Apple's Internal Policy on Bad Pixels Revealed

[DooGesWiZrdOfOz]

Premium paid = Quality guarantee!?

I have owned 5 x Macbook Pros, 1 x 24" LCD (Alum), 1 x 23" Cinema, 1 x iPhone, Time Capsule, 2 x iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, 2 x Airport Express, and all in last 4 years. What other single company gets this much loyalty and money from 1 x customer?

This is probably reminiscent of many Mac users.

I pay a premium to buy an Mac over any other supplier because 'Apple' is supposed represent quality, which differentiates them from the competition.

If I paid the $1200 for a 27" LCD and had dead pixels, and then Apple refused to exchange I would be disgusted.

"...but the replacement product may have even more anomalies"!!!!! This exact statement was made to me by a staff member at George St Apple store in Sydney Australia, when my new $3,800 Macbook pro 2.8ghz had its faulty screen replaced, and the replacement had 'anomalies' in the casing. I just stared at the guy in disbelief.

What is Apple trying to say here? That they have no quality control?

Cheers

 

[deannnnn]

I've never had a single dead pixel on any of the 6 Apple Macs & iPhones that I've owned.

 

[kolax]

You realize LCD prices are all about yields, right? They don't all come off the assembly line 100% the same...some have dead pixels. If there's too many on a particular unit, they will ditch them. So if they were only going to put perfect units on the market, they'd have to throw a ton of LCD's into the trash in order to do so.

We're in 2010. Most documentation regarding dead pixels and the percentage that are dates back to 2001-2. LCD production has improved obviously, otherwise we'd still be seeing the same amount of dead pixel quantities that was more common when LCDs first came about.

Doesn't that mean that Apple should update its policy on dead pixels to be more relevant now? Appears they are doing that with the iPhone..

 

[ovrlrd]

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!

If you actually believe the nonsense you are saying then you are actually the one "drinking the kool-aid." The fact that you spout such inaccurate facts and referenced the "RDF" proves you have no clue.

What quality/premium are you talking about? Apple products themselves have no premium, unless we are talking about upgrades (indisputable that a 5770 upgrade for a Mac Pro shouldn't cost as much as it does).

The products are priced very competitively, if you are actually fair and compare them to products with the same/similar specs.

Since this is a thread about displays, how about we talk about the 27 inch Apple LED Cinema Display, versus the Dell 27 inch Ultrasharp. The two panels might be slightly different, one is glossy, one is matte. One is LED and one is CCFL. This results in a different slightly different product. However when it comes to price they are actually identical. So when someone goes to buy one or the other, they are choosing not based on the panel but rather the extra features. Still, where is this "premium" you are claiming? In terms of quality they are identical panels with different backlighting, so the quality should be roughly the same. Yet the Apple comes with a solid aluminum casing, and Dell's have cheap plastic enclosures with plenty of holes for dust to collect inside. The panel itself might be the same in quality, but everything else goes in favor of Apple here.

Now lets look at computers, the only problem Apple has with their computers is that the pricing does not flex based on the amount of time it has been on the market. So as a product nears the end of its cycle, the price is less competitive and seems overpriced. In terms premiums there is very minimal amount in their computers. There is plenty of real breakdowns available, but in general the biggest problem people have with understanding Apple's pricing is that people assume that a cheap $300 computer is the same thing as a $1000 iMac. That is just patently false.

I am not going to talk about iPhones, iPads, or iPods because the only data we have to go on is the completely fabricated iSuppli numbers, and if you try to extrapolate anything from those you are just making things up. Nobody actually knows the real profit margins that Apple makes on those devices, it is anywhere from 10% to 50%, but no "teardown pricing" is going to give you the truth.

Quality is a perception for most people. Quoting some unscientific data on MBA logic board failures is a clearly biased way of judging quality. A better thing would be to look up Consumer Reports and see how they rate it, in which case Apple passes with flying colors on all products (iPhone 4 being the exception). Consumer Reports isn't not the best source, but it's certainly better than most.

To sum it up, you are just as biased, if not more so, than the people you claim are "drinking the kool aid." After all, what kind of person thinks using "iCon" is somehow clever?

