iPod touch iPod touch 3G - light leak; if light can get OUT, dust can get IN

[glossywhite]

Hi people. I purchased a 32Gb 3rd gen iPod touch last night. A few hours after unboxing it, I noticed a rather annoying "shimmer" from the left hand side of the screen, and upon closer inspection, I can see light leaking out, which seems to be caused by the rubber seal which sits inbetween the chrome bezel and the edge of the TFT, not sitting properly. This is very distracting, and detracts from the close to perfect quality I expect from Apple (and, in all fairness, I have experienced flawless products in 99.99% of cases ).



Now by my logic, if light can get out then dust and debris can get in, right?. Am I the owner of a faulty device, as £229 is not cheap for a music player?.

Anyone else had this issue - I know there are a few @ the official Apple forums.

Thanks

 

[mickbab]

Now by my logic, if light can get out then dust and debris can get in, right?.

By your logic, dust is going to go straight through the glass screen.

 

[glossywhite]

By your logic, dust is going to go straight through the glass screen.

That was a terrible attempt at humour, although I can see your point... but I think you're being pedantic!.

Would you put up with a gap between the frame of the car door, and the car body?. Similar issue, only you'd get a bit cold & wet instead.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

Dust might get in, but it would be a long time before that happens.

I think you've got two options here. You can try to seal up that area, or just take it back to Apple and see if they'll replace it. My iPod (same generation and model) doesn't do that, and I've never seen one that does. Hopefully Apple will replace it free of charge and that's that. Actually, since it's so near the date which you bought it, I can't imagine they wouldn't.

 

[glossywhite]

Dust might get in, but it would be a long time before that happens.

I think you've got two options here. You can try to seal up that area, or just take it back to Apple and see if they'll replace it. My iPod (same generation and model) doesn't do that, and I've never seen one that does. Hopefully Apple will replace it free of charge and that's that. Actually, since it's so near the date which you bought it, I can't imagine they wouldn't.

Why would it be a long time?. Upon what are you basing this comment?.

 

[metalhead777]

Take it back to the Apple Store and get a new one.

 

[glossywhite]

Take it back to the Apple Store and get a new one.

It's going back to "Argos", from whence it came!

 

[metalhead777]

It's going back to "Argos", from whence it came!

Ah, okay. Good luck to you with your new iPod Touch!

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

Why would it be a long time?. Upon what are you basing this comment?.

I'm basing my comment on the fact that light "particles" are significantly smaller than dust particles. Just because light is getting out doesn't mean dust will get in. Plus, being an iPod Touch, my assumption is that you're going to use it. The constant motion involved in using it will help prevent dust from working its way in.

In theory, light could be getting out through some sort of semi-opaque or transparent barrier. Thus no dust would get in at all. In other words, while the light leak is certainly something to look into and get fixed, it doesn't necessarily mean that dust will get in.

Put your iPod in a Ziplock bag and seal it. Turn it on. Is light getting out? Will dust get in?

 

[metalhead777]

I'm basing my comment on the fact that light "particles" are significantly smaller than dust particles. Just because light is getting out doesn't mean dust will get in. Plus, being an iPod Touch, my assumption is that you're going to use it. The constant motion involved in using it will help prevent dust from working its way in.

In theory, light could be getting out through some sort of semi-opaque or transparent barrier. Thus no dust would get in at all. In other words, while the light leak is certainly something to look into and get fixed, it doesn't necessarily mean that dust will get in.

Put your iPod in a Ziplock bag and seal it. Turn it on. Is light getting out? Will dust get in?

Very nice, very nice. Haha, good theory.

 

[glossywhite]

I'm basing my comment on the fact that light "particles" are significantly smaller than dust particles. Just because light is getting out doesn't mean dust will get in. Plus, being an iPod Touch, my assumption is that you're going to use it. The constant motion involved in using it will help prevent dust from working its way in.

In theory, light could be getting out through some sort of semi-opaque or transparent barrier. Thus no dust would get in at all. In other words, while the light leak is certainly something to look into and get fixed, it doesn't necessarily mean that dust will get in.

Put your iPod in a Ziplock bag and seal it. Turn it on. Is light getting out? Will dust get in?

You're evidently not an engineer. So why is there a rubber gasket running alongside the area where the light is leaking out? for fun? for aesthetic appeal?. I think it's pretty safe to say that photons are many orders of magnitude smaller than dust particles, but you wouldn't be able to see 10-20 photons, if the problem were caused by something on this scale - this is a GAP where light is leaking out, and dust can most certainly get in through it, and this is a known issue @ Apple.

 

[metalhead777]

You're evidently not an engineer. So why is there a rubber gasket running alongside the area where the light is leaking out? for fun? for aesthetic appeal?. I think it's pretty safe to say that photons are many orders of magnitude smaller than dust particles, but you wouldn't be able to see 10-20 photons, if the problem were caused by something on this scale - this is a GAP where light is leaking out, and dust can most certainly get in through it, and this is a known issue @ Apple.

My iPod Touch is just fine.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

You're evidently not an engineer. So why is there a rubber gasket running alongside the area where the light is leaking out? for fun? for aesthetic appeal?. I think it's pretty safe to say that photons are many orders of magnitude smaller than dust particles, but you wouldn't be able to see 10-20 photons, if the problem were caused by something on this scale - this is a GAP where light is leaking out, and dust can most certainly get in through it, and this is a known issue @ Apple.

No, I'm not an engineer (though my dad is, does that count? ). I understand that there's a rubber gasket there and that it's gapping where the light is coming out. I even acknowledged that in the post you quoted. Also, photons are so much smaller than dust particles that if a few thousand photons could get out, dust still couldn't fit in.

I'm not saying dust won't get in. I'm not saying you shouldn't fix it. I'm simply saying that it will likely take some time for dust to work its way in so it's not super-urgent. However, it seems like you think it is so just get it fixed right away.

 

[glossywhite]

I went back to the retailer, where they opened another one for me, which had the same issue. The third one (the last they had in stock) is perfect. If you pay good money, you expect good product, end of.

Happily resolved, although the shop assistant was not the most helpful and charismatic woman - she wanted to get rid of me, and palm me off with a refund. If my local Apple store was not over 30 miles away, I'd have gone to them.