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Rev. E 17" PowerBook mini review
- Thread starter tekmoe
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me too!
I noticed this too on my new 15" and found it quote annoying. I did find one thing on apple's site saying they had changed the beahviour of the light during a reboot but doesn't explicitly mention anything about it being related to the display going to sleep.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302586
I didnt notice there was a difference in the flicker though, I am glad to hear there is one, I was concerned that I wouldnt be able to tell when it was actually in sleep.
I noticed this too on my new 15" and found it quote annoying. I did find one thing on apple's site saying they had changed the beahviour of the light during a reboot but doesn't explicitly mention anything about it being related to the display going to sleep.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302586
I didnt notice there was a difference in the flicker though, I am glad to hear there is one, I was concerned that I wouldnt be able to tell when it was actually in sleep.
tekmoe said:
I'm glad they decided to turn on that LED when the display goes to sleep. It's really hard to tell if it's turned on, otherwise, just by glancing at it. I wonder if they'll implement that in 10.4.3. What is the build number of the OS on the new PowerBooks? I'd bet it's newer than what I'm running.
I'm glad it's not covered in LEDs, but something to indicate power state is, I think, important.
I'm glad it's not covered in LEDs, but something to indicate power state is, I think, important.
I got my 17" this morning, same configuration as the original poster
100gb 7200 momentus drive
standard everything else
I am not happy with the screen to say the least - the viewing angle on it is extremely poor. There is no good angle at which I can see the image without some sort of darkening somewhere.
Not to mention the very strange dark ghosting in the bottom corners
I'm very close to returning the whole thing.
there are already posts on Appleinsider and the Apple forums about this issue.
It's not isolated, and it seems to be a general quality issue with the 17" LCDs.
I'm pretty upset right now.
100gb 7200 momentus drive
standard everything else
I am not happy with the screen to say the least - the viewing angle on it is extremely poor. There is no good angle at which I can see the image without some sort of darkening somewhere.
Not to mention the very strange dark ghosting in the bottom corners
I'm very close to returning the whole thing.
there are already posts on Appleinsider and the Apple forums about this issue.
It's not isolated, and it seems to be a general quality issue with the 17" LCDs.
I'm pretty upset right now.
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tekmoe said:
I also have the video flicker issue.
I just starting using my new PowerBook (same configuration as you, except I have 1.5MB of memory.
Words cannot express how sad I will be if I need to return this beauty. But, I don't plan on setting it up until 10.4.3 comes out given how shoddy Tiger is right now, so I'd love to hear from Apple ASAP if this is a hardware and not a software issue.
Man, I hope this is just a software issue...
Chrispy said:Just a possible solution to your screen flicker... you may want to turn off automatic screen brightness adjustment in the system preferences under displays. I had that on a 15" powerbook I had for awhile and it drove me nuts... took me a bit to figure out that was the culprit. Once I turned it off I never had the problem againCongrats on the new system!
PICS PLEASE!
Thanks for the tip, and I really, really hope your trick works.
I noticed this problem right away, and am crushed.
I will be most relieved if this is just a software problem. It'll be even better if it is fixed in 10.4.3. Just as long as it is not a hardware issue requiring a return to Apple.
cinder said:
My first 15" Powerbook came with the same issue. Went out and purchased a second 15" Powerbook - it is exactly the same. I am keeping the second Powerbook as the first one also had a dead pixel and problems with the right hand side of the screen. I haven't had any other screen issues (as yet) with either - they are both standard (i.e. no hard drive upgrades etc.).
tekmoe said:
Yep. Both my new 15" Powerbooks have this feature.
Chef Medeski said:Yeah, I would have defintely bought it if it hadn't cost three times as much as my puny 12". I personally would rather go for 2 PBs to get a 24" than one which costs more and has a measily 17"
2 12'' PB=3000+tax
1 17'' PB= 2500+tax
If your PB = 1/3 of a new 17'' PB you paid 833.3+tax for it. Were did u get your 12'' PB
Busted dreams of a 17" PowerBook user.
