[StevenWRX]

Now that my new 17" pb is on order.. i am totally freaking out in fear of receiving a unit with dead pixels on the screen. I am sooo close to just canceling the order because of apples policy regarding returns... yes i understand how zero tolerance will drive up costs.. but 3000 bucks is alot of money and i will not accept a unit with dead pixels at that price.


Does anyone here know the statistics on what % of screens exhibit bad/dead/stuck pixels??

[dodo_nutter]

i dont know of any statistics but i have an iMac and a new 1.5 15" and neither have had any stuck or dead pixels. You just have to hope...

The problem is on sites like this is that everyone brings there problems to it so if 5% have pixel problems (made up guesstimate) and they all post then thats a lot of posts about bad pixels!!!!

Just wait and se......and good luck...so far shes been on my side

[ibook_steve]

Originally posted by StevenWRX:
Now that my new 17" pb is on order.. i am totally freaking out in fear of receiving a unit with dead pixels on the screen. I am sooo close to just canceling the order because of apples policy regarding returns... yes i understand how zero tolerance will drive up costs.. but 3000 bucks is alot of money and i will not accept a unit with dead pixels at that price.


Does anyone here know the statistics on what % of screens exhibit bad/dead/stuck pixels??

It's amazing what kind of things people worry about when they should be truly excited! This has been discussed many times before. There's really not much you can do. It is not possible to have 100% perfect screens with perfect pixels. There will be some escapes or else your machine would cost a lot more than $3000. You're just getting scared because of what you read here. Of course, people are going to post if they have a complaint. That's the way things like this work. Relax and enjoy your new computer. Chances are you will not have any bad pixels.

Steve

[NightEyes]

You ordered a BTO from Apple Steven? I believe the return policy states they won't accept returns on those units, unless the unit is considered defective from their standards, even with a 10% restocking fee. You may be stuck if you just have 1 or 2 dead pixels. Good luck.

[StevenWRX]

Thank you guys for all your help.. as of now my order is cancelled with apple. i could not risk receiving a 17" pb for 3000 bucks with dead pixels because i do photography and moderate photoshop work.

i did stress to the rep that apple needs to improve their policy in regards to screens with bad pixels.

i am going to wait for a G5 revision and stick with traditional crt monitors..

regards,
Steven

[bcaslis]

A couple of things to consider are:

1.) You will never get this data from Apple or any other vendor
2.) You run a risk on bad pixels no matter which manufacturer you buy from
3.) You run a risk of bad pixels whether you get the cheapest iBook or most expensive PowerBook

I've personally owned or tested four 17" machines, one rev a, two rev b, one rev c and they all had perfect screens. But that doesn't mean squat about what will happen to you.

On returning due to a stuck pixel, my advice is that if the machine is perfect otherwise don't do it. Your chance that the next one is better is even odds at best. Also, no store I know of will let you do this without a stocking fee and as posted earlier the Apple online will not accept returns at all. They might for a totally dead machine, but it's repair otherwise. Of course to get the cool BTO features you need to use the online store.

OK, now that you're scared a tip when you get the new machine. Run Pixel Check 1.2 to test the screen. If you find a stuck pixel don't panic yet. On all the recent screens I've seen green or blue stuck pixels tend to go away if you rub them. I had one on a new 15" that was fixed this way. I haven't seen a stuck red one in years, but when I have gotten one no amount of rubbing would fix it.

This is something you can easily get carried away on. But it's a roll of the dice no matter which way you go or which type of machine you buy.

[Switched2Mac]

I fully agree with the previous poster.

I bought one of the new 12" PB's and it came with one dead (always dark) pixel in the top left quadrant. I barely notice it.

And it was certainly not worth the risk of getting back a refurb with no dead pixels but other problems! Do you really think Apple sends you a brand new laptop? No. You get a refurb, which used to be someone else's problem.

Not that a refurb is bad, necessarily.

Better the devil you know. As the saying goes.

The dead pixel looks like a speck of dust on the display. No sweat.

