iPad Behold: the yellow iPad Air and the (whiter but uneven Air)

[betabeta]

Those do not look too bad, but really I don't think there should be any yellowing, warmer YES, but this yellowing issue is NOT warmer or colder screens. I have seen warmer and colder screens, this yellowing is not that. It's 100% a flaw, almost looks like something was dirty, maybe even glass that is not clear. or could be something to due with how they turn blue LED's to be white.

I would like a warmer screen, warmer is not yellow, and I'll take a colder blue screen over this yellow any day of the week.

People who knock on others for being upset over screen issues or calling them OCD....I hope you never have to deal with these issues, trust me, the Yellow screen is horrible, and even worse at low brightness.

iPad Air left 40% brightness
iPad 3 right 35% brightness brightness was set to be the same for both.

One showing wallpaper, the other this forum.

 

[mcdj]

This yellow display topic should be banned on MacRumors. It's tiring all the threads from nitpickers searching desperately for problems to paint Apple in a bad light.

Don't recall seeing a rule that says you have to click on any thread you don't want to read.

 

[ActionableMango]

Might return both. Bottom one is tolerable but still uneven.

In the past, Apple's uneven yellow screens were due to the glue not having cured yet. The glue cures clear, and the problem went away after a couple of weeks.

So for now hang on to them and enjoy them. A couple of days before the return period ends, revisit the issue.

 

[Kariya]

There's no longer such a thing as evenly lit. All these panels are now edge-lit with low power LEDs which means you'll get unevenly lit displays whether you like it or like it.

The same problem plagues most edge-lit LED TVs.

Return the first iPad and keep the second. You're almost certainly NOT going to find anything better.

 

[mcdj]

In the past, Apple's uneven yellow screens were due to the glue not having cured yet. The glue cures clear, and the problem went away after a couple of weeks.

So for now hang on to them and enjoy them. A couple of days before the return period ends, revisit the issue.

Good lord there needs to be a sticky about the glue. No pun intended. Glue was an issue with the iPhone 3. That was about 50 years ago. Not since has Apple glued the screen on any iDevice.

IT'S NOT ABOUT GLUE. IT'S NOT ABOUT GLUE. IT'S NOT ABOUT GLUE.

 

[ActionableMango]

Glue was an issue with the iPhone 3. That was about 50 years ago. Not since has Apple glued the screen on any iDevice.

Apple confirmed it was glue for the iPhone 4, which was only about 40 years ago.

Well what do you want to hear? If you hate it, go return it. You'll make some future refurb buyer happy.

 

[Tikatika]

Those do not look too bad, but really I don't think there should be any yellowing, warmer YES, but this yellowing issue is NOT warmer or colder screens. I have seen warmer and colder screens, this yellowing is not that. It's 100% a flaw, almost looks like something was dirty, maybe even glass that is not clear. or could be something to due with how they turn blue LED's to be white.

I would like a warmer screen, warmer is not yellow, and I'll take a colder blue screen over this yellow any day of the week.

People who knock on others for being upset over screen issues or calling them OCD....I hope you never have to deal with these issues, trust me, the Yellow screen is horrible, and even worse at low brightness.

iPad Air left 40% brightness
iPad 3 right 35% brightness brightness was set to be the same for both.

One showing wallpaper, the other this forum.

I'm amused at the lack of comments acknowledging the left screen abomination by the fanboys who scream OCD. If, in fact, they don't see the horrific yellowing, they seriously need to pick up the phone and make a stat appointment with their optometrist. Thank you for posting these illustrative photos.

To the OP ... I went through a muddy yellow/gray/green/pink screen on my first iPad 3. Return your iPads until you get one that pleases YOUR eyes!

 

[betabeta]

Good lord there needs to be a sticky about the glue. No pun intended. Glue was an issue with the iPhone 3. That was about 50 years ago. Not since has Apple glued the screen on any iDevice.

IT'S NOT ABOUT GLUE. IT'S NOT ABOUT GLUE. IT'S NOT ABOUT GLUE.

Yeah I wish it was glue drying, there is actually space between the panel and the glass so yeah no glue there. But do they glued the LCD and light diffuser together? I don't know, would love to know for sure. Maybe it's the yellow phosphor they use on the LED's...I read that can do this and DOES burn/wear off...who knows.

Either way I am hanging on to mine, letting someone else in the family get an early upgrade, they can deal with it I can afford to do that and go and buy another for myself, I wanted to just give them my old 3, but I really want to see ONCE and for all if it goes away over time. I know I can exchange it at anytime in the next year actually. but it sucks seeing so many beautiful Air's.

I think it just happens on the crappy LG panels, so waiting to hopefully get lucky and get a Samsung panel. Just too bad I can't tell form the serial, and too bad they are pushing out Samsung, always liked there LCD's.

