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Single Dead Pixel rMBP

striker33

striker33

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 6, 2010
1,098
2
Every single thing about my new rMBP is perfect. Except for one thing. A single dead pixel to the bottom left of the screen.

At first I thought it was just a speck of dust, before it hit me that there isnt any glass on the front for dust to get trapped under. So then I decided to see if it was actually dead or stuck, and unfortunately I'm certain its the former, although I have attached a pic.

Question is, do Apple replace for things like this? Or do I have to return it and go through the orders process and inevitable Apple-Wheel-O-Fortune?

Thanks in advance.
 

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Assuming you have just bought it, return it and no questions asked policy should be applied.
 
striker33 said:
Every single thing about my new rMBP is perfect. Except for one thing. A single dead pixel to the bottom left of the screen.

At first I thought it was just a speck of dust, before it hit me that there isnt any glass on the front for dust to get trapped under. So then I decided to see if it was actually dead or stuck, and unfortunately I'm certain its the former, although I have attached a pic.

Question is, do Apple replace for things like this? Or do I have to return it and go through the orders process and inevitable Apple-Wheel-O-Fortune?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

There can certainly be dust under the screen. My first 2 rMBPs had it, and it does look like a dead pixel. The best way to tell is get a flashlight and locate where the "dead pixel" is. If you can see it when the screen is off with a flashlight, chances are, it's dust. My 3rd rMBP has several specks of dust but none are so large or obtrusive that I can see them with the screen on.

I'd say take it back if it bothers you too much, that's what I did. :)
 
KitzelFox said:
There can certainly be dust under the screen. My first 2 rMBPs had it, and it does look like a dead pixel. The best way to tell is get a flashlight and locate where the "dead pixel" is. If you can see it when the screen is off with a flashlight, chances are, it's dust. My 3rd rMBP has several specks of dust but none are so large or obtrusive that I can see them with the screen on.

I'd say take it back if it bothers you too much, that's what I did. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I'll try shining a light right away.

I actually didnt notice it during general use. Then I decided that since the screen looked so amazing, I'd see if I could discern the pixels. Bad mistake! Its a case of once you know its there, its hard to forget unfortunately.

It doesnt change in colour or change shape when the angle shifts, so I'm 99% sure it isnt dust. I've had dust under the screen in previous Macs and it hasnt really bothered me, as theres always some level of dust on the screen itself.

Edit: Definitely not dust. Light showed nothing but sleeping pixels :( Currently running a flashing image over it constantly more out of desperation than anything, even though I know actual dead pixels really are just that, dead.

Maybe I can get a free superdrive out of Apple after I've waited 4 weeks for it!
 
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Queen6 said:
BTO you will need to return the system, this is the big downside of BTO, do you really need 16Gb RAM? had you bought the Retina from retail it would be walk in walk out, nothing more complex.
Click to expand...

Really poor planning on Apples part to not offer a mid range with 16GB in store! That seems to be the most popular model.
 
gentlefury said:
Really poor planning on Apples part to not offer a mid range with 16GB in store! That seems to be the most popular model.
Click to expand...

The vast majority of users simply dont need 16Gb of RAM, or do you seriously believe for one second Apple doesn't understand their core business. For the most part the necessity for 16Gb of RAM is being driven by the usual McRumors Hysteria fuelled by the ill informed.

You have to filter the content of the internet very carefully as; everyone is a "Pro", everyone is the "expert", for the most part they are neither, a few are well informed, the vast majority are not. If you need help to make a significant purchase, or qualification on hardware, wait for a recognised source, not the kid with 10 minutes hands on in Best Buy ;)
 
Queen6 said:
The vast majority of users simply dont need 16Gb of RAM, or do you seriously believe for one second Apple doesn't understand their core business. For the most part the necessity for 16Gb of RAM is being driven by the usual McRumors Hysteria fuelled by the ill informed.

