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.
Apple's Internal Policy on Bad Pixels Revealed
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Dell at least offers a premium panel guarantee on their ultrasharps - which Apple should offer for the price they charge.
Dell said:
Zero Bright Pixels
Under Dell's Premium Panel Guarantee3, you will receive a replacement UltraSharp monitor should even one bright defective pixel appear on the screen.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...=dellSearch&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=5
$489 with that guarantee.
Not bad for a 24 inch, 1920x1200 anti-glare IPS panel with rotating orientation, 4 usb ports, Memory card reader, VGA, DVI-D (2), Display Port, Component, Composite, HDMI, and to top it off, picture-in-picture. And it has sound output for HDMI sources with sound.
Last edited:
I concede that an iMac is different from just a monitor, but that's precisely my point when I refer to a monitor. In the case of a monitor, if I pay a premium I expect better than industry average quality otherwise, why would I not just buy a less expensive monitor from another manufacturer? If Apple charges more for a monitor, they need to provide something more than just "sleek styling" to account for the premium. A Mac is a slightly different story because when there is a premium for a given model, the buyer is presumably buying it because they prefer to work on a Mac, with Mac OS X, and Mac native applications and that in and of itself is worth something to them (it is to me).
At any rate, so far I have had 0 dead pixels in several Apple monitors I've acquired over the years so I'm personally OK with the premium I paid. Just saying Apple should set the bar higher than others if they are going to charge more for a monitor.
Apple has had this same policy for 20+ years, it hasn't changed, they used the same policy on CRT displays. But what you should really think about is, what policy do other companies use. most screen suppliers allow higher numbers than Apple do.
It should also be mentioned that part of apple's policy also allows room for a basis on position, ie centre of screen, or on the menu bar allow apple support to be more flexible than the pixel in the bottom left corner that nearly no one uses, in short visibility also plays a big part, as shown by the difference in light & dark pixels on larger displays.
It should also be mentioned that part of apple's policy also allows room for a basis on position, ie centre of screen, or on the menu bar allow apple support to be more flexible than the pixel in the bottom left corner that nearly no one uses, in short visibility also plays a big part, as shown by the difference in light & dark pixels on larger displays.
Please try and return a monitor with a single stuck pixel to apple before you start slinging mud. They return it every single time.
Oh and the "piss poor quality standards" is a nil argument. They have great quality standards but unless you work in IT and deal with tons and tons of different products you'll never realize Apple sits at the top of the stack in quality.
Please go buy 500 dell displays, then go buy 500 Apple displays and see who's brand is more defective.
Dell at least offers a premium panel guarantee on their ultrasharps - which Apple should offer for the price they charge.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=320-8277&~ck=dellSearch&baynote_bnrank=0&baynote_irrank=5
$489 with that guarantee.
Not bad for a 24 inch, 1920x1200 anti-glare IPS panel with rotating orientation, 4 usb ports, Memory card reader, VGA, DVI-D (2), Display Port, Component, Composite, HDMI, and to top it off, picture-in-picture. And it has sound output for HDMI sources with sound.
Stop it, you'll make the fanboys cry
Common sense
I think they've put too much time into those specifications. Surely it should be as simple as, a customer walks into a shop and goes, 'hey, there's some dead pixels on my MacBook display' and the guy behind the counter goes, 'Ah yes, so there are, let's get this fixed' not 'Well, how many are there exactly?'...
I think they've put too much time into those specifications. Surely it should be as simple as, a customer walks into a shop and goes, 'hey, there's some dead pixels on my MacBook display' and the guy behind the counter goes, 'Ah yes, so there are, let's get this fixed' not 'Well, how many are there exactly?'...
I buy apple products rather frequently (a new iphone every year it has existed and a macbook pro ever 2-3 years). 3 of my first phones and all of my macbooks had the unfortunate luck to have only 1 dead pixel. In each of those cases, Apple replaced the product right there. They said that for any new purchase they are willing to do one exchange the same day.
