[cryon]

I recived my iBook G4 12" today. Oh was I happy! Everything looked ok! As I had trouble with a dead pixel with my first laptop (this is my second) i started searching the screen. First very happy then i noticed something... A dead pixel right in the middle of the screen!!!

I almost went crazy. After calming myself I tried to gently put some pressure to it with the rubber tip of an pen. Nothing happened.

I believe I have to live with it. It's VERY distubing and i'm not that kind of person who stop being annoyed with time. Exept for the pixel (wich i can't have there without me going insane) the machine works flawlessy. So I have nothing to say to apple that can make them replace it.

A thing I dont understand is every time i ask some seller about how common dead pixels are they ALWAYS tell me that they never have seen a dead pixel or maby they seen one for like 10 years ago, so i shouldn't worry.

Ok I must have been EXREMELY unlucky then. Out of TWO laptops i've had TWO with bad pixels. I must say that it dosn't feel so great when i have worked all summer just to buy a new laptop.

Well. Now when i have shared my life story with you all tell me if you had any problems like this,i mean like really annoying things but dont conciders as broken. What did you do, did you just live with it or what?

thanks.

[ccsccs7]

I did roughly the same thing in your situation. I found a dead pixel in the lower right region of my screen (granted, not as worrysome as your own). I was a bit distressed at first, but I did get over it. I believe that with time, you'll stop looking for it, and unless you like pristine areas of pure white area, you won't be too bothered by it.

What really started bothering me at times, though, was when I thought I'd found new dead pixels, but they turned out to just be dirt.

[Sych0]

While I haven't gotten my iBook g4 yet, (hoping i dont have any dead pixels either), the CRT im using on my pc has a dead pixel. Are lcd pixels the same size as crt pixels? The crt pixel is very small and i dont really notice it most of the time. I know its there though. :/ Needless to say, it doesnt just affect laptops

[gonadman]

I had one dead pixel which was luckily in the bottom left of the screen, under where the edge of any open programs were, so with a darker background I couldn't even see it.

I did get used to it, but was very relieved when I got my next iBook with no dead pixels!! Hopefully my new 14" 1GHz won't have any either!!

[kayam1977]

What does a dead pixel look like?

[discotronic]

Since the laptop is new I would call Apple and give them hell about it. A new laptop should not have a dead pixel. I don't care what the excuses are when it comes to LCD screens. I would send it back. I'm anal like though

[ccsccs7]

Originally posted by kayam1977:
What does a dead pixel look like?

A dead pixel looks like a black pixel that never changes to any other colors. A stuck pixel will either stick to or be skewed toward one color.

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by cryon:
I believe I have to live with it. It's VERY distubing and i'm not that kind of person who stop being annoyed with time. Exept for the pixel (wich i can't have there without me going insane) the machine works flawlessy. So I have nothing to say to apple that can make them replace it.

A thing I dont understand is every time i ask some seller about how common dead pixels are they ALWAYS tell me that they never have seen a dead pixel or maby they seen one for like 10 years ago, so i shouldn't worry.

Ok I must have been EXREMELY unlucky then. Out of TWO laptops i've had TWO with bad pixels. I must say that it dosn't feel so great when i have worked all summer just to buy a new laptop.

I always recommend people to buy laptops or LCD's from a retailor other than Apple so that if you aren't happy with anything about your screen (dead pixels), you will be able to return it.

Ordering a BTO machine (that you cannot return) screws you over bigtime if you end up with a dead pixel, and after spending hard earned money no user should have to put up with something as annoying as dead pixels are.

Next time do yourself a favour, if dead pixels are something that will drive you insane: Don't buy a BTO machine and don't buy from Apple. Buy a normal stock config iBook or PowerBook from your local retailor. Buy from a place that won't charge you a 10-15% restocking fee, if you decide to return your laptop.

Personally, I cannot stand dead pixels. If you feel the same way, than do yourself a favor next time and don't put yourself in a position where you can't return your laptop.

Noah

[sniffer]

.. or just call Apple and say you newly shipped iBook came with 12 dead pixels, and chances are good that they'll grant a fix on it.
I think their minimum is around 12 dead ones, but perhaps someone could verify. I have no first hand experience with this, but the topic have been up so many times here before.

[ytseman]

Hi everyone! i'm new in these forums, but i'm learnin' a lot reading all this stuff...

I've just decided to switch, and i'm waiting for my BTO 12" G4 iBook... i hope it won't have any dead pixels on the screen... i have one stuck pixel on my TFT at work, and I can't stop noticing it...

Just one question... i've ordered my ibook online (november 26th, shipped 29th, and no tracking information by now ) and i've read the terms and conditions of the online apple store (as they appear in our spanish apple website)... i understood that if during the first 10 days after receiving the laptop, i'm not satisfied with it, i can send it back, no explanations... so if there's a dead pixel, or somtehing weird with the screen, i will be able to pack it again and send it back to apple... am I wrong?

Anyway, i know i'll be luck, i can feel it... no dead pixels at all!

[cryon]

Yeah, it's the same here in sweden, in the first 14 days i can return it with all money back. But i really want this computer (without a dead pixel). I have sent an email to apple about this, asking if i can have it replaced OR i will use my right to send it back (though it'll hurt with such a nice machine). Hompfully they're resonable enough to let it be replaced (probably not ).

The tracker on apples site didn't work for me either, even though it have been delivered it shows no activity. But after a week or so I recieved a tnt tracking number witch i could use on tnt's site (www.tnt.com) to see were it was.

Well good luck to you all with your new iBooks.

[radarbob]

You must must continue to apply the pixel massage therapy - speaking from personal experience. I suspect the pencil eraser thing is too much pressure and not applied long enough.