 

[whtrbt7]

With the millions of units churned out, there's bound to be QC issues. Yellowish tint can be caused by a number of different factors from electrical problems to something as simple as a crappy diffuser. Patches of uneven exposure is normally caused by faulty diffusers and bad pixels. Also be aware that there is an optimum viewing angle for the display.

 

[maxwellr]

I see this being an issue if you are constantly comparing two white screens together. However in the real world, there is nothing wrong with these displays. If I look hard enough at my Nexus 4, the top middle of the display is ever so slightly brighter than the rest. Would I return it? No. Because if I did, I'd be one of the relatively small group of OCD jerks out there increasing the cost of electronics by constantly returning perfectly fine devices.

If you pay over $500 dollar for a device that is %90 display, yes, you have the right to expect perfect displays. Even Apple knows they have inconsistent panels that one does not look like another.

I understand that you don't care about your iPad's color accuracy or uniformity. But please stop calling people OCD jerks, and simply don't visit topics with display issues.

Not everybody is buying their iPad for playing Angry Birds or Candy Crush. Some people actually do work on it that requires a 'perfect' display.

 

[azurehi]

There's no longer such a thing as evenly lit. All these panels are now edge-lit with low power LEDs which means you'll get unevenly lit displays whether you like it or like it.

The same problem plagues most edge-lit LED TVs.

Return the first iPad and keep the second. You're almost certainly NOT going to find anything better.

Apparently Fewer LCDs are used in the IPad Air:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57610983-37/fewer-leds-mean-leaner-ipad-air-researcher-says/

Could this explain the unevenness of the displays?

 

[Kariya]

Apparently Fewer LEDs are used in the IPad Air:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57610983-37/fewer-leds-mean-leaner-ipad-air-researcher-says/

Could this explain the unevenness of the displays?

I wouldn't be surprised if that we're indeed the case.

 

[moxxey]

I think the issue is more of unevenness in the screen.

But that's a panel problem. LCD TVs are the same, as they are side lit! You get 'clouds' on an LCD TV as some areas are better lit than others.

That's the problem with side lighting of LCD panels. You get areas on the panel where some parts are brighter than others. You don't see this when you have a colourful wallpaper. You DO notice it when you look at a white screen. You'd notice it on most TVs, too, doing the same thing. Luckily most of us never watch a completely white TV screen.

 

[MrGimper]

But that's a panel problem. LCD TVs are the same, as they are side lit! You get 'clouds' on an LCD TV as some areas are better lit than others.

That's the problem with side lighting of LCD panels. You get areas on the panel where some parts are brighter than others. You don't see this when you have a colourful wallpaper. You DO notice it when you look at a white screen. You'd notice it on most TVs, too, doing the same thing. Luckily most of us never watch a completely white TV screen.

However, it's quite common to look a a predominantly white screen on an iPad. Especially in iOS 7.

So your point, really, doesn't have a point.

 

[zhenya]

HA....I'm beginning to think you are right.

Wonder why Apple seems to have more evenness problems than other tablets?

I will say I don't think I've ever seen a perfectly even Apple retina display on an iPad.

-Kevin

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I highly doubt the level of iPad returns effects the price at all. Pretty sure Apple's margins will cover any of the returns.

-Kevin

I am quite certain other manufacturers have this issue just like Apple, most likely at much higher rates, however the owners of any other tablet tend to be far less, let's call it 'detail oriented' than Apple's customers.

Go into Best Buy and honestly evaluate the other devices (there are a huge number of tablets on display these days). None of them are even in the same class as the iPads when it comes to the whole device experience. One may have a good screen, but a crummy chassis, etc.

I don't discount the screen issues here entirely as I had to return a faulty ipad 4 and the replacement had a nicer screen, but I do think that the issues tend to be overblown here and that many of the issues we hear about here could not be detected in normal use if one was asked to pick among an array of devices.

I also find it interesting that the examples Anandtech ends up with are always nearly perfect...

 

[moxxey]

However, it's quite common to look a a predominantly white screen on an iPad. Especially in iOS 7.

So your point, really, doesn't have a point.

No, my point is that this is the flaw of LCD panels and you're expecting something that doesn't exist for this price point!

You can get locally lit backlighting on expensive TVs (and OLED solves this problem), but no way can Apple afford locally dimmed backlighting on a $500 device that some of you regard as a 'luxury' item. It isn't. That's why you get side lit panels.

So, the point is here that your demands and expectations for a retina panel, with locally dimmed backlighting, for $500, is a demand too high, at this stage in panel production.

Note: I'm not talking about yellow tinting here - that's a different issue - I'm talking about the dimming and uneven lighting you get on LCD side lit panels.