I am not sure how someone would fare if the dead pixel popped up 1 to 2 years down the road. I will say that if it bothers you, you have every right to get your computer/monitor/phone exchanged. It's your money and you deserve a error free product.
Last edited:
I don't care what their policy is, if I even get 1 dead pixel it's going back to the Apple Store and I will get a replacement until I get one in n perfect and new condition or they'll give me a refund. Apple can have whatever internal policy they want, but it doesn't apply to me as the consumer shelling out hundred's or thousands of dollars. I NEVER by monitors on line, always B&M unless the online retailer has unquestioned return policy (like Dell, I'm currently using a U2711)
This doesn't seem very good... I've always bought non-mac displays; I had a stuck pixel once, it drove me mad, had to get rid of the display. The monitor only cost me £200 though... If I had bought an apple cinema display for nearly £1000 I would expect it to be perfect or it would go straight back... I don't think it's unreasonable to expect zero dead/stuck pixels on a monitor you pay so much for!
Sad to read the article as it's beginning to put me off ever buying an apple display! If I'm running the same dead pixel risk with a £1000 monitor from apple as I am with a £500 one from dell why on earth would I spend double for the same level of risk? I would at the least want to be assured the monitor is perfect out the box!
It's sad that Dell Ultrasharp monitors come with a 0 dead pixel guarantee while Apple's policy is that up to 16 bad pixels are acceptable. You can get even a 30 inch Dell Ultrasharp monitor and be guaranteed in writing that it will have no dead pixels.
This is ridiculous. Luckily I haven't had any pixel defects on my Apple products, but if I did, I'd be steaming mad if they didn't fix/replace it.
This is ridiculous. Luckily I haven't had any pixel defects on my Apple products, but if I did, I'd be steaming mad if they didn't fix/replace it.
15 dead pixels on any display is absolutely ridiculous. Nobody would put up with that.
Having said that, there are obviously two camps of people here Those who can tolerate one or two relatively innocuous dead pixels (I have one on one of my 30 inch displays and it's barely noticeable), and those who can't. What Apple should have on that support document is a sliding scale of compensation, whereby the customer can choose to keep the display at a reduced price, depending on how seriously affected, or get a replacement. Customer has a choice they're happy. Apple doesn't have to throw away any displaysthe environment is happy too.
To those maintaining Apple replaces stuff without question I've had my run-ins with Apple here in Australia before. Years ago I had an iMac that had been in repair twice already under warranty. Days later there was literally smoke coming out of the damn thing!! So I thought, surely they will replace it now. But no, they said the policy was to replace it only after the third repair. They weren't particularly quick with their repairs either and I was pretty p*ssed off by that stage so I fought it with them until they finally gave in. I wasn't impressed with the service at all.
Having said that, there are obviously two camps of people here Those who can tolerate one or two relatively innocuous dead pixels (I have one on one of my 30 inch displays and it's barely noticeable), and those who can't. What Apple should have on that support document is a sliding scale of compensation, whereby the customer can choose to keep the display at a reduced price, depending on how seriously affected, or get a replacement. Customer has a choice they're happy. Apple doesn't have to throw away any displaysthe environment is happy too.
To those maintaining Apple replaces stuff without question I've had my run-ins with Apple here in Australia before. Years ago I had an iMac that had been in repair twice already under warranty. Days later there was literally smoke coming out of the damn thing!! So I thought, surely they will replace it now. But no, they said the policy was to replace it only after the third repair. They weren't particularly quick with their repairs either and I was pretty p*ssed off by that stage so I fought it with them until they finally gave in. I wasn't impressed with the service at all.
Common Sense^^
I think these guidelines are to prevent the complete abuse of the Apple Store Geniuses. There are going to be some that will swap out anything because it makes them feel good and rightly so, however clearly these specifications effect apples profits and control over whats going on. Common sense will apply as always and if it seriously impacts the use of the screen then it will obviously be changed regardless of the number of pixels. These aren't released in the first place because of the serious reaction but these kinds of things are common in lots of environments, and for the most part will not affect the majority of people in their dealings with apple so i recommend that taking a chill pill and waiting for it a) to affect you and b) if it has or does accept that your individual circumstances will be relevant and no perfect document can take everyones position into account.
I think these guidelines are to prevent the complete abuse of the Apple Store Geniuses. There are going to be some that will swap out anything because it makes them feel good and rightly so, however clearly these specifications effect apples profits and control over whats going on. Common sense will apply as always and if it seriously impacts the use of the screen then it will obviously be changed regardless of the number of pixels. These aren't released in the first place because of the serious reaction but these kinds of things are common in lots of environments, and for the most part will not affect the majority of people in their dealings with apple so i recommend that taking a chill pill and waiting for it a) to affect you and b) if it has or does accept that your individual circumstances will be relevant and no perfect document can take everyones position into account.
Think of it this way.....
A 20 inch iMac with a resolution of 1680x1050 has 1,764,000 pixels. With 16 pixels out that is just .000009% of the display. And, Apple doesn't make their own displays so a customer bringing back a display with nearly 2 million pixels for 1 pixel being out costs Apple a lot of money. Of course they are going to have a policy like this.
But... obviously that one annoying pixel right in the middle is a pain. Apple understands that, and will most likely not put up much of a fight and replace your display anyway. They just need some sort of guideline.
A 20 inch iMac with a resolution of 1680x1050 has 1,764,000 pixels. With 16 pixels out that is just .000009% of the display. And, Apple doesn't make their own displays so a customer bringing back a display with nearly 2 million pixels for 1 pixel being out costs Apple a lot of money. Of course they are going to have a policy like this.
But... obviously that one annoying pixel right in the middle is a pain. Apple understands that, and will most likely not put up much of a fight and replace your display anyway. They just need some sort of guideline.
What an over-complicated table! Is it really the case that Apple employees can't work out that if 15 pixels or less is acceptable, the number that is unacceptable is 16 or more? They really need a table to show them what number comes next?
Even then the chart doesn't cover everything - I'm going to call Applecare and tell them I've got a 9.7" screen with 1 faulty pixel and wait while they page Mr Jobs for an executive decision.
Even then the chart doesn't cover everything - I'm going to call Applecare and tell them I've got a 9.7" screen with 1 faulty pixel and wait while they page Mr Jobs for an executive decision.
In the UK you can take anything back within 14 days and get a refund or exchange.
If they appear after that then in my experience it is not difficult to get Apple to replace a screen with only a few on. If you get through to the higher echelons of customer service they can issue a CS code that overrides any replacement policy and sanctions a replacement!
If they appear after that then in my experience it is not difficult to get Apple to replace a screen with only a few on. If you get through to the higher echelons of customer service they can issue a CS code that overrides any replacement policy and sanctions a replacement!
The point was that a "guaranty" is different from "guarantee."
Back OT. I have bought 2 iPads, 5 iPhones, 2 iMacs, and 5 Mac laptops of one kind or another and NONE of them has had a stuck, bright, or otherwise flawed pixel. Not a single one.
The guidelines are just that - guidelines. As we have seen, Apple makes exceptions all the time. The guidelines are there to keep people from abusing the policy. They're probably not going to refuse anyone unless they have been a complete PITA - not that that is acceptable.
cool... I'll go buy the Dell's you can buy the Apple's!!
seriously, anybody outside iCon's RDF knows that Apple's quality/premium price angle has been laid bare for many years.
Its cheap chinese crap same as everyone else's.
if you head over the the new MBA logic board issue thread you'll see a graph on page 8 or 9 that shows laptop performance over a 3 year period and defective rates. Apple are mid table with Dell less than 1% behind.,,Asus well out in front.
stop drinking the kool-aid.
iCon lies...he always has done!