Dead Pixels everywhere on Apple Displays

[iGav]

Originally posted by dubweiser
Yeah that would be nice. But what you forget is that this can happen after they are boxed up. I used to work at CompUSA. Those boxes arent treated like glass. They are tossed around, bumped, moved, jostled, etc. So a display might be perfect when leaving the factory, but once it reached a customer living room, it could have a dead pixel.

Exactly..... dead or stuck pixels can just occur, you can literally turn off your PowerBook one night and it'll be fine.... turn it back on the next morning and you have a dead or a stuck pixel....

Dead and stuck pixels are just part of TFT displays... and it affects EVERY computer manufacturer.....

But I do agree that ALL companies should be forced to display a warning that TFT displays are prone to stuck and dead pixels!

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by iGAV
Exactly..... dead or stuck pixels can just occur, you can literally turn off your PowerBook one night and it'll be fine.... turn it back on the next morning and you have a dead or a stuck pixel....

And to back up the argument above..... I switched my PowerBook on today, and hey presto I've got 7 dead pixels splattered all over the screen...... with 3 in a diagonal row in the centre of it....

I'm ringing Apple on Monday morning.....

 

[Philoman]

Originally posted by iGAV
Exactly..... dead or stuck pixels can just occur, you can literally turn off your PowerBook one night and it'll be fine.... turn it back on the next morning and you have a dead or a stuck pixel....

Dead and stuck pixels are just part of TFT displays... and it affects EVERY computer manufacturer.....

iGAV, regarding your last two comments, you stated that that is how it is, but once it happens to you, your disposition about this issue turns around.

You were aware that your computer could very well have dead pixels but you are not willing to accept the fate of your condition as well as your statement.

This is a perfect example, when it happens to you, you know the feeling of being screwed and hits home.

I am sorry that it has also affected you. Hope you are able to get another one. BUYERS, BE AWARE! GO TO A PLACE WHERE THEY WILL UNCODITIONALLY ACCEPT RETURNS IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED!

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by Philoman
iGAV, regarding your last two comments, you stated that that is how it is, but once it happens to you, your disposition about this issue turns around.

You were aware that your computer could very well have dead pixels but you are not willing to accept the fate of your condition as well as your statement.

This is a perfect example, when it happens to you, you know the feeling of being screwed and hits home.

I am sorry that it has also affected you. Hope you are able to get another one. BUYERS, BE AWARE! GO TO A PLACE WHERE THEY WILL UNCODITIONALLY ACCEPT RETURNS IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED!

Did you actually read my post in page 2??? because it really doesn't appear that you did..... So I'll go through my experiences with you in more detail, and hope that you can actually be bothered to read them this time!!

My previous PowerBook G4 suffered a similar fate.... at first it had a dead pixel, it was slightly annoying, I checked with Apple, I was told at the time that they only considered replacing after 3 pixels were either dead or stuck... they explained the manufacturing process, and the tolerances that the screen manfacturers put on them!

I can live with one dead pixel, that is not a problem, and many computer companies will not replace a screen if there is just one dead or stuck pixel.... for economic reasons this would be pretty bad, and the prices of TFT displays would rocket through the roof... simple as that!! And has been stated in this thread earlier.... that iBook/PowerBook/iMac G4 would become even more expensive as a result!!

After 6 months, that screen developed a serious screen fault, with some 50 stuck and dead pixels clustered in the centre of the screen like Elma Fudd had just fired his shotgun through it!! The screen was replaced under warranty with no problem.

The replacement screen had a dead pixel..... I CAN LIVE WITH A DEAD PIXEL..... I understand the problems of producing a perfect TFT screen! so I've had experience of this before..... I know that this affects every computer manufacturer!

I also had a dead pixel on my PowerBook G3 Pismo..... I CAN LIVE WITH THAT.... it's the tolerences of the company that produces them, and every single PC manufacturer in the world is affected by the same production limitations, whether it be Sony (I have a Sony TFT display as a second monitor that has a dead pixel, Sony will not replace it for just one dead pixel I checked!) or Dell or anyone.... And PC's do ship with TFT's that have a stuck or dead pixel here or there!

