MacBook Air is the best laptop they make. If not I'll just carry on with my MacBook (Black) for a while longer.
Edit: Has anyone tried writing to Tim Cook about the issue and if so what response did they get? I'm sure his direct email address was in the Mark Papermaster legal documents which leaked. I may give it a go if it hasn't already been done.
I am sure they know everything about this issue. It seems that as long as they are selling enough MBAs they won't fix it and they'll keep on denying that there is something wrong.
After returning the Week 6 2009 model for another, I have finally given up on the MBA. I picked up a MBP instead and ordered an SSD drive for it.
I'm bummed that I can't take advantage of the small form factor of the MBA, but the lines on the screen and various other manufacturing flaws I encountered (bad trackpad button, warped bezel around screen) really were not worth it.
Once they fix the screens and hopefully speed up the processor (and offer 4GB?) in the future, I'll probably re-consider the MBA.
Good luck guys.
I'm bummed that I can't take advantage of the small form factor of the MBA, but the lines on the screen and various other manufacturing flaws I encountered (bad trackpad button, warped bezel around screen) really were not worth it.
Once they fix the screens and hopefully speed up the processor (and offer 4GB?) in the future, I'll probably re-consider the MBA.
Good luck guys.
This is sad.
I Wonder what happened to the people who were in contact with Apple regarding this and were told to send in their machine and engineering would look into it?
I will take a chance once my coupon (probably show up on the 28th so I have to wait until after my next business trip) to order it.
I Wonder what happened to the people who were in contact with Apple regarding this and were told to send in their machine and engineering would look into it?
I will take a chance once my coupon (probably show up on the 28th so I have to wait until after my next business trip) to order it.
I have the HDD Rev b, and it dose really well on 2GB of ram, especially when testing aperture with 12mb RAW images. (Although I not sure I would put my whole library on here. Maybe on the 15" Macbook air!
The screen is the biggest disappointment so far, and wifi transfer speeds.
Battery drains so quickly its scary. So I just keep it plugged in. Still only on my second cycle. But have booked a Genius bar appointment to try and get a replacement air, these lines are real and do really suck but I was expecting them!
The screen is the biggest disappointment so far, and wifi transfer speeds.
Battery drains so quickly its scary. So I just keep it plugged in. Still only on my second cycle. But have booked a Genius bar appointment to try and get a replacement air, these lines are real and do really suck
but I was expecting them!
After buying one revB and then returning it with the same old crap from apple about the screen being "within specs", I am getting the new 17" to be my secondary machine next to my 24" 3.06 iMac since I couldn't go the Windows route with the Vaio TT that I was going to get since Windows really sucks and I know because I use it every day whenever I am not on my iMac!
I do not think that the screen would ever be fixed even with revC unless Apple changes the way the screen and other components are put together because I think this is a wiring issue since no lines show on the external display.
I do not think that the screen would ever be fixed even with revC unless Apple changes the way the screen and other components are put together because I think this is a wiring issue since no lines show on the external display.
Has anybody tried booting into windows to see if the lines are still their!
I would love to think its a driver issue, but I'm leaning towards cheaper displays. Apple have consistently done this in almost every product over the last 2 years.
That or LG really are the s**test, and cheapest lcd manufacturer around!
I would love to think its a driver issue, but I'm leaning towards cheaper displays. Apple have consistently done this in almost every product over the last 2 years.
That or LG really are the s**test, and cheapest lcd manufacturer around!
It cannot be a driver issue since I connected the machine to an external screen it was day vs. night!
I know that we all tried to give various reasoning to keep this machine but at the end, we should all move on and get something worth what we paid.
Don't tempt me as I'm thinking of picking up the new 17 inch now too. The impressions so far in the MBP forum rave about the screen quality. Gotta resist the urge to impulse buy...
Well you can't expect people to just return it especially people that have had it past the return period, it's not as cut and dry as you make it out to be.
Also regardless how you feel, the lines are not as visible as you make them out to be and many people are deciding to keep it for that reason alone. I think everyone puts up with a flaw or two on something they buy.
Nice Avatar .. that is all I can say
Hah, glad you like it
Ain't that the truth. I really haven't come across the "perfect" product yet. There's at least a few things that bug me about every single product I've purchased. It comes down to which one has the least amount of annoying things that you can live with.
Hah, glad you like it
Ain't that the truth. I really haven't come across the "perfect" product yet. There's at least a few things that bug me about every single product I've purchased. It comes down to which one has the least amount of annoying things that you can live with.