But everything else is perfect! So I consider that acceptable, even for spending $1,900 dollars.

[ILoveAztecChick]

I've had a Rev. A 17", Rev. B 15", and a Rev. C 12". All of them have had one stuck pixel, two red and one blue. I guess I'm just unlucky

[h00ligan]

i didn't have one on my pismo, had 2 on my ti (which i never noticed but the friend i sold it to did and none on my 12" 1.33

[riotge@r]

I've had 5 PowerBooks over the past 3 years and I have never had a dead pixel.

[Maflynn]

First off StevenWRX you need to chill a bit, there's nothing you can do about it and most importantly its not a big deal. Now I've had 4 laptops and no bad pixels. It seems the clear that the majority of people do not have issues, so in canceling your order you deprived yourself of a awesome computer.

If your going to wait for the next g5 revision, you could be waiting at least one month and maybe longer as apple may not release anything next month and if they do, it may not hit in inventory for while too. Now the G5 is not without its minor issues. Some people have complained about the fan noise, and power supply. You have just as much luck at getting a machine that may be less then perfect but not defective. No use in worrying what you cannot change and enjoy the machine.

Peace
Mike

[Mel Dada]

i ordered a new pb 12 bto with 80 gig drive and it had a dead white pixel/ I work in video and know what the concerns are. I did not want that white spot on the screen, it is distracting/ I suppose one gets used to it. Luckily for me there was something else wrong with the computer and I was able to exchange the machine for another. This one is perfect. I must say there's a big difference in getting a new machine without flaws and one with a dead pixel/ i know it sounds picky and i suppose it is but boy i like this clean unit starting off.


support our troops.......bring them home.
mel

[toshigen]

My Pismo has 3 pixels that are stuck on red. My new 15" PowerBook has 1 pixel that is stuck on blue (I haven't tried massaging it out yet).

You know what though, IT"S NOT A BIG DEAL. Seriously, even with 3 stuck pixels on the Pismo I almost never notice them... only when the screen is black or very dark do you see it. Same with the blue stuck pixel on the new PowerBook.

Relax, buy whichever PowerBook you like, and enjoy it. Chances are you won't have any dead pixels, and even if you do it's not going to affect your work in Photoshop/other graphic programs.

[Slayed]

I bought a 12" powerbook from the Apple Store in Columbus, OH. Took it home and fired it up to find a bright blue stuck pixel almost dead center of the display. I tried rubbing it out and it didn't work, so I packed it back up, took it back to the store (about 3 hours later). Of course they said they would not take it back 'cause Apple doesn't consider that a defect. I argued the fact that I wasn't told of this "policy" beforehand, and I did consider it defective, and I would like to exchange. I also stressed that on a small LCD there should be no defects, as there is not much screen space to lose. After talking with the manager and asking for the District manager's number, and telling them how they are stealing my money for doing a simple exchange, they finally caved in and exchanged for no restock fee. I think I won on the fact that there is no published policy in the stores regarding dead pixels.



BTW - The Replacement powerbook is perfect, no pixel problems.

[bastula]

I got my 1 GHz 15" AlBook in February and it came with no dead pixels.

I just noticed as of a few days ago that it has developed a dead pixel towards the bottom left of the screen. It is a spot that lights up in color when the background is either dark or black. I found out when watching a movie. I tried massaging it with my RadTech ScreenSaver but it doesn't help. Oh well.

Since it only appears visible when viewed close up (and when the screen is dark - which is not that often), I am not really bothered, but I still wish I didn't have it. Doesn't detract me from using this machine as heavily as I used it before.

[pgolf]

1 out of 5 had bad pixels in the last 2 years. 3 pixels total, 1 stuck(red) and 2 dead pixels.

[polendo]

Originally posted by bcaslis:
A couple of things to consider are:

2.) You run a risk on bad pixels no matter which manufacturer you buy from

Actually Falcon Northwest is offering zero tolerance on defective or stuck pixels on their laptops.