Not long ago I was very likely to be bothered by the kind of issues described in this thread. I would even go out of my way to look for faults. Dead pixel test screens, magnifying glass around the entire device to check for blemishes, color temperature tests, etc. Something happened to me though. I'm not sure what triggered it, but I now look at my gadgets as tools instead of jewels. My iPhone 4 is now naked and I love the look and feel more than ever. When I bought my iPad 2, I just un-boxed it and used it. No checks for light bleed, dead pixels, blemishes. It may have one or more issues for all I know, but I haven't noticed, and I love my iPad 2...
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Apple skimping on the iPad 2
- Thread starter xelaetaks
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i don't think there is much disagreement that the ipad2 is better than the ipad1, just whether the difference margin was enough to justify ipad1 owners to upgrade.
with some of the early rumors going around that the ipad3 might be released before year's end, i'd say that if you are an ipad1 owner and aren't planning to get an ipad2 in the next several months, you're probably better off waiting.
and if the ipad3 predicted release turns out to be over optimistic, at least by then my guess is that most/all of the LCDs with the backlight problem will be off the market by then.
You dont have to buy a product just because there is an Apple logo on it. You knew the 'issues' up front and spent weeks talking about how terrible the quality was. If it's really an f-d up product, get some self-control and return it. Buying it despite these flaws only reinforces to Apple that the QC on the device is acceptable.
I find the attitude of people buying products with known traits and continuously returning them in a quest for 'perfection' to be ridiculous.
FTR I own an iPad 1 and 2 and disagree with your assessment of poor quality.
I can see both sides--
Some people have gotten screens so bad that they can see the yellowish bleed even during normal usage at normal brightness. These units should be exchanged without question, and so far I haven't heard any instances of Apple not replacing these.
HOWEVER
Others have gotten into that vicious Apple return cycle. I have seen people post screen shots of screens where there is virtually no screen bleed at all, and the bleed they are getting is so miniscule that you would never notice it. Because the issue has already been bothering them, it's the only thing they can focus on. These people are getting 5 or 6 replacements before they give up and return for a refund or just settle on what they have.
I myself had to do a return. My first iPad 2 had dust under the screen and Apple gladly replaced it. It had very very very minimal light bleed, so minimal that I didn't even know for sure if it was the same problem everyone else is talking about. My second iPad 2 has absolutely zero screen bleed even if I put it in the most OCD of conditions.
As far as the cameras and the LCD itself? I held off on iPad 1 because it had no cameras. Video chat is one of my favorite ways to communicate on phones/computers, and I thought a tablet should have that function. The iPad 2's cameras are just fine for that, and for video recording and stills they're good enough if you really really need something and don't necessarily care that it's not amazing quality. But for most video/still capturing I reach for my iPhone 4. The LCD is not a Retina Display, that's true. But it still looks good, and HD video looks terrific on it. (I watch a lot of Hulu Plus and HD video from iTunes. Netflix seems to still be just ok.)
Some people have gotten screens so bad that they can see the yellowish bleed even during normal usage at normal brightness. These units should be exchanged without question, and so far I haven't heard any instances of Apple not replacing these.
HOWEVER
Others have gotten into that vicious Apple return cycle. I have seen people post screen shots of screens where there is virtually no screen bleed at all, and the bleed they are getting is so miniscule that you would never notice it. Because the issue has already been bothering them, it's the only thing they can focus on. These people are getting 5 or 6 replacements before they give up and return for a refund or just settle on what they have.
I myself had to do a return. My first iPad 2 had dust under the screen and Apple gladly replaced it. It had very very very minimal light bleed, so minimal that I didn't even know for sure if it was the same problem everyone else is talking about. My second iPad 2 has absolutely zero screen bleed even if I put it in the most OCD of conditions.
As far as the cameras and the LCD itself? I held off on iPad 1 because it had no cameras. Video chat is one of my favorite ways to communicate on phones/computers, and I thought a tablet should have that function. The iPad 2's cameras are just fine for that, and for video recording and stills they're good enough if you really really need something and don't necessarily care that it's not amazing quality. But for most video/still capturing I reach for my iPhone 4. The LCD is not a Retina Display, that's true. But it still looks good, and HD video looks terrific on it. (I watch a lot of Hulu Plus and HD video from iTunes. Netflix seems to still be just ok.)