This is a clear manufacturing defect, not a small compromise or imperfection.
As this doesn't affect all MacBook Airs, it's reasonable to get it fixed.
Ok, took my Week 5 of 2009 MBA back to the Southampton Apple store and saw a Genius. When I showed him the lines he said "that definitely shouldn't be like that" and replaced it. I opened the new one in the store and it had the same lines, we then went to look at the display model, same lines. He then checked the MBA used for managing the genius bar appointments, no lines, but a Rev.A MBA. He then stated that all the screens appear to be like that and it must be due to the thinness of the display.
Back home now with 'new' MBA, did a serial number check and it is Week 50 of 2008, 7 weeks older than my last! I give in. I do love the MBA and do not want to return it, but I am annoyed by the screen. I might try another apple store next week
Back home now with 'new' MBA, did a serial number check and it is Week 50 of 2008, 7 weeks older than my last! I give in. I do love the MBA and do not want to return it, but I am annoyed by the screen. I might try another apple store next week
I'm sorry to be a bit mean, but it doesn't seem like you are getting it????? It's not just about getting it "fixed". People ARE getting it "fixed" and getting back a new screen with the same thin lines. At this point nothing's to be done, either buy and live with it or don't buy because constant exchanges, repairs and waiting several weeks and then buying has not created a solution. I beg to differ that any Macbook Air is free of the lines as people posting here saying they don't have lines has not proved a thing.
I have Rev B and I have lines. They're so faint I have to really "look" for them to see them. Would've never known they existed had it not been for this drama forum. I'm getting work done nicely on my Air. And please, if you planned on saying "Well you're accepting a defective screen" then don't say it, cut the crap. There's nothing that's been proven that we have a "defective" screen. Apple has acknowledged defects especially in Rev A so they are not purposely ignoring the issue.
Believe me, the first time Apple acknowledges this as a defect I will have this issue addressed, until then, I will be getting work done rather than spending so much time being OCD.
Well I had the lines and when opening a blank word processing document or email it was extremely noticeable. In Photoshop it looked one of the paper pattern overlays was applied to every blank document.
As I've never seen another screen with these strange “characteristics” and as the messages coming out of Apple are hardly unified I think it is reasonable to assume it's a fault.
Whether Apple is willing to admit to this fault or fix it is another thing entirely. In the meantime I think as a consumer I have a right to make up my own mind and not pretend it's not a fault until Apple tell me otherwise.
Or buy it and return because it is faulty.
I'm not criticising you for keeping the machine, but the screen was a key selling point for me (as the contrast ratio and colour reproduction arre much better than the MacBook) yet on the machine I received it was a disappointment and not up to standards I would expect.
HLdan, sorry but you are being worse than OCD people. Why? Because you are cheating yourself and playing games on your mind. You KNOW that you have a DEFECTIVE screen and yet act like an Apple employee and say that it is not a defect!!!
Would you mind telling us why all the different screens for various laptop models ranging from $300 - $5000 do not have any lines but the MBA?
BTW, the MBAs screen isn't the thinest in the market so it is not any different from the others. Well, it is the crappiest in terms of being the only one having lines.
If you are so happy with your MBA LINES, then enjoy it and get work done on it and continue the mind game but please do not try to tell us that we are suffering from OCD because at least we are not accepting the fact that we have to pay a premium for a DEFECTIVE product and yet live with it until APPLE says that there is anything wrong with it because you will NEVER hear that since Apple did NOT acknowledge the heat issues and yet they called the core-shutdown a feature on revA!
No hard feelings, but people like you who are enjoying their defective screens should not be posting on such threads and try to tell people what to do.
Would you mind telling us why all the different screens for various laptop models ranging from $300 - $5000 do not have any lines but the MBA?
BTW, the MBAs screen isn't the thinest in the market so it is not any different from the others. Well, it is the crappiest in terms of being the only one having lines.
If you are so happy with your MBA LINES, then enjoy it and get work done on it and continue the mind game but please do not try to tell us that we are suffering from OCD because at least we are not accepting the fact that we have to pay a premium for a DEFECTIVE product and yet live with it until APPLE says that there is anything wrong with it because you will NEVER hear that since Apple did NOT acknowledge the heat issues and yet they called the core-shutdown a feature on revA!
No hard feelings, but people like you who are enjoying their defective screens should not be posting on such threads and try to tell people what to do.