Now with my current PowerBook I've been lucky enough to have the perfect screen, no faults at all..... in one of the posts above, I elaborated on a previous post about dead pixels occuring either in transit or something as simple as switching your machine off one night, and returning to it the next morning, and as such you cannot expect Apple to QA every machine and expect that that machine will end up in the customers hands without a dead or stuck pixel! Because the logistics of shipping and handling and delivering can affect the condition of the machine outside of Apples control.

Now in one of my posts in page 2, I quite clearly explain my experience with Applecare regarding this subject.... and as such if I was sat here with my PowerBook and it had just 2/3 dead pixels then I know from previous Apple experience that I would not be considered for a replacement screen as it is within the tolerences I was told (other people have had different explanations from Apple, but I can only speak for myself) and as such I wouldn't have a problem with that and I'm really not going to waste my life worrying about it...

But because I have 7.... YES 7 dead pixels, over twice as many as I was told by Applecare UK and Germany before they would consider replacement then I am (and quite rightly so) going to call Apple and check to see whether this makes my PowerBook eligible for a replacement screen.

Now I don't doubt for one moment that there is a very real possibility of the replacement screen (if I am eligible for a replacment that is) having a dead or stuck pixel.... and as I said earlier, and is demonstrated through all my previous posts I CAN LIVE WITH THAT... it's part and parcel of every single TFT display produced that there is always a possibilty that there is going to be 1 or 2 iffy pixels.... that's the way it is, but when a fault is over the accepeted tolerences set by the manufacturer then of course I am going to push for a repair...

So before you go off on one.... get your facts straight...

 

[Riko19]

im scared to get a dead pixel on my screen i dont want one its not fair if i get one, when u fork out nery 3000 quid for a laptop pwerbook 17 incher one thing you dont want is a dead pixel.

my commiserations to ppl who have em...

 

[MacsRgr8]

I seems there are more dead/stuck pixels in the world than I thought.
I wonder what designers, think of that. If I were a pro in need of an excellent monitor, I would have thought choosing the 23" Cinema Display would fit my needs. Regarding the price, you would expect a perfect monitor. What if te salesman told you: "mind you, it's possible there are a couple of dead/stuck pixels on it.... and there's nothing you can do about it". I would ask him to show the monitor to me first before buying it. On account of how many malfunctioning pixels, I would do something about the price.
Or buy a CRT.

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by MacsRgr8
I seems there are more dead/stuck pixels in the world than I thought.
I wonder what designers, think of that. If I were a pro in need of an excellent monitor, I would have thought choosing the 23" Cinema Display would fit my needs. Regarding the price, you would expect a perfect monitor. What if te salesman told you: "mind you, it's possible there are a couple of dead/stuck pixels on it.... and there's nothing you can do about it". I would ask him to show the monitor to me first before buying it. On account of how many malfunctioning pixels, I would do something about the price.
Or buy a CRT.

I'm a designer..... and pretty much all of the TFT displays I've ever owned have had some kind of fault.... a couple of dead pixels really doesn't make much of a difference and in most cases are barely noticeable unless your really go hunting for them.....

Stuck pixels are another matter althogether, something glowing bright red, green or blue in a place that is distracting can be a real pain, and I totally understand why people get hacked off with stuck pixels, sometimes you can massage them out... othertimes you can't....

As for the price, well the other side of the argument would be that the current price allows for a certain number of faults.... if they were to produce a perfect TFT and sell it, on every single product that shipped then the price could easily double and more likely treble+!

The numbers of TFT screens that get destroyed because of the difficulty in the manufacturing process is huge...... the process simply does not produce a fault free screen everytime!

You can certainly ask to check the screen before you buy..... if it has a couple of dead or stuck pixels then the price is very, highly unlikely to be reduced, because in the eyes of the screen manufacturer, this is of an exceptable amount.

Remember though with a portable you'll only be able to check the screen that the Mac displays on startup but before the OS is installed, as the DVD that the software comes on is sealed, and no shop is going to break that seal just for some joe to check the screen out! And you can't always notice a dead or stuck pixel that easily without a selection of flat background colours in R,G,B, then Black and White and a shade of grey!