 

[Fuchal]

I'm noticing that in a situation such as this dead pixel policy, people say that they pay an Apple premium so they deserve a premium product. Yet in other situations, people say Macs are cheaper than their PC counterparts. It can't be both.

That aside, I've never had Apple refuse to replace something that has dead pixels on it, but they certainly reserve the right to stop someone from going through ten displays. The very nature of LCD displays prohibits them from being perfect. I have one or two stuck pixels on my 27" iMac and they don't bother me and I haven't even noticed them since I first found them half a year ago. (Yes, I'm a web designer.)

 

[173080]

I'd pay extra for a "Perfect Mac" out of the box warranty, in addition to AppleCare.

Perfect display, no uneven keys, no blemishes on the aluminum. Everything must be perfect.

 

[newfoundglory]

i was at the regent street store yesterday playing with an ipad (amazing, never tried one before). But, i couldnt take my eyes off this single black dead pixel right in the middle of this amazing screen and device. I think i'd be pretty pissed if i'd paid full price and had to put up with an annoying dead pixel.

 

[latafairam]

I'm noticing that in a situation such as this dead pixel policy, people say that they pay an Apple premium so they deserve a premium product. Yet in other situations, people say Macs are cheaper than their PC counterparts. It can't be both.

That aside, I've never had Apple refuse to replace something that has dead pixels on it, but they certainly reserve the right to stop someone from going through ten displays. The very nature of LCD displays prohibits them from being perfect. I have one or two stuck pixels on my 27" iMac and they don't bother me and I haven't even noticed them since I first found them half a year ago. (Yes, I'm a web designer.)

Even more reason why Apple should take back displays with dead pixels. There are people like you who are not bothered by them. I on the other hand, do get bothered and anoyed by one bright dead pixel.

 

[C. Alan]

I highly doubt that the screen shot is their current policy on dead pixles. Monitors are such a big part of what makes their products attractive, I would thing that just one dead pixel would warrent a replacement.

 

[Tali]

The main difference to me when I was shopping for a 30" display was that I could get a Dell 3008 WFP from a retailer for 50% of what Dell charged on their website (including a 5 year warranty). Compared to a 30" ACD that was about 60% less.
By that time, they used the same panel, so it was down to the looks and warranty.

While the price difference was nice, the real difference is the panel warranty: Dell ensures you don't have bad pixels, for 5 years if you get the warranty for that. I had a couple dead ones appear about a month ago, called Dell, the next day a guy came by, took the old one from the desk and gave me a new one. No questions asked, no genius to talk to, no lugging a 30 pound monitor around town to show them you aren't making it up.

Now that's only displays though, I don't own a Dell computer, they have crappy service on those.

 

[JordanNZ]

lol the video card on that $2500 computer is some piece of trash ATi 5770 (this card only costs $120, thats not something i expect when i spend that kind of money.

Yeah.. Because the entire computer is just the video card.
You're not in the market for a workstation anyway.

 

[arcite]

As a graphic designer, I've never had the quality of my work compromised by a single pixel anomaly, no matter how annoying it may be.

Really? All my work is reviewed pixel for pixel.

People talk tough in here, but we should really be happy that technology advances at the pace it does. A few wonky pixels out of a couple million never hurt anyone.

 

[jaw04005]

Apple's policy is sort of pathetic considering the premium price on their displays. I'm glad that do offer the support agent additional leniency since not all bad pixels are created equal.

I had a cluster of 4 bright yellow pixels on an Apple 20" Cinema Display a few years back. Apple finally replaced it after repeated phone calls. It was directly in the center of the screen and very annoying.

 

[Popeye206]

Comments are funny!

It's so funny to read comments like "even one pixel is unacceptable" Blah, blah, blah....

My goodness people! Lighten up and come off your perfection pedestal! I love how many people huff and puff over things like this and have no issue themselves! Or if they did, was actually turned away by their Apple rep and told to live with it.

The reality is, it's not a common issue... and the other reality, most of the time Apple will go out of their way to make things right. Ugh!

 

[Ori]

I had a new 27" i7 replaced for 1 dead pixel with no questions asked.

Once I noticed it...I couldn't help but notice it all the time!

 

[silentnite]

The minute I see 1 bad pixel my purchase is ruined and back to the store it goes. To avoid any problems I simply return it and buy from another store.

 

[chrono1081]

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!

