Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Not returning--am I nuts?

spiderman0616

spiderman0616

Suspended
Original poster
Aug 1, 2010
5,670
7,505
I've posted about this before, but the situation is a bit different now, so I'm going to ask again.

I returned my first iPad 2 for dust specks under the screen. I had it for about a month when I noticed the first one, and then one turned into two turned into four or five. They exchanged it for me as a "one time courtesy" but claimed that it was "in spec". This unit had very very little light bleed.

My second one is 99.99% light bleed free, even better than the first one. It has a dead pixel near the edge of the screen that really doesn't bother me because I rarely look there anyway. But it also has some residue stuck to the underside of the glass. It's not dust--looks like little grey spots in a dotted dime sized pattern. These spots are not visible unless I'm looking at the screen in direct flourescent light and the screen is off. In regular lighting when I'm not looking for the spots I can't see them and they are not present at all when the screen is on.

I wouldn't bother returning for the dead pixel, because under three is within spec for that problem, and I don't want to waste a trip to the Apple store for something that's not bugging me. And I think I could have returned for the gray spots when I first got my replacement, but that was months ago and I'd bet that now they will not do anything about it. I also don't want to give up my screen that doesn't bleed, return it for one that does bleed, and then be told "sorry, we can't exchange again". And then there's that vicious exchange cycle you can get in.

In general I am happy with my iPad as far as all the things I'm doing with it, but I'm trying to get over the hump of that grey gunk bugging me all the time, even though I have to really look for it to see it. My co-workers and my wife tell me it would be a waste of time to go and return for such a small and unnoticeable issue.

Thoughts?
 
Just be happy with what you have. It seems like you'll always find SOMETHING that is not to your 100% liking on any ipad 2 you receive.

It's also pretty sad that people have to worry about light bleed so much with ipad 2s. I don't know of any other tablet that has had such issues, including the ipad 1.
 
tstarks33 said:
Just be happy with what you have. It seems like you'll always find SOMETHING that is not to your 100% liking on any ipad 2 you receive.

It's also pretty sad that people have to worry about light bleed so much with ipad 2s. I don't know of any other tablet that has had such issues, including the ipad 1.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is. Both units I've had have been more than acceptable, but I have seen pictures of some nasty bleed that definitely would have bothered me.
 
spiderman0616 said:
I've posted about this before, but the situation is a bit different now, so I'm going to ask again.

I returned my first iPad 2 for dust specks under the screen. I had it for about a month when I noticed the first one, and then one turned into two turned into four or five. They exchanged it for me as a "one time courtesy" but claimed that it was "in spec". This unit had very very little light bleed.

My second one is 99.99% light bleed free, even better than the first one. It has a dead pixel near the edge of the screen that really doesn't bother me because I rarely look there anyway. But it also has some residue stuck to the underside of the glass. It's not dust--looks like little grey spots in a dotted dime sized pattern. These spots are not visible unless I'm looking at the screen in direct flourescent light and the screen is off. In regular lighting when I'm not looking for the spots I can't see them and they are not present at all when the screen is on.

I wouldn't bother returning for the dead pixel, because under three is within spec for that problem, and I don't want to waste a trip to the Apple store for something that's not bugging me. And I think I could have returned for the gray spots when I first got my replacement, but that was months ago and I'd bet that now they will not do anything about it. I also don't want to give up my screen that doesn't bleed, return it for one that does bleed, and then be told "sorry, we can't exchange again". And then there's that vicious exchange cycle you can get in.

In general I am happy with my iPad as far as all the things I'm doing with it, but I'm trying to get over the hump of that grey gunk bugging me all the time, even though I have to really look for it to see it. My co-workers and my wife tell me it would be a waste of time to go and return for such a small and unnoticeable issue.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
It would bug me also, regardless of what my wife and co-workers thought. It's easy for other people to make that call because they didn't drop $600-$800 for a premium tablet. Nowhere in the spec. chart on Apple's site did it say, "dried spots mixed with dust and some dead pixels" for "no extra charge".
This tablet should meet or exceed YOUR expectations, it hasn't. Let them know and return it, I would.
 
If it's bothering you consistently, and I don't mean bothering you like you see it all the time, even if you don't see it that often - just knowing it's there can bother you too, I woudl return it. the iPad 2 is such an amazing piece of design and I love just staring at it and basking in the technological wonder, and any imperfection would take away from that. If it were me, I would exchange it and thoroughly inspect the one they give you before you leave the Genius Bar.
 
miamialley said:
Pic?

