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Is this the kiss of death

A

anatfizz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 23, 2011
9
0
My wife just returned from London and before she left there her MacBook was working very well. She went through security screening in Heathrow and like everyone else her computer was screened. When we booted it up this am to look at her pictures of her trip this is all that shows on her screen. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
 

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My guess is that it was on when it went through the scanner. And that's awkward.
 
travod said:
My guess is that it was on when it went through the scanner. And that's awkward.
Click to expand...

On as in standby mode in clamshell? or on as in computer was opened and screen was on while going through?

I can't see the latter as being the case.
 
tgi said:
On as in standby mode in clamshell? or on as in computer was opened and screen was on while going through?

I can't see the latter as being the case.
Click to expand...

I mean standby mode/sleep is on so there you go...
 
It would help if we had a higher res picture. When you look at it closely, and run your fingers over it, is the screen cracked or otherwise physically damaged?
 
it certainly does NOT need to be off when it goes through the scanner. That makes no difference. It looks like it got crushed
 
I've checked the screen and there are no major or minor cracks or anything of the sort. She does remember that her backpack fell from maybe 2-2.5ft, and that the computer was in the backpack but also within its own little cushioned cover. I actually just looked at the screen from the side and with the light hitting it just right I can see what looks like a ripple, for want of a better term, running from top to bottom in the screen. It's still under warranty so that's a good thing. I've hooked up the external HD to it and hopefully it's backing up on its own but I do recall backing it up before she'd left for her trip. Anyway, I have an appt with the Apple store tomorrow so I'll keep ya'll posted as to the final diagnosis.

Thank you again for your comments
 
anatfizz said:
I've checked the screen and there are no major or minor cracks or anything of the sort. She does remember that her backpack fell from maybe 2-2.5ft, and that the computer was in the backpack but also within its own little cushioned cover. I actually just looked at the screen from the side and with the light hitting it just right I can see what looks like a ripple, for want of a better term, running from top to bottom in the screen. It's still under warranty so that's a good thing. I've hooked up the external HD to it and hopefully it's backing up on its own but I do recall backing it up before she'd left for her trip. Anyway, I have an appt with the Apple store tomorrow so I'll keep ya'll posted as to the final diagnosis.

Thank you again for your comments
Click to expand...

Good luck, without wanting to be the bearer of bad news, I think it unlikely Apple will cover that under the warranty but they do sometimes pull out all the stops to help customers so you may get lucky.
 
Cool modern art. :)

Unless the geniuses find a dent that makes it obvious you dropped it, they should fix this for you.
 
Looks to me like something hit the soft spot where the apple logo is and cracked the LCD from the inside out.
 
That's a cracked LCD panel. You can search "Cracked LCD" on any of the major search engines and see similar images.

Google Image - Cracked LCD

The drop in the backpack could have done that but it seems unlikely. My guess would be it was damaged while being handled for scanning (the scan itself wouldn't damage it whatsoever).

Apple will declare this accidental damage, which is true as theres no reasonable way for this to happen otherwise, and not cover it under warranty unless you work something out with AppleCare / customer relations. Not placing blame on you or your wife, it's just a fact. More than likely this occurred from either a force from behind the lid's Apple logo or something heavy was placed on top of the display.

If I were in your shoes I would contact the airline and the security team at Heathrow and explain that your notebook was returned from screening damaged and that you would like to work out some sort of resolution. They may very well have signage up saying something to the effect of "Not responsible for lost/damaged items, check your belongings before you leave" but this still seems like something they might be inclined to take care of.

Between the airport folks and Apple's customer relations you may be able to get it repaired at little to no cost, it'll take work though as this is definitely not a standard warranty issue.

Good luck! I hope to hear a good resolution to this.
 
anatfizz said:
I've checked the screen and there are no major or minor cracks or anything of the sort. She does remember that her backpack fell from maybe 2-2.5ft, and that the computer was in the backpack but also within its own little cushioned cover. I actually just looked at the screen from the side and with the light hitting it just right I can see what looks like a ripple, for want of a better term, running from top to bottom in the screen. It's still under warranty so that's a good thing. I've hooked up the external HD to it and hopefully it's backing up on its own but I do recall backing it up before she'd left for her trip. Anyway, I have an appt with the Apple store tomorrow so I'll keep ya'll posted as to the final diagnosis.

Thank you again for your comments
Click to expand...

Apple is unlikely to cover this. But your home insurance or travel insurance may very well cover it.
 
Mr Rabbit said:
That's a cracked LCD panel.

The drop in the backpack could have done that but it seems unlikely. My guess would be it was damaged while being handled for scanning (the scan itself wouldn't damage it whatsoever).
Click to expand...

Isn't damage while being handled for scanning a lot less likely than damage from the drop?

When I go through security I'm asked to remove it from my bag and place it in one of those plastic tray/basket things. It then passes through the scanner and isn't touched again until I pick it up on the other end.

Ultimately though it really doesn't matter how it was damaged. It happened and it's not covered under warranty. :(
 
You don't even have to take your MacBook Air out when it goes through the x-ray if you have a TSA-approved bag. And the 11" doesn't have to be out of the bag even if you don't.
 
robvas said:
You don't even have to take your MacBook Air out when it goes through the x-ray if you have a TSA-approved bag. And the 11" doesn't have to be out of the bag even if you don't.
Click to expand...

guess you've never been to an airport in nyc. they don't care about TSA compliant cases LGA or JFK
 
So we took it to the Apple store and within 2 secs of seeing it the kid says "You've got a damaged/cracked LCD". Sees it a lot, especially with college kids who place their textbooks in their backpacks with the computers and unfortunately the computer is usually on the bottom. Anyway, price to fix was around $450, close to half the price of a new one. Surprisingly he then gave us another site to call in the LA area which he said would do the job at perhaps half the price. Guess again; when we talked to them they said that with the newer models (like from 2000 on, newer?) a job like this would be no less than the price quoted by Apple. I've called the credit card company we paid for it through but if anything is NOT warranted by Apple (or any company) then it's not warranted by the credit card company. And physical damage is NOT warranted by Apple. I still haven't contacted the Travel Insurance company we bought that type of insurance for this trip but she, the wife, thinks that we purchased insurance mainly for things like medical and travel. We'll see. LCD screens are very sensitive, so beware. Who knew? Not me. But now I do. I'll keep ya'll posted about the situation as it unfolds.
 
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