Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Bought a RMBP today and notice a grey dot at the center area of the screen, took it back to the Apple store right away and a couple of the store's employees noticed it as well, did the full return and they apologized, much better customer service experience when compared to the past.
 
I found a stuck pixel on my retina MBP. I've tried the different methods of fixing stuck pixels (fast moving video looping) and it's still stuck. I'm aware of Apple's policy with stuck/dead pixels but should I go and see a genius?

Edit: I have also noticed some "ghosting" or image persistence.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1128.jpg
    IMG_1128.jpg
    198.1 KB · Views: 256
Last edited:
I found a stuck pixel on my retina MBP. I've tried the different methods of fixing stuck pixels (fast moving video looping) and it's still stuck. I'm aware of Apple's policy with stuck/dead pixels but should I go and see a genius?

Edit: I have also noticed some "ghosting" or image persistence.

Doesn't look like a stuck/dead pixel, it's too big for that pixel density. Notice how small the square pixels around it are in comparison. The only way something like that would be possible is a cluster of pixels got stuck near each other which is highly unlikely given the circular shape. I suggest sending it in to be replaced.
 
A few dead pixels don't bother me, but what is odd is that I haven't heard of anyone receiving a Retina Macbook with any dead pixels at all. With a lot of displays, occasionally somebody gets one, so I thought I'd see if any of you all have noticed this (or if Apple's quality check is really that good).

Not one dead pixel.
 
I found a stuck pixel on my retina MBP. I've tried the different methods of fixing stuck pixels (fast moving video looping) and it's still stuck. I'm aware of Apple's policy with stuck/dead pixels but should I go and see a genius?

Edit: I have also noticed some "ghosting" or image persistence.


Almost looks like a piece of dust....
 
You'd need a cluster of four dead pixels to even see them right? This is the new retina display yes? Unable to discern pixels on account of 4x the density? So you'd need a magnifying glass to even know?

No, not how it works. you can't differentiate pixels of same or similar colour at normal viewing distance, but you can still see a stuck pixel because it contrasts against things around it making it stand out.
 
Bad News: Thanks to this post I found a "bright spot" like the others, looks identical to the one shown here. It is in the lower right corner. I didn't really notice it till now. (Of course now it might as well have a red neon arrow pointing at it.)


Good News: Called Apple and they are sending me a new one, they even offer to let me upgrade to the 768SSD if I wanted. I ended up passing, though I was very tempted.
 
Good News: Called Apple and they are sending me a new one, they even offer to let me upgrade to the 768SSD if I wanted. I ended up passing, though I was very tempted.

They were just offering the opportunity to go to 768 and pay for the difference? I don't get it. I mean, you could have just ordered the 768 in the first place. Or did you buy one in the store?

If they were offering me the 768 fo' free, i'd be more than tempted. :cool:
 
I must have been pretty lucky — in all the years I've been buying Apple products — Powerbooks, iMacs, iPads, iPhones — I've only ever had one stuck pixel. It was on one of those anglepoise iMacs, and they had the panel replaced without fuss.
 
They were just offering the opportunity to go to 768 and pay for the difference? I don't get it. I mean, you could have just ordered the 768 in the first place. Or did you buy one in the store?

If they were offering me the 768 fo' free, i'd be more than tempted. :cool:

Yes, I'd have to pay the difference.

When they were processing the replacement, the guy asked " Are you ok with your current configuration or would you like to upgrade anything and just pay the difference."

I paused for a moment and asked about the 768 SSD, he said I could upgrade if I liked. The #1 reason I didn't get it in the 1st place was because on launch day the ship time was 4-5 weeks longer. (In fact, I could be wrong but I don't think 768's are still shipping.)

In the end, I decided not to go for it. But I came close. :)
 
1 dead/stuck pixel after 2 days

..mine (2.3ghz 8gb 256gig rMBP) was perfect out of the box on thursday but this evening a pixel died or stuck.. it is clearly visible as a white spec (or something close to white) against dark colors.. and is also noticeable (but less so) as a dark spec against light backgrounds.

I'm gonna bring it back to the "Compu B" store (no apple stores in Ireland) where i bought it tomorrow and see what they have to say. fingers crossed.

its also writing to usb thumb drives at an alarmingly slow speed.. no idea what that about! 5 mins for 2.5gb.. not good
 
its also writing to usb thumb drives at an alarmingly slow speed.. no idea what that about! 5 mins for 2.5gb.. not good

Unless it's a stick known/meant to go faster than that, I'd say that's not that unusual a speed for a standard thumb drive.
 