You guys with your light bleed worries make me laugh.
Click to expand...

I have a pic on the light bleed thread--I can't get to it at work to post it again, but for all intents and purposes it's light bleed free. You would never be able to see the little gray marks if I took a picture of it.
 
spiderman0616 said:
I have a pic on the light bleed thread--I can't get to it at work to post it again, but for all intents and purposes it's light bleed free. You would never be able to see the little gray marks if I took a picture of it.
Click to expand...

Oh, sorry I wanted a pic to see the gray stuff. It's hard for me to say I'd handle it if I can't see the issue.
 
spiderman0616 said:
These spots are not visible unless I'm looking at the screen in direct flourescent light and the screen is off. In regular lighting when I'm not looking for the spots I can't see them and they are not present at all when the screen is on.
Click to expand...

This is the first time I've responded to one of these posts where someone is asking for advice on something that is really a personal issue. Only you can decide whether you can accept this. But since you asked, in my opinion you have answered your own question by your statement which I've quoted.

The iPad is a tool. It's not a work of art, although it does have a nice design. If you can't see the screen defect while the iPad is in use, I would let it go. It's also good practice for other more serious problems in life.

Notwithstanding the cost of these tablets, they are mass-produced. Apple is popping them out of the oven like muffins from a bakery. They aren't fabricated to NASA standards. If you're very lucky, you might buy one without a defect (in your judgment). However, the chances are that if you return this one, you may end up with an iPad that has some other issue (in your judgment).

So, since you asked: Keep this one and start using it. In a year or so, you'll probably buy a newer model anyway.
 
Smoothie said:
This is the first time I've responded to one of these posts where someone is asking for advice on something that is really a personal issue. Only you can decide whether you can accept this. But since you asked, in my opinion you have answered your own question by your statement which I've quoted.

The iPad is a tool. It's not a work of art, although it does have a nice design. If you can't see the screen defect while the iPad is in use, I would let it go. It's also good practice for other more serious problems in life.

Notwithstanding the cost of these tablets, they are mass-produced. Apple is popping them out of the oven like muffins from a bakery. They aren't fabricated to NASA standards. If you're very lucky, you might buy one without a defect (in your judgment). However, the chances are that if you return this one, you may end up with an iPad that has some other issue (in your judgment).

So, since you asked: Keep this one and start using it. In a year or so, you'll probably buy a newer model anyway.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response. I'm not like this with gadgets usually, but I'm very picky about my Apple stuff for some reason. There are a lot of people out there who will exchange and exchange and exchange until perfection is achieved, and I don't want to be like that. It's just hard to figure out what the line is. I'm sure there are zillions of Apple products out there that have these minor imperfections, but most of the people who buy them are not nearly as neurotic about it as I am. I was like this with my iPhone 4 and then when I got a "good" one, the home button flaked out and they had done so many exchanges already I had a hard time convincing them to help me.

So, I don't want to wear out their good will by doing another exchange. I do fully plan on upgrading to whatever next year's model is and these minor flaws will be in the past anyway. I also don't enjoy driving 30 minutes one way out to the Apple store and potentially dealing with a jerky genius. (They're kind of hit and miss at my local one, probably due to people like me.)
I have an appointment scheduled--just trying to decide if I'm going to go to it or not.
 
This tablet should meet or exceed YOUR expectations...
Click to expand...

If the expectations are reasonable, that is. Not saying the OP is guilty of this, but perfectionism in general is just uber-obsessiveness at best.
 
TheWheelMan said:
If the expectations are reasonable, that is. Not saying the OP is guilty of this, but perfectionism in general is just uber-obsessiveness at best.
Click to expand...

I will be first to admit that my expectations are not reasonable. I know from my iPhone 4 that the more swaps I do, the more OC I will get about each subsequent unit. I think a lot of posters on MacRumors have fallen into that trap. And then when my iPhone had a serious mechanical issue with the home button they were reluctant to help me because I could never get it to happen in the store. I want to avoid this pattern with my iPad 2. I also don't want to be that whiner that walks into a store and all the employees are like, "oh god, he's back again".

When I first decided to get an iPad 2, I vowed to myself not to get like this about it, so I'm fighting the temptation. I do have way more important things to worry about in my life.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back