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New 15" powerbook defects

15" Superdrive Albook experience

I purchased a 15" Albook on sept 18th 03.

Delivery time of two weeks, and laptop recieved. When I opened the lid for the first time, the first thing I noticed was a huge 2cm white spot slap-bang in the centre of the screen. I decided to play with the machine a while to see if it had any other defects.


When I first closed the lid -- it actually sprung back open again, not good. Also, on closer inspection of the casing, i noticed that it was coming away just above the superdrive slot-load.



I contacted apple and because of a mess-up in delivery and their 10-day replacement warrenty, I was only entitled to having my machine repaired (which I think is an absolute joke!).

Since then, the laptop has been in and out of the shop twice, the first time being returned with a new screen, but a dented casing (thanks to the repair guy), and now, the logiboard has gone faulty too. They are apparently now gonna replace my laptop because its obviously a dud. I just hope the next isn't.



A. Nesbitt

Ordered sept 18th, so far I've had my laptop for 6 days - bloody joke.
 
D Key and White Spots

My D-key is a dud too, it stays down half the time after I've been using it for a while, and half the time when I'm just typing it doesn't register my press of it and I have to press down extra hard. I also have white spots (though not as noticable as some), so I'm sending mine back on Monday to get fixed. Out of three powerbooks at my school I know of (the 15" ones), two (including mine) have white spots. The other powerbook has spots and LINES of white which are even worse. Apple should really get their act together.

I've also read somewhere that the spots have something to do with supports for the big 15" screen, but I'm not sure how reliable that information is.

Kinda funny that I get the problems with my powerbook and NOT my cube which has performed flawlessly for three years. Oh well.

For those intersted in more of the powerbook problems, I would suggest going to Apple.com Powerbook Support Page and going to powerbook discussions. Lots of powerbook users have posted their problems and a few possible fixes

---ebuc
15" 1.25 Powerbook 2x512MB 80GB
450 Cube, 2x512MB and 1x64 MB 120GB
 
Re: 15" Superdrive Albook experience

Originally posted by nesbitt_a
Also, on closer inspection of the casing, i noticed that it was coming away just above the superdrive slot-load.
Click to expand...
That's the first I've heard of anyone else with that problem. I have two small spots there, one above the PC Card slot, and another tot he right of the power button. I can live with it though, because I couldn't got more than 2 days without it.
 
A few days ago, I received my first mac ever, a 15" Powerbook.

And i love it.

And just like you, i got cold feet (can i say that?) regarding it's quality, but mine is perfect

All keys work
No white spots
No dead pixels
Latch closes
Door is flat

This all is no guarantee you'll receive a perfect one, but keep your hopes up, i believe most of them are good.

Cuckoo
 
Dead Pixel

As soon as I opened my laptop there were two problems - the latch and a dead pixel the upper left portion of my screen. I went immediately to the Apple Store where they told me that neither was a problem.
 
Even my TiBook shipped with a faulty screen. Every computer will have some problems. I suppose the Albook latch is similar to the TiBook latch, one has to close it FAST for it to hold (or use 2 hands either side of the latch). Watch the movie "Daddy Daycare" and see how E. Murphy closes his Tibook. But yeah, always take a faulty machine to an AppleStore because they're usually more qualified to handle repair requests than phone operators.
 
Mine is superb,

No dead pixels
No warping
No keyboard issues
No latch problems

And no white spots which bothered me as the serial number is from the batch that had this problem apparently.

Finally broadband over Airport with a PB is the absolute dogs b's
 
Originally posted by nesbitt_a
For £2000, there shouldn't be any problems.
Click to expand...
My thoughts exactly. For a computer we had to wait SO long for and pay such a premium for (just because it's an Apple), widespread problems like this should not be occuring. They had plenty of time to work out bugs like this. I can't believe they didn't notice this problem in any of the models they tested before putting them on the market!
 
New powerbook.. finally

Apple have finally rewarded me with a new powerbook to replace the practically DOA model that they shipped to me.



I just hope my next machine is perfect -- if not, they'll be getting it back again.
 