Seriously though Apple seems to have screen issues with the 14" and above. I had a dead pixel and some shadowing on my original PB G3 Pismo. I never had any issues with the 12" iBook G4 though (it was perfect).
Seems the thin frame of the PowerBook could be an issue, not sure just speculating.
Get it together Apple, you are charging a lump sum for these systems.
Seriously though Apple seems to have screen issues with the 14" and above. I had a dead pixel and some shadowing on my original PB G3 Pismo. I never had any issues with the 12" iBook G4 though (it was perfect).
Seems the thin frame of the PowerBook could be an issue, not sure just speculating.
Get it together Apple, you are charging a lump sum for these systems.
RHMMMM said:
No, as usual I argued until they went my way. It also helped that I wanted to get an iMac G5 to replace it so they knew they were not completely loosing a customer. Also, it was not a BTO unit so that made things easier. I have been able to return BTO units in the past tho as long as you politely plead your case.
the dead pixel is slowly starting to irritate me. how much arguing would i have to do to try and get another 17"?
i am thinking i could call apple and basically tell them "hey, my friend and i both order 17" powerbooks. his is perfect but mine has 1 dead pixel. why did i have to pay the same price for something that is not as good?"
or i could say "i've been trying to live with this dead pixel but it is bothering me more and more. i am just not satisfied. can you please help?"
something alone those lines might get myself a replacement? but then i am scared i might get another 17" with even more dead pixels.
honestly, the dead pixel does not affect my work. it just hurts to see other people getting 17" powerbooks with no dead pixels at all. that's what i want. if everyone got a 17" with one dead pixel, it would be much more easy to deal with.
i am thinking i could call apple and basically tell them "hey, my friend and i both order 17" powerbooks. his is perfect but mine has 1 dead pixel. why did i have to pay the same price for something that is not as good?"
or i could say "i've been trying to live with this dead pixel but it is bothering me more and more. i am just not satisfied. can you please help?"
something alone those lines might get myself a replacement? but then i am scared i might get another 17" with even more dead pixels.
honestly, the dead pixel does not affect my work. it just hurts to see other people getting 17" powerbooks with no dead pixels at all. that's what i want. if everyone got a 17" with one dead pixel, it would be much more easy to deal with.
tekmoe said:
Sadly, that's just the luck of the draw. Dead pixels are becoming increasingly rare, but they still pop up now and again on computers. I can't think of any company off the top of my head that has a zero dead pixel guarantee, but I seem to recall that one might exist. This is largely a gimmick to steal customers from competitors.
In all fairness, one in 1.76 million is a pretty good failure rate. And if it's not dead and instead "stuck," it's one bad subpixel in 5.29 million. If everything had similar defect ratios, we'd have a world full of amazing products.
I would go with your second option--just letting them know that the dead pixel is bothering you a little. I wouldn't treat the rep as though you deserve a replacement or even mention any other PowerBooks. It's like asking for a partial refund on a lottery ticket because you didn't win. If they're generous, they might offer to waive the restocking fee if it's not BTO. On the other hand, since it's not bothersome enough to return, they'll probably just explain that they can't guarantee flawless displays and apologize.
tekmoe said:
Where is the pixel located? If you really want them to take care of you tell them that you use the computer for design work and the dead pixel poses a real issue for you. In my case, I do desktop publishing and design so this is true and when I got a powerbook with a dead pixel awhile back I argued this point to them and got the exchange... and that was on a BTO. Also, even tho this may seem questionable, try to find any little thing on the computer.... one key on the keyboard not aligned properly, screen not closing perfectly, border around aluminum enclosure a little off... anything to add to the dead pixel. If they hear two issues they are more likely to do an exchange for you. Also, if you ask for an exchange they are much more likely to give you what you want because you are showing you really want to use that computer but you just want one that works. The design work being affected by the dead pixel argument has always worked for me. Best of luck and if you push your case you should get what you want.
Also, if the person you talk to does not give you the answer you want... call back and talk to someone else. It almost always works
Oh, and Dell has a no dead pixel guarantee... so you can mention that too.