Looking to buy first mac soon (refurbished 13" 8gb 512ssd) and I was wondering what I should be checking upon picking up the rMBP in store.
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What to check when picking up rMBP
- Thread starter varatep
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That it works. Just like you would if it was a new one.
Refurbs receive a complete hands on inspection, new shell, 100% testing of it and repair/replacement of whatever was broken in the first place (some never had problems, just returns that people decided not to use - they still get all of the above).
People say that resale value is less than a "new" MBP because of the box. Guess what... I've never seen used MBP for sale that is advertised as being a refurb or new model. It doesn't matter. These things are consumer products, not fricking collector editions of some doodad.
Power it up at the store and check the screen for yellowing and/or uneven backlighting. The quickest test I have found is to open TextEdit, maximize the window, and move the cursor up and down the screen.
Let your eyes follow the cursor, but be aware of the background behind the cursor. It is supposed to be solid white, but on some (many?) rMBP units there is a distinctive blue tint to the top of the screen and yellow tint to the bottom of the screen. Some units have a brighter band across the middle, and slightly darker toward the top and bottom.
If you move the cursor at a medium speed, not too fast and not too slow, and follow it with your eyes, you’ll notice if the background appears to change color or brightness.
You could also check for image retention, but that takes a longer time.
Let your eyes follow the cursor, but be aware of the background behind the cursor. It is supposed to be solid white, but on some (many?) rMBP units there is a distinctive blue tint to the top of the screen and yellow tint to the bottom of the screen. Some units have a brighter band across the middle, and slightly darker toward the top and bottom.
If you move the cursor at a medium speed, not too fast and not too slow, and follow it with your eyes, you’ll notice if the background appears to change color or brightness.
You could also check for image retention, but that takes a longer time.
GSPice
macrumors 68000
Uh oh... giant thread coming.. may I summarize for the OP?
Don't look for problems you can't find.
alphaod
macrumors Core
many reasons....
for some its better than leaving it on the doorstep
some people can't be home to sign
you can check it out and refuse acceptance
you can get a quick rundown of how it works
The point is to see if it has a problem you can easily find. Because if the display has inconsistent colors/brightness that you notice with my test, then you will also notice it every single time you scroll a webpage or document: as your eyes track the content, the background will visibly change colors.
If you dont notice anything with my test, then youre probably fine.
OldGreyGuy
macrumors regular
This!
I work all day and no one is home to receive the goods, my work is in a large secure building that does not allow courier deliveries. My nearest Apple store is opening tomorrow less than 100 metres from the office I work in.
For me it makes sense.
marc55
macrumors 6502a
Gives one the opportunity to order a non standard configuration that the stores don't stock such as the base rMBP with a 512 SSD.
GSPice
macrumors 68000
I understand - but you have to admit there are plenty of threads and posts around here where folks are desperately looking for ways to find and/or confirm defects with their device, based solely on what they've read on this very forum.
brdeveloper
macrumors 68030
You can find. Just do some of the suggested tests and you'll promptly see the issue. If a TN-display Mac can do, a Retina Macbook must do even better.
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Agreed. My current thinking is that not only a few displays show uniformity problems, but nearly all retina displays from Macbooks are showing some weird uneven color cast pattern. I think asking for return or exchange screen is more of a protest than a effective way to solve the issue. I asked for exchange but I doubt I'll get an evenly tinted screen without IR.
The rule is, if you use your display for a month and didn't note anything, stay calm and be happy with your Mac. This is not my case and a lot of people who bought a Retina Macbook because of its advertised "fantastic screen with whiter whites and blacker blacks".