Doesn't look like a stuck/dead pixel, it's too big for that pixel density. Notice how small the square pixels around it are in comparison. The only way something like that would be possible is a cluster of pixels got stuck near each other which is highly unlikely given the circular shape. I suggest sending it in to be replaced.

Almost looks like a piece of dust....

I took another picture with my SLR because I think my iPhone was out of focus. Looks very weird... I will ring Apple tomorrow to see what they say.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9375.jpg
    IMG_9375.jpg
    103.9 KB · Views: 157
From what I've gathered over the past couple years with dead pixels popping up every once in a while:

If you find dead pixel(s) and they genuinely bother you, Apple will take care of it.

At least in all the situations I've witnessed, this is the case.
 
Yes, I'd have to pay the difference.

When they were processing the replacement, the guy asked " Are you ok with your current configuration or would you like to upgrade anything and just pay the difference."

I paused for a moment and asked about the 768 SSD, he said I could upgrade if I liked. The #1 reason I didn't get it in the 1st place was because on launch day the ship time was 4-5 weeks longer. (In fact, I could be wrong but I don't think 768's are still shipping.)

In the end, I decided not to go for it. But I came close. :)

Did you still have to send yours off first? I just noticed I have one dead pixel( or a cluster, or whatever). I'm heartbroken.
 
Not necessarily, since Apple pays more for these displays, the quality standards will be higher. My iPad never had a dead pixel.

Don't kid yourself, Apple has the highest profit per unit of any computer maker by more than three times. They use good components but actually pay less. Steve Jobs wielded all his power to put maximum pressure on vendors for the lowest prices.

As far as display panels, it's perfectly normal for some to have dead pixels. It's a by product of the manufacturing process. Do your research & you'll see.

The best approach if you're paranoid is inspect your new product carefully when first using it. If you see some then take it to an Apple store. If that's not possible call them.

Posting here won't help you.
 
Did you still have to send yours off first? I just noticed I have one dead pixel( or a cluster, or whatever). I'm heartbroken.

I just got my RMBP in the mail and the first thing I did was scour it for dead pixels because I've had these on multiple Apple products, including my previous MBP and my first iPad 2. Guess what, I have one again :-(. Is it me? Why do I get all of the defective screens?!
 
I got my macbook pro retina today. It has about 5 dead pixels

+ scratches around the trackpad area.
+ Milling fault on the top of the keyboard cut out.
+ dent inside the magsafe port.

Getting the machine swaped.

I don't think that the pack-ageing around the laptop is sufficient at all either. I imagine the screens mostly had the dead/stuck pixels when they are manufactured, however, drop/ect from the courier might be a cause for the shear amount of dead pixel problems we are seeing around.
 
Did you still have to send yours off first? I just noticed I have one dead pixel( or a cluster, or whatever). I'm heartbroken.

No, they are sending me a new one first.
Then I send back my bad one, had to sign a paper authorizing that if I don't send the old one back they can charge me for it.
 
After four long weeks, my new RMBP was delivered today. I scoured the screen, and everything looked to be okay. Shortly after, I used a SetResX to run native resolution, and much to my dismay, I found a dead pixel in the center of the screen. I was heartbroken, truly. I was legitimately upset, and planned on booking an appointment at the Genius Bar as soon as my shift ended. Before I made the call, I did some research online, and I was able to fix my dead (black) pixel.

Here is what I did to fix the dead pixel myself
**Do this at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage you may cause your display by following this tip.

I found several tools online that claim to 'unstick' dead / stuck pixels. I decided to go with jscreenfix, which runs natively in OS X using java. I ran this for about 12 minutes (it recommends 20), checked, and the dead pixel remained. I ran it again for the full 20, checked, still no success.

I did some further searching, and found a post by a man who claimed he's be fixing dead pixels for years by "gently massaging them" with his finger. It seemed far-fetched, but a few other posters had chimed in, claiming success with this strategy.

I ran jscreenfix again during this procedure (behind the dead pixel, obviously). I wrapped my microfiber cloth around my finger, and applied very gentle pressure to the spot with the dead pixel while bracing the back of the monitor with my other hand. I used a soft press and release / rubbing technique, literally massaging the area. I did this for about 30 to 40 seconds, increasing the amount of pressure I applied over time. Towards the end I was applying firm pressure (about a 6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10). When I checked again, the stuck pixel was gone. I verified this with different solid background images, and the jscreenfix dead pixel locator.

Please remember that this is a glass display, and pressing too hard may cause permanent damage. That said, I would recommend giving this a try. The jscreenfix license cost me $3.50, and the microfiber cloth was included with my RMBP. I was so relieved when this worked. There aren't even words.
 
After three weeks with no screen issues, suddenly I too have a dead pixel/bright spot. Taking it in today to see what the Genius says.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.