CRT's are still the best choice for repro and artwork tasks.... but they flicker.... they screw your eyes up, they suffer screen burn, aren't as bright and they even have their own share of glitches and faults.... such as horizontal lines.....

 

[MacsRgr8]

It seems that "computing problems" are moving from the computer hardware (speed) to display hardware (quality)....
I understand what you're saying and you're right. Trouble is, it's not fair. An uncle of mine has bought an iMac FlatPanel about a year ago, and suffers from 2 stuck pixels. One is red (in the centre, which is very annoying), and the second is green (somewhere on the right side, not too bad). The company I work for have bought dozens of the FlatPanel iMac's, hardly a dead/stuck pixel amoung them. Once you know it's there you can't take your eye off it! I feel for my uncle, and he asked me if this was common. I had to say it wasn't, and now he feels a bit unfairly dealt with. He knows he can't do anything about it.

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by MacsRgr8
It seems that "computing problems" are moving from the computer hardware (speed) to display hardware (quality)....
I understand what you're saying and you're right. Trouble is, it's not fair. An uncle of mine has bought an iMac FlatPanel about a year ago, and suffers from 2 stuck pixels. One is red (in the centre, which is very annoying), and the second is green (somewhere on the right side, not too bad). The company I work for have bought dozens of the FlatPanel iMac's, hardly a dead/stuck pixel amoung them. Once you know it's there you can't take your eye off it! I feel for my uncle, and he asked me if this was common. I had to say it wasn't, and now he feels a bit unfairly dealt with. He knows he can't do anything about it.

TFT's have always been abit of a nightmare.... even my old JVC DV cam had a stuck pixel.... it's just the luck of the draw, hopefully the manufacturing process for TFT's will improve over time, and the quality will become better....

I know people that have laptops and desktop TFT displays some have pixel problems others never experienced them in there life.... it's unfortunate but at the moment it's still not spot on.....

Rule of thumb though is don't inspect your screen too closely just incase..... because as you say once you've found one, it's very, very difficult to take your mind off it!!

 

[MacsRgr8]

Originally posted by iGAV
.... it's unfortunate but at the moment it's still not spot on.....

Nice one.
Everyone getting a TFT should not go pixel-hunting. It's like the first scratch on your new car.... Once you've noticed it, it's terrible to live with, but it doesn't influence the usability, really.

 

[iGav]

Originally posted by MacsRgr8
Nice one.
Everyone getting a TFT should not go pixel-hunting. It's like the first scratch on your new car.... Once you've noticed it, it's terrible to live with, but it doesn't influence the usability, really.

Ha ha... you got that right... sometimes it's better not to look for problems on something!!

It'll be great when they can produce TFT's that are reliable, and cheaper!!

But given the choice of a dead or a stuck pixel.... I'd take the dead one everytime!!

 

[Grokgod]

Stuck pixels the bain of computer life.

I ahte stuck pixels, I have one of those personalites that refuses to lose!

I bought a Ti 800 and it arrived PERFECT!
I rolled the dice... and won.

I know that my time will come,
i want to upgrade to 1 ghz, but there is the
Stuck Pixel horror looming ahead.

I called a Apple store and asked if I can check out the laptop before I buy.

NOWAY, they said.
I said you mean to tell me that you want to sell me a computer that I can check out first for 3299$?

Your kidding, thats insane.

I was NOT going to do that under any circumstances.
I found a Apple reseller in my small town that will let me look at the screen before I buy it.
whew...

I had a friend that had a iMac that had a few stuck pixels and when I used it, it didnt bother me inthe least! Weird or not...~

if its someone elses I dont care.
but not mine, my life is marred enough..!

