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Apple Cinema Display 30" Problem

M

Mr.PS

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 8, 2008
528
9
I just noticed when rebooting that there is two diagonal lines on the left side of my display. This is clearly behind the actual front panel of the display, what can I do now? The display is under warranty till Jan 26th, 2009. Is there a real possibility that I might get a replacement? I cannot wait for it to be repaired... I also heard Apple charges a $40 service fee to look at possibly defective items? Is this correct? It can't be dust, it looks like a water stain from two drops of water, but there was obviously never any water near this display.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mr.Ps
 
Mr.PS said:
I just noticed when rebooting that there is two diagonal lines on the left side of my display. This is clearly behind the actual front panel of the display, what can I do now? The display is under warranty till Jan 26th, 2009. Is there a real possibility that I might get a replacement? I cannot wait for it to be repaired... I also heard Apple charges a $40 service fee to look at possibly defective items? Is this correct? It can't be dust, it looks like a water stain from two drops of water, but there was obviously never any water near this display.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mr.Ps
Click to expand...

If you never dropped water on it, you never dropped water on it and you have nothing to worry about.

And Apple has almost never charged the diagnostic fee and plus the fee is out-of-warranty products.
 
Is it possible that something "burned" into that area? My iChat buddies list is always in that place, but my displays turns off after 15 minutes when it's not used.
 
Anyone? Does Apple usually replace defective items with new items or refurbished items?
 
Mr.PS said:
Anyone? Does Apple usually replace defective items with new items or refurbished items?
Click to expand...

Call Apple. They'll be able to help you with your question on whether they replace it with a new product or refurb item.

It's hard to tell what the problem is without pictures as well.

Edit: just a thought, but maybe it could be moisture in the air?
 
I will give them a call. Here are some pictures. You can see the lines (which are darker in person and only appear on darker background on the left). There is a little bit of it on the right as well. My other display is flawless and has no issues, anywhere on the screen. The screen has never been touched by anything other then a clean dry microfiber towel. The spots are not scratches, abrasions, scuffs, or water marks.

img0130vo2.jpg


img0131zq2.jpg
 
I can't see that clearly on my web session as it dithers images, but if the problem is definitely not on the outside of the screen panel, then it is likely developed from patchy illumination. I get it a lot with Apple monitors.

Do they replace with new or refurbished? I suppose the chances of them replacing with new might be higher if you visited the Store, but all the monitors I've had replaced are refurbished - and in many cases, have been even more broken (or faulty in different ways) than the original faulty monitor, necessitating another repair... so if I were you, bearing in mind your warranty situation I would be hyper-anal about the refurb monitor that you'll most likely be provided with: examine it minutely for faults and immediately raise another ticket if you have any doubts.

I would also definitely look at extending the warranty if you can. Quite apart from computing hardware, Apple monitors are also noticeably less reliable in my use - and the panels surprisingly more variable, making multimonitor calibration sometimes a lot harder than it needs to be - than from other manufacturers.
 
I have an identical problem with my 30" display... a dark band in the same location. I was working on the theory that it is condensation as it just showed up this spring.
 
same display, same problem

I have the exact same problem in the exact same place on my display. I first noticed it a while ago, but figured I had spilled something on it or something had dripped (from my ceiling?). I recently noticed that it had gotten worse, however, and am sure that nothing new has happened to it in the interim. I've had it for about two and a half years. Photo attached - the far left has gotten darker and it spread further to the right.

It's a very minor annoyance, as it's only visible when certain colors occupy a large part of the screen. I won't be able to take it in to Apple for a couple months, but I'll try to remember to post here after I do.
 

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30" display dark band

Did anyone ever find the cause of the issue - can it be repaired?

Is it a common fault on these displays?

My display has a dark band on the right hand side. It appears after about 10 minutes use. It is nothing to do with the Mac it is attached to as I get the same problem if I attach my MacBook.

My screen is around 2 years old, so out of warranty!
 
I had the exact same problems on my 30 inch. Two vertical lines on the left and right hand side of the display.
They appeared after about 30 minutes and at an age of about 3 years.
Since my display was still under warranty, they gave me a new one and didn't even look at the faulty display. 100€ for Apple Care, totally worth it considering the price of 1800€ for the display. :)

The people at my local AASP told me that Apple never repairs these screens as it would be much more efficient to simply replace the whole unit. I also asked them if it is common for the 30 inch displays, they denied.

If you're out of warranty you're pretty much screwed and have to pay for a repair. It's likely that they will replace the unit as well, I doubt that you have to pay the price for a new display though.
 
Sorry to resurrect such an old post but i've finally found people with the same problems.

I have a 30" apple cinema display, this is actually the second one as the first one was replaced which has this same problem, down the left hand edge it looks like liquid has spilled inside the unit. I found that if one unplugs the unit and lays it flat the problem goes away - for a little while until the liquid inside the screen warms up again.

Has anyone managed to solve this problem? Last time they swapped the screen straight out after kicking up a bit of a fuss, just conscious that in less than a year this new screen has gone the same way as the old one.

Any insight much appreciated...
 
Same think here

Same problem happened to my 27" cinema display this summer 2 years after i bought it. So anyone fixed this problem or is it un fixable? i know that its a old post but and info will be much apreciated
Thank you
 
marks like water drops?

First thanks for fast reply go chi. Cheers.
Ans second, just to be clear, the lines are like dark water drops behind the glass, like the photo posted above?
Is this what you are talking about?
And if yes, when you say the panel needs repairing we are tolling about a very expensive repair right?

Thank you again
 
yes i too had this issue on my 30" monitor. Same problem, same place, same timeframe. Less than 2 yrs old. After kicking up a fuss in store they straight swapped it for one they had in stock.

However, less than a year later, the replacement has started showing exactly the same problem again. When i went back to complain about it again they pretty much told me that the problem was me and to go f@ck myself.

They denied anyone else had experienced this issue. Which is pretty standard for Apple, i mean they claim only 9 people had complained about the new bendy iPhone.

Clearly this is a manufacturing defect and the more noise we make about it maybe the more people will come forward. a 2yr life on a screen that costs £1500 is disgusting, i'll never buy another apple screen long as i live. I since have bought an NEC 30" monitor and whilst it cost a lot more i've never been happier, comes with a 5yr warranty too. Crapple are on a downward slide when it comes to quality.

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oh and the panel is beyond repair as far as i know. its actually the LCD unit inside which is leaking. as far as i know there is no repair for it but if you find otherwise please share with us.

i can confirm also that laying it flat makes it appear to go away however it does return once the screen has warmed up sufficiently.

pretty disgusting for a company that claims to be a creatives best friend in terms of their great technology. how many photographers / designers / media developers rely on their screens to get their work done? you'd think spending that sort of cash would "guarantee" you getting a decent product but not with crapple.

this is evident in all their products nowadays unfortunately. i'm ashamed to say but i used to be somewhat of a fanboy but i now see them for what they are.
 
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