 

[netnothing]

Note: I'm not talking about yellow tinting here - that's a different issue - I'm talking about the dimming and uneven lighting you get on LCD side lit panels.

BTW....what causes the yellow tinting?

-Kevin

----------

I am quite certain other manufacturers have this issue just like Apple, most likely at much higher rates, however the owners of any other tablet tend to be far less, let's call it 'detail oriented' than Apple's customers.

Go into Best Buy and honestly evaluate the other devices (there are a huge number of tablets on display these days). None of them are even in the same class as the iPads when it comes to the whole device experience. One may have a good screen, but a crummy chassis, etc.

I don't discount the screen issues here entirely as I had to return a faulty ipad 4 and the replacement had a nicer screen, but I do think that the issues tend to be overblown here and that many of the issues we hear about here could not be detected in normal use if one was asked to pick among an array of devices.

I also find it interesting that the examples Anandtech ends up with are always nearly perfect...

You are probably right....plus with Apple's volume, you are move likely to hear complaints.

Funny how the reviewers only get perfect screens.

-Kevin

 

[TroyBoy30]

But that's a panel problem. LCD TVs are the same, as they are side lit! You get 'clouds' on an LCD TV as some areas are better lit than others.

That's the problem with side lighting of LCD panels. You get areas on the panel where some parts are brighter than others. You don't see this when you have a colourful wallpaper. You DO notice it when you look at a white screen. You'd notice it on most TVs, too, doing the same thing. Luckily most of us never watch a completely white TV screen.

thats why i bought a fully back lit led set. never get edge lit

 

[AdonisSMU]

In the past, Apple's uneven yellow screens were due to the glue not having cured yet. The glue cures clear, and the problem went away after a couple of weeks.

So for now hang on to them and enjoy them. A couple of days before the return period ends, revisit the issue.

That is what the Apple Store guy told me with the Air.

 

[Dustman]

If you pay over $500 dollar for a device that is %90 display, yes, you have the right to expect perfect displays. Even Apple knows they have inconsistent panels that one does not look like another.

I understand that you don't care about your iPad's color accuracy or uniformity. But please stop calling people OCD jerks, and simply don't visit topics with display issues.

Not everybody is buying their iPad for playing Angry Birds or Candy Crush. Some people actually do work on it that requires a 'perfect' display.

It's not 90% display, it looks 100% to me. What work is it that you're doing that you're unable to do with these iPads?

----------

I'll admit this looks like more of a defect than the OP.

Those do not look too bad, but really I don't think there should be any yellowing, warmer YES, but this yellowing issue is NOT warmer or colder screens. I have seen warmer and colder screens, this yellowing is not that. It's 100% a flaw, almost looks like something was dirty, maybe even glass that is not clear. or could be something to due with how they turn blue LED's to be white.

I would like a warmer screen, warmer is not yellow, and I'll take a colder blue screen over this yellow any day of the week.


People who knock on others for being upset over screen issues or calling them OCD....I hope you never have to deal with these issues, trust me, the Yellow screen is horrible, and even worse at low brightness.

iPad Air left 40% brightness
iPad 3 right 35% brightness brightness was set to be the same for both.

One showing wallpaper, the other this forum.

 

[darngooddesign]

...Wonder why Apple seems to have more evenness problems than other tablets?

I suspect iPad owners whine more than other tablet owners.

I use my iPads in a variety of locations with such a wide range of ambient lighting that very slight yellow cast doesn't show up everywhere.

 

[mcdj]

That is what the Apple Store guy told me with the Air.

Apple store employees are not immune to misinformation. Half of them are part timers going to college. But the more people like you keep extending the glue fallacy by quoting misinformed people, the longer it will take to die. And it really needs to die because it gives people with yellow screens false hope.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Apple store employees are not immune to misinformation. Half of them are part timers going to college. But the more people like you keep extending the glue fallacy by quoting misinformed people, the longer it will take to die. And it really needs to die because it gives people with yellow screens false hope.

I havent heard anything logical to counter that viewpoint and the employees were likely told to say that strait from Apple to reduce faulty returns.

 

[joshwithachance]

A slightly yellow screen is easier on the eyes anyway. I don't see why people complain so much.

 

[netnothing]

A slightly yellow screen is easier on the eyes anyway. I don't see why people complain so much.

A slightly warmer screen can be nice. But sometimes it's not uniform. Like both my rMini and my Air have a slight yellow tint that doesn't cover the entire screen. So on the rMini is starts about 2/3 down the screen towards the home button. On the Air it's the left 1/3 of the screen.

It's EXTREMELY subtle....but it's annoying once you see it....sometimes it's difficult to not see it.

I'd rather have a slight yellow warmness to the screen and have it be uniform.

-Kevin