 

[Riko19]

well my fears have come alive, sell now im a switcher so yey to me. anyway yes it arrived today, but yes with one dead pixel noticed while just playing about, then lter on that night another pixel either appeared stuck, like a blue colour i tried with cloth and rubbing it a bit it did not go away, i only got this powerbook 17 incher today and im quite gutted and disapointed with it nw this has happened, will they give replacement powerbooks or just screens i got it from an authorised reseller, and they say they are flooded with orders right now, so what are the chances, do you think i go at the back of the que...it is a bitc.h

 

[mstecker]

Apple store in SoHo says "Yes"

I asked the other day at the Apple store SoHo whether they would let me "preview" a display. The short answer was "no", but the longer answer was that they were willing to:

- Let me buy one without looking.
- Let me take the just-purchased laptop up to their "workbench" room.
- Scan for bad pixels.
- If there was even one, they said that they would allow me to exchange the laptop without leaving the building.

Pretty close.

M.

 

[QCassidy352]

I just bought an ibook 14" at an apple store (king of prussia, PA). they would under no circumstances let me look at it before I bought it. It turned out to have one stuck pixel, bright green, right in the middle of the screen. Very annoying. I was able to massage it out though, and although it sometimes comes back, it can always be massaged away quickly. If you do massage a stuck pixel, I would add this to the other advice given: brace the back of the screen where the stuck pixel is with your other hand as you are rubbing. I was given this advice and it worked for me.

Even one stuck pixel, if situated poorly, can really be annoying.

 

[Riko19]

well im very happy with my purchase of my powerbook 17incher amazed by going to college and hearing its airport enabled, but only to 11mbps so duno how good that is yet...not tried it but college have 1000/base T so online games and fast downloads here i come baby! so are there like chat rooms been trying to use like i chat but cant find any frineds because i never used aol before oh well i just thought there may be like a chat powerbook site maybe possibly but i may be wrong

so if anyone has got this little powerbook come on how many times u been switching the lights on and off be honest

oh i found a blue pixel stuck but doesnt appear on top of the open windows seems strange but i dont know why it does this.

tried massagin it out but after powering down going bed waking up and next morning not there when on it .. hmmmnn strange but it dont bother me that much to replace it straight away seen as i am a neewbie to most mac technology all i know know is that sock in mouth because iknow mac is better than pc it runs so smooth its like watching melting ice cream its soo chilled out.....

 

[pianojoe]

None of 'em!

I had/have

300 MHz Clamshell iBook
500 MHz iBook
600 MHz iBook
800 MHz iBook
867 MHz Powerbook

None of the above had a single dead pixel.

 

[Philoman]

pianojoe, the wide spread cases of dead pixles in LCD screen seems to be a recent issue. I also have a PowerBook Pismo and it has no dead pixels.

I would say that Apple has lower their production standard on the recent LCD products most commonly evident on their Cinema '20 Displays.

Almost every unit is shipped with dead pixels! No joke. This is an intentional marketing plan to sell more units at lower prices so they can compete with the market at the expense of consumers getting products with bunch of dead pixels.

Apple goes further by telling consumers as if they are doing a favor to the consumers that consumers are getting good deals for these units with dead pixels. It's the advancement in technology that should lowers pricing not selling unacceptable goods for less. Is Apple trying to set a new industry stand?!

If Apple was penalized $100 for every pixle found on their LCD products, they would go out of business.

I own apple stocks and I'm not proud to make a profit that way!

 

[yzedf]

Originally posted by MacsRgr8
I seems there are more dead/stuck pixels in the world than I thought.
I wonder what designers, think of that. If I were a pro in need of an excellent monitor, I would have thought choosing the 23" Cinema Display would fit my needs. Regarding the price, you would expect a perfect monitor. What if te salesman told you: "mind you, it's possible there are a couple of dead/stuck pixels on it.... and there's nothing you can do about it". I would ask him to show the monitor to me first before buying it. On account of how many malfunctioning pixels, I would do something about the price.
Or buy a CRT.

CRT with a high refresh rate. That is what most pro's use, and for good reason.

 

[Rower_CPU]

The way I see it there are really only two things keeping LCDs from killing off CRTs at this point:

-Refresh rate
-Color fidelity

I think we'll see LCDs that equal or better CRTs in these areas this year. I'm already all LCD and my eyes are thanking me for it.

 

[Riko19]

i agree to the extent of colour quality its very impressive on the macs latop screens, the viewing angles on these powerbook 17 inches are great.
look at it at a 45 degree angle and its still perfect doesnt do out of focus or white.