You have to filter the content of the internet very carefully as; everyone is a "Pro", everyone is the "expert", for the most part they are neither, a few are well informed, the vast majority are not. If you need help to make a significant purchase, or qualification on hardware, wait for a recognised source, not the kid with 10 minutes hands on in Best Buy ;)
Click to expand...

Well I do need it, for my profession. I am waiting 4-5 weeks to get the damn thing! Obviously the desire for that model is high.
 
gentlefury said:
Well I do need it, for my profession. I am waiting 4-5 weeks to get the damn thing! Obviously the desire for that model is high.
Click to expand...

No more than any other BTO, dont confuse an entusiast forum with the general populous, as stated the average user simply has no need for 16Gb. Apple do not sell their product on numbers and specifications, they sell on performance and the user experience. Unlike many PC venders Apple are not looking to sell up unnecessary upgrades, hence they do not stock BTO`s as a rule.
 
Queen6 said:
No more than any other BTO, dont confuse an entusiast forum with the general populous, as stated the average user simply has no need for 16Gb. Apple do not sell their product on numbers and specifications, they sell on performance and the user experience. Unlike many PC venders Apple are not looking to sell up unnecessary upgrades, hence they do not stock BTO`s as a rule.
Click to expand...

well, with the inability to upgrade in the interim I would say that if you plan on keeping this machine for longer than a few years 16GB will be necessary.
 
gentlefury said:
well, with the inability to upgrade in the interim I would say that if you plan on keeping this machine for longer than a few years 16GB will be necessary.
Click to expand...

That was my logic, and I do have the tendency to work with large photoshop files and HD video, so in a few years time its bound to come in handy, especially when all the apps are retina enabled.

Plus I got this on finance, over 4 years, so thats the very least amount of time I plan on keeping it, unless ofcourse it dies right after my 3 year applecare is out.
 
Well it will take 1-3 business days for my replacement to ship, and TNT will be picking up the current one around the time of delivery for the replacement as well.

Excellent customer service once again from Apple! :)

I just hope the replacement isnt scratched or anything, as this one literally is perfection, aside from the screen. My first device EVER with a dead pixel, and it had to be this one.
 
Queen6 said:
The vast majority of users simply dont need 16Gb of RAM, or do you seriously believe for one second Apple doesn't understand their core business. For the most part the necessity for 16Gb of RAM is being driven by the usual McRumors Hysteria fuelled by the ill informed.

You have to filter the content of the internet very carefully as; everyone is a "Pro", everyone is the "expert", for the most part they are neither, a few are well informed, the vast majority are not. If you need help to make a significant purchase, or qualification on hardware, wait for a recognised source, not the kid with 10 minutes hands on in Best Buy ;)
Click to expand...

You are assuming that those that bought 16GB systems did so based on MR forums posts. I only looked at MR after I ordered my system with 16GB. Based on posts here, there seem to be quite a few others that did the same. Now that may not be representative of the average rMBP buyer but there is no reason to think it isn't.
 
Queen6 said:
No more than any other BTO, dont confuse an entusiast forum with the general populous, as stated the average user simply has no need for 16Gb. Apple do not sell their product on numbers and specifications, they sell on performance and the user experience. Unlike many PC venders Apple are not looking to sell up unnecessary upgrades, hence they do not stock BTO`s as a rule.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to point out that I was told by an Apple genius that he had "several" 16 gb models of the base in stock at his store while I was in for my appointment yesterday.

While I do agree with you, I just wanted to let you know that according to this guy, they do stock them.

He was a clown though, so I'd put it at 80 % chance he had no idea what he was actually referring to and was simply mistaken as I've seen how they store products and BTO machines simply have no place, and haven't since the MBA came out and I had to tell all the customers to order online if they wanted more ram.
 
I feel your pain! My first one had a single dead pixel, and so did the replacement! - I email Tim Cook on his public email - but that was more hassle than it was worth! Just return it, or ask for a replacement!

