Retina Repairs: The Neverending Story of dead pixels, IR and keyboard-to-screen marks

[Edswr]

I do love my rMBP, but it's not been without its problems.

First, I had a couple of "dead pixels" from the get-got, then a new one appeared around day 3. I wasn't looking for them, they were blatantly obvious being in the middle and bright.

The screen was replaced, on account of a probable defect in the glass. This was not before having to order a new screen in. Then when I dropped my laptop off I got a call 2 days later saying they didn't realise they needed to order a special repair kit (as it's new) so I waited a couple days more.

When I got it back, I noticed the screws weren't fully tight, the bottom plate was squishy and eventually snagged a leg hair. When I went in again I was told one of the screws was too long/threaded so would need a replacement. Strange considering the bottom plate was perfect when I got the laptop. This meant I had to wait (again) for the screws to come in and then come in myself for repair (again) at a later date.

Now I have noticed image retention. I wasn't looking for it but now I notice it all the time. Even worse, I've noticed on the actual glass of the display, there is what I can only describe as "pitting" in a horizontal line across the middle - exactly where the recess of the keyboard is below the spacebar.

The marks on the glass are worrying as I think that will happen whatever I do as it's the aluminium rubbing the glass. Has anyone else noticed this? I've kept my laptop on a very padded case when I transport it but obviously it's not enough.

 

[204353]

I feel your pain. Although my Retina MacBook Pro is fine, I've had MacBook Pros in the past that had multiple issues.

I guess you're one of the few unlucky ones. Sadly, it does happen that an unfortunate customer will get a run of defective units.

It really is worth sending 'em back over and over until you get one that you're happy with. It's a very expensive machine and you'll (probably) be using it for a long time, every day.

Regarding the marks on the display, has your Mac ever had any weight on it (even while in the case)? I make sure that I stand my backpack upright whenever I put it down to ensure that the laptop doesn't suffer the weight of my bag's contents. I developed this habit when my 2006 MacBook Pro developed marks on the body where the display housing had rubbed against the palm rests.

The Retina MacBook Pro is incredibly 'squashed' in comparison to the previous design, making the chances of internal rubbing far higher if pressure is applied to the display. And although I'm not going to try bending mine, I presume that the thinner display caves in more easily under pressure as well!

Regardless of the above, you may be able to include the display marks as part of your case for a defective machine.

 

[Edswr]

It's highly possible I've had some pressure against the lid although my laptop bag is VERY padded. I dont think it's very good though that they tout this machine as ultra-portable but then it requires the utmost care (read: paranoia) when you move it about just in case it scratches against itself.

I wouldn't feel confident returning it on the grounds of this issue as it is probably my fault (although it could be designed so it would not happen), but they ghosting thing is annoying.

I'm hoping it is just a screen replace with the retention issue, as I really can't be bothered to back up all my stuff (including my bootcamp partition which makes it even more complicated) to restore onto a new machine.

Can't help but think there's been some poor implementation with this release however. Like the screws thing and the staff not really aware of the nature of my problems. When I called the guy at Apple said he was unaware of this being a kind of "issue" but what I've read on this and other sights says there is a certain consistency to it all.

 

[204353]

Yeah, it's well-known that being an early adopter of a new Mac design is a bit risky. My 2006 MacBook Pro (the first ever Intel Mac, of course) was absolutely awful and had loads of problems, so I count myself lucky to have a seemingly fine Retina one now.

I read somewhere that LG-made displays in the rMBPs have a higher rate of this image-retention problem, whereas those made by Samsung (like mine, I'm guessing) seem to be unaffected.

I also read that LG ended up producing considerably more displays over the summer, leading to many of the replacements ending up with their ghosting panels.

While I can't verify these claims, it would explain why a significant number of rMBP owners have sent back their units for replacement, only to be given a new one with the same problem.

 

[austinguy23]

This forum is filled to the brim with posts about defective rMBPs. Contrast that with the MBA forum where it's filled with happy posts from people gushing about how their MBA is the second coming of Christ.

The rMBP is simply below Apple's typical standard of quality and reliability. That will start to change next summer with the Haswell edition as Apple will have identified and addressed a large number of these issues at that point (plus a bump in integrated graphics speed to eliminate lag).

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Simply put: some people are needy...and you are certainly one of them!