@ Powerbook g5

I know that we ordered a 1,25ghz 5400rpm BTO model about the same time, and I'm lucky to not have gotten whitespots either (have had it for over a month).

But since you haven't got it either, i'm wondering if you have been moving your pb around a lot?
I have read that people that travel with their pb a lot have gotten it after a while.

I have rarely moved my pb with me, and I'm afraid that I may get whitespots if I start to move it a lot.
Have you been very careful while taking it with you?

Do you know if every powerbook 15" Al can get whitespots, or is it just a few of all the pb's sold?
I'm very happy with my pb, except that I'm afraid to get the whitespots and start sending it in and so on.

Thanks!
 
I've posted this to the another thread, but my powerbook has been declared DOA on the 4th day since I received the powerbook. What's interesting is that I'm still waiting for my replacement, and rumors are that it will be till mid-december till I get my replacement. In the meanwhile, this is what I'm living with

whitespot.jpg
 
Icekey, can you post a picture of your screen with the same backround, but with full brightness?

I would like to see if they are as visible then.

Thanks.
 
I still think it's bizarre how it only shows up on a white background. And when I saw the second picture, I thought there might have been a crack of some sort on your screen, but then I realized it was a panther :eek:
 
It's to do with the light. LCDs can't display light, thus they need the backlight to emit the light for them. So these white spots are basically bruising on the LCD, so more light is emitted through then the normal ones. So when you have a black screen, the light that comes through is minimal, thus you won't really see it. And when you have the display on the brightest, since most of the light of the other areas are bright, you won't really see the spots. Unfortunatley for mine, and many others, the extent of this has become pretty bad that you can't hide it even on the brightest setting. The only way is to have a dark background, which I am doing.
 
I made an all white background and turned my brightness all the way down but I don't think I have any spots. If I stare long enough I think my eyes are playing tricks on me and making me think there could be one but I have to stare at it about 3 inches away from the screen for a minute before it even looks like it. I hope I don't develop this issue, but honestly, if I never heard of it, I doubt I'd ever notice it becoming one.
 
Since Apple is taking responsible for these white spots, I think it's okay for you to do this. Try pushing the back of the LCD and see if you get a pool forming on your LCD. If you do, that those are the spots that you'll get your white smudges. If you don't, then you probably have the newer models. Basically what happens is that everytime you close the lid or carry the laptop around apply pressure, this pool forms. If you keep doing it, the lcd gets bruised and you'll get the spots.
 
Do you have to press hard? I pressed random areas of the lid but don't see any visual rippling going on with my screen. My older PowerBook G3 would ripple over any little shake, touch, or jolt, though, so I am surprised this one is so solid. I guess it's because of the aluminum instead of the plastic shell.
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
Do you have to press hard? I pressed random areas of the lid but don't see any visual rippling going on with my screen. My older PowerBook G3 would ripple over any little shake, touch, or jolt, though, so I am surprised this one is so solid. I guess it's because of the aluminum instead of the plastic shell.
Click to expand...

After all I've read on the apple discussion board, everyone who has the white spots has a rippling effect when the push the lid. The people that have gotten good displays back have said that it feels more solid and no more ripple effect when the push on the lid. It seems quite a few people have gotten them back this week and all of them have glowing reviews.
 
I tried pushing the back of my pb too, but I didn't see anythig either.
Mine was sent from apple 23 september as a BTO model. (5400rpm HD)
I don't have any white spots, and if what you say is right, then it doesn't seem like I will be getting any either.

Well I hope not, because I have had it for over a month now, and still no white spots.
 
I ordered mine the day it came out as a BTO, also, but I don't have the display pool issue, so I hope I just got lucky or that somehow the BTO models got a slightly different display run because of the extra day or two delay it took to build due to the BTO nature of the orders. Either way, after a month and a half of bonding with this PowerBook and customizing it extensively, I would be really upset, even if Apple did replace it if it became defective, due to the customizing I've done and the need I have to keep it due to school requiring that I have a computer just about at all times.
 
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