Edit: Oops... didn't read whole thread and seen that you'd already asked for a replacement! - I hope that that one is okay! In my experience, TNT phone either on the same day or next day to arrange a collection and then pick it up the next day...
 
Rocky244 said:
Just wanted to point out that I was told by an Apple genius that he had "several" 16 gb models of the base in stock at his store while I was in for my appointment yesterday.

While I do agree with you, I just wanted to let you know that according to this guy, they do stock them.

He was a clown though, so I'd put it at 80 % chance he had no idea what he was actually referring to and was simply mistaken as I've seen how they store products and BTO machines simply have no place, and haven't since the MBA came out and I had to tell all the customers to order online if they wanted more ram.
Click to expand...

Some do stock BTO`s however very few outside of the US. i believe the store manager can order them, i have tried a few time in Asia however i have always been told that BTO`s are not stocked.
 
gentlefury said:
well, with the inability to upgrade in the interim I would say that if you plan on keeping this machine for longer than a few years 16GB will be necessary.
Click to expand...

People do realize that if you don't have enough memory your machine doesn't just explode into a million little pieces? It will just be a little slower. If in a few years you need 16GB of memory and have a base 2.3GHz machine you will not only be lacking in storage with your 256GB SSD but also your machine will be slow as molasses with or without the 16GB of RAM.

If you can't afford to upgrade in a couple years time and are really needing that little bit of performance I would suggest you reconsider your priorities in life.
 
TickleMeElmo said:
People do realize that if you don't have enough memory your machine doesn't just explode into a million little pieces? It will just be a little slower. If in a few years you need 16GB of memory and have a base 2.3GHz machine you will not only be lacking in storage with your 256GB SSD but also your machine will be slow as molasses with or without the 16GB of RAM.

If you can't afford to upgrade in a couple years time and are really needing that little bit of performance I would suggest you reconsider your priorities in life.
Click to expand...

tell that to someone still running on 1GB ram.
 
gentlefury said:
tell that to someone still running on 1GB ram.
Click to expand...

That is a straw man argument.

1GB was the standard amount of RAM in a notebook in 2006 right when the first Core 2 Duo was being released.

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP24

We can compare this to 4GB today. Inductively we can assume that 8GB is similar to the 2GB of 6 years ago and 4GB would be the equivalent of 16GB today.

The machine ran a 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo, not bad right? Wrong. For Cinebench 11.5, a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo scores 1.19. Compare this to today's i7 3615 which scores 6.7 on the same test. We are seeing more than 5x the CPU performance. a 1.8GHz MBA scores 2.4, it is effectively twice as powerful as a late 2006 Macbook Pro.

Why is this important? Because 1GB these days is absolutely not enough, yes. But if you put it into perspective for what systems came with 1GB it was enough and still is enough.

One can infer that by the time 8GB is like 1GB today your 2.3GHz i7 will be about as powerful as a 1.8GHz single core Ivy Bridge processor, even if you gave it 32GB of RAM it would still be slow.

Memory and CPU requirements rise in tandem. Rarely do you see a program that needs a 20% increase in memory not require a commensurate increase in CPU performance. While it seems lik a 16GB upgrade is a good way of future proofing your purchase you have to realize that your CPU and GPU are being made redundant just as quickly.
 
TickleMeElmo said:
People do realize that if you don't have enough memory your machine doesn't just explode into a million little pieces? It will just be a little slower. If in a few years you need 16GB of memory and have a base 2.3GHz machine you will not only be lacking in storage with your 256GB SSD but also your machine will be slow as molasses with or without the 16GB of RAM.

If you can't afford to upgrade in a couple years time and are really needing that little bit of performance I would suggest you reconsider your priorities in life.
Click to expand...

+1 how very true: if it meets your need great, if you have a specialist requirement upgrade with BTO, if you have to overextend yourself wait, it`s just a computer...
 
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