[laseca]

I'm getting ready to buy a 15" Powerbook really soon. Ever since the 15" Powerbook was released, I wanted to buy one but kept holding off due to the white spot problem. Now that this seems to have been taken care of, uneven illumination problems are all I read about. I been swayed to just get a 17" and avoid these problems but when I look at one, it's just too big for me and I'd rather not buy it to avoid the possibility of getting a troublesome 15" Powerbook.

I've visited three Apple Stores in my area this week and all the 15" Powerbooks I spent over 15 minutes with each time don't exhibit any white spots, uneven illumination (checked at various brightness levels), dead/stuck pixels or latch problems. All the Cinema Displays were also bright and dead/stuck pixel free. It's really hard to make a purchase decision when you read about the complaints on the forums yet see perfect examples at all the stores. I must say that I saw a 20" Cinema Display in their discount table in the back of the store that had a note on it stating it had two stuck pixels. I may just bite the bullet and hope to get issue free Powerbook and Cinema Display.

[cdhostage]

I bet if you go to a retail store you can ask to inspect the machine before you buy it. I ordered a stock 15Al from the Apple Store for Education, and I've got three major white spots. It doesn't really bother me - I leave my display at only two or three brightness most of the time and use bright desktops, and it doesn't make much difference.

[Wiskedjak]

You can't honestly believe that any store would display defective products? As for the white spot problem, everything I've heard about them suggests that most times the spots don't show up until after a few days of use. You could likely check a screen in the store, decide that it is good, and still get spots. As for stuck pixels, knowing all the difficulty in getting a display replaced and that NO laptop maufacturers will even consider a display defective with fewer than 5 stuck pixels, I would never purchase a laptop without first being able to check the display.

[ingeniero]

I was at the Tampa Apple Store 2-3 weeks ago and I saw that one of the 15" PB floor models had the white spots.

[kertong]

Originally posted by ingeniero:
I was at the Tampa Apple Store 2-3 weeks ago and I saw that one of the 15" PB floor models had the white spots.

same here - but it was at the emeryville, CA apple store.

[jasonsRX7]

I just got a new 1ghz 15" Powerbook last Friday. I was also afraid of the white spot issue, so I told the salesperson that I was aware of the problem and wanted to inspect the laptop.

They said I could buy the laptop and open it in the store. If it had any problems, then we could try another. So I did, and the first one we tried had no problems at all. I don't have any stuck pixels, white spots or uneven illumination.

Actually, the only thing I don't like about the laptop is the touchpad. Having used IBM laptops for the past 7 years, I really like trackpoints. The touchpad is so annoying that it makes me not want to use the computer. I need to get a BT mouse, I guess.

[shabbasuraj]

TRACKPOINTS RULE.

please make this BTO Apple...

(yeah right.........this will happen only after Apple releases a 2 button/scroll wheel mouse) READ: NEVER.