I'm not drinking any kool-aid I'm speaking from pure experience. I've dealt with tons and tons of equipment over the years.

 

[johnnymg]

As an Apple product owner (6 computers total) AND aapl shareholder, I find this policy absolutely acceptable. The self-entitled assertions that everything must be perfect is beyond unreasonable. Customers like that should be thanked for their purchase, their money refunded, and then they should be politely escorted to the exit!

cheers
JohnG

 

[twoodcc]

well luckily i haven't had any issues with the various laptops, ipods, and iphones and ipad that i've had. but this policy seems kinda outrageous

 

[chrono1081]

It's so funny to read comments like "even one pixel is unacceptable" Blah, blah, blah....

My goodness people! Lighten up and come off your perfection pedestal! I love how many people huff and puff over things like this and have no issue themselves! Or if they did, was actually turned away by their Apple rep and told to live with it.

The reality is, it's not a common issue... and the other reality, most of the time Apple will go out of their way to make things right. Ugh!

+1 None of these people obviously returned anything to Apple since Apple goes above and beyond. I had a monitor I needed to return once (four bad pixels) and not only did they return it, they freaking credited me $170 for my inconvenience! Thats customer service! Oh, and being nice usually helps too but most people forget that too.

Now, for everyone crying please realize that these are guidelines and reps take care of you. Also no company is immune to dead pixels, and most companies are the same or higher for displays in their guidelines. Although, just like Apple, these are GUIDELINES not SET IN STONE and most companies will exchange your monitor.

Be glad Apple doesn't do what Dell or Hypersonic (although I think they are gone now) do and charge extra for a zero "bright" (not dead, bright) pixel guarantee.

 

[AndyUnderscoreR]

I've never had a single defective pixel on any Apple product, and I've had 3 iPhones, a 30" display and a Newton (yes, I'm *that* old!).

If I ever did get a defective pixel, not just with Apple, but with any brand, I would go back to the supplier and show them the order form which states very clearly that I ordered a product with zero defective pixels.

If a supplier decides to take my order, they do so on the terms I've stated, not based on some hidden policy.

 

[Willis]

seems to me alot of internal images are being leaked... I smell a bad Apple

 

[gfiz]

As an Apple product owner (6 computers total) AND aapl shareholder, I find this policy absolutely acceptable. The self-entitled assertions that everything must be perfect is beyond unreasonable. Customers like that should be thanked for their purchase, their money refunded, and then they should be politely escorted to the exit!

cheers
JohnG

These whole it's 1 pixel in 1,700,000 deal with assertions are beyond unreasonable. You would not by a brand new car with a scratch on it, even if it only took up only .000009% of the entire body. The only difference here is the monitor is boxed and it's a bit unreasonable to open it up and check before you leave. Also, the amount of macs and shares you have are completely irrelevant, thanks.

 

[birdsong]

My Personal Experience

I bought a Penryn MacBook Pro in October of 2006. After about a year, a fan went bad and I sent it in. Fan fixed/replaced under AppleCare. About a year after that, I got a one pixel wide, green, vertical line from the top of my screen to the bottom. I sent it in and they replaced the screen. I got it back and it had two or three dear or stuck pixels. I called them and told them I had a perfect screen went I sent it in, I expect a perfect replacement screen. They gave me no issue. However, whenever I sent it in, the screen was back ordered. After about a week of waiting, I called to complain (nicely). For the fact that I had two bad screens and a bad fan, I got a brand new Santa Rosa MacBook Pro that I'm still using. Be nice and you'll get the world.

 

[obsoletepower]

You're right. I'm an idiot.

Yep, you sure are.

Now on a more serious note. I think it is outrageous to even accept ONE dead pixel. Any dot on the screen that is different from the rest stands out and will ruin your day every time you look at it. It reminds you that you paid good money for a defective product. I don't care what their "acceptable dead pixel count" policy is. It's not my policy. As a consumer, I think it is preposterous to make excuses and accept when a company tells you they cannot do better and you should just live with it. Hell no. Look, I do not live under a rock, wear and tear is perfectly reasonable but when I remove that $2500 beast from its box, I demand a perfect ****ing product for the money I paid for it. END OF STORY! If you can't deliver then you have no business calling yourself a premium brand.