Apple quality control broken?
A few weeks ago I received a new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo. When I turned it on I immediately noticed that the bottom of the panel was noticeably brighter than the rest of the display. It also had small dark triangular areas in the bottom corners.
It looks a bit like the display on Manfred’s Gameboy Advanced SP. Acceptable for a low-cost piece of consumer electronics, but certainly not for a high-end laptop marketed at professional photographers.
I called Apple, explained the issue and they immediately offered to send a replacement which was delivered today.
The panel on the new machine has the exact same defect.
I’m really disappointed. Over the years I’ve ordered an iBook G3, a PowerMac G4 with a 19” Cinema display, a PowerBook G4, three Mac Mini’s, two 23” Cinema Displays, a MacBook, three iPods and a ton of small stuff. All arrived in perfect condition.
One of the reasons I keep buying from Apple is that I was under the impression that they have excellent quality control. Not anymore, apparently.
Update (30 Nov): I’m now waiting for the third replacement. Both machines I received so far are from the same series; the serial bumbers both end with ‘W0L’.
Also, here’s a picture to give an idea of what I’m talking about:
In the picture you only see a small very bright band, but in reality the bottom 20% of the panel is brighter and has a different color temperature than the upper part.
Update (8 Dec): I’m now waiting for the fourth replacement. See the comments for details.
Update (12 Dec): There seems to be a major quality issue with matte panels.
Update (4 Jan): The fourth replacement was first sent to an Apple engineer for inspection. It also has the bright band at the bottom of the display which, according to the sales representative I spoke, is ‘within specifications’. He also said the engineer told him it’s because ‘the current flows from the bottom of the screen to the top’. I’ve asked for a refund and I’m going to go back to my 12” G4 PowerBook for now.
Update (22 June): Just got a new MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz with the 15” LED Backlight panel. No issues, perfectly fine screen.
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MikeInAZ about 3 hours later: (delete)
Send it in again. I think it's a problem within a batch of their LCD panels. Other notebooks have similar problems. ¶
Andreas about 4 hours later: (delete)
I had this problem as well. Went through two new ones when i bought the first MBP17 in May. Kept the last one and had the display replaced in November (when the harddisk died). Same problem. Top and bottom are extremely bright compared to the rest of the display. I think it's normal and one can see the defect throughout the MBPs (just search on Flickr for MPB photos). The 17" is advertised for photographers and graphic pros. The display is virtually unusable for this purpose. I went back to a Mac Tower as main machine and are selling the MBP. The Apple consumer laptops are way better built than the MBPs. ¶
Thijs van der Vossen about 7 hours later: (delete)
MikeInAZ, I'm indeed sending it in again. I'm not going to pay more than 2k for a notebook with a screen like this.
Andreas, The screen on my wife's MacBook is indeed perfectly fine. ¶
block about 13 hours later: (delete)
Unfortunately this display issue seems to be on every MBP I have seen. So its likely you will get the same back + the annoyance of having to send your PB off. I was totally pissed when I first saw it but now I don't really notice (denial?). Also the glare coating they are using on the screen makes it look worse... ¶
Thijs van der Vossen about 22 hours later: (delete)
block, you can keep the MacBook Pro you've received while you're waiting for your replacement. Just tell them you want this when you call.
Also, does the serial number of your MacBook Pro ends with 'W0L'? If so, then it's from the same batch as the two I've received. ¶
Andreas 1 day later: (delete)
Mine is ending in TJ1. It was ordered in May. I've no experience with quality of the old PowerBooks (always went with the smallest size iBook for mobile), so I can't say if overall quality suffered. All I can say I had no single complaint about Apple products for years. But since this year it's a mess (not only with the MBP) and I hear similar issues from freinds and buddies. I hope they stop taking "I'm a PC too" too serious soon. I hope your next replacement will be fine :) ¶
block 1 day later: (delete)
My serial ends in W0K - there was a thread about screen lcd SN's that is probably more relevant, but I can't find the link... you can read the LCD SN by Sys Prefs > Displays > color > open profile then scroll down to mmod (#13). ¶
Thijs van der Vossen 1 day later: (delete)
block, that's interesting. For both of them I get Manufacturer: 00000610, Serial Number: 00000000, and Manufacture Date: BFF87B80.
The only thing that's different is Model. It's for the first 00009C60 and 00009C57 for the second MacBook Pro.
The name of the color profile file is also different, Color LCD-4271800.icc for the first and Color LCD-42715C0.icc for the second. ¶
Thijs van der Vossen 1 day later: (delete)
More information on which screen model you want and which not can be found at:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1972182#2444884 ¶
Julik 4 days later: (delete)
Looks about time that we all get some old SGI Octanes and leave the new pissy hardware to the newbies :-)
But seriously I totally contemplate - the apple QA is broken lately. Usable life of the products has also reduced so considerably it makes me cry (a friend's Airport Express station died barely a week after the warranty ended). ¶
Thijs van der Vossen 8 days later: (delete)
Just unpacked the third. Same problem. Panel Model is 00009C57 just like the second. Sigh. ¶
Thijs van der Vossen 8 days later: (delete)
This really sucks:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=761001
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=720138
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=413308
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=758021
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=761245
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=759751
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=756714 ¶
Andreas 36 days later: (delete)
Too bad to hear that. I've finally sold my MBP17 as well. Could not stand the display any longer. I'm back to the G4 iBook. Hope they fix the problem soon. Anyways, the current flow statement of the engineer just made my day. LÖL. ¶
Lucas 40 days later: (delete)
I had the same problem on the top of the screen - a brighter line. I could not notice in the beggining because the menu bar It was clear in any full screen software.
When I discovered I returned it immediatelly.
The grainy display was also a issue. The anti-glare coat was clearly visible all the time. Accually that display was unable to produce the color white - bright sand would be more appropriate :)
Well, the problem is that there is no good screen in the market. All PCs have low resolution (1280x800) and are mirror-glossy (but at least they work). ¶
WR Granville 265 days later: (delete)
Just received my MBP 15"; it was delivered direct from the Apple Store as a replacement for my 1 year old MBP that died of 4 year old son's 'enthusisatic banana experiment'....good old insurance claim.
On opening it up for the first time I noticed that the built-in camera wasn't being recognised by any of the applications. Apple Care diagnosed it as a hardware fault and suggested that I take it in for repair.
I find it extrodinary that Apple won't simply accept their own technician's assessment that they shipped a faulty unit and simply replace it for a new one rather that shift the onus of responsibility for delivering it to a repair centre onto the customer so that their 'new' product can be repaired. Rubbish service so far as I can see - as ever, once they've taken your money they don't see customer satisfaction in the delivered item as a priority. Bloody short sighted. ¶
Terry 271 days later: (delete | show email)
Their iMac G5 and iMac Core 2 Duo isn't any much better. The logic board failure is notorious.
More horror stories here:
http://applequalitycomplaints.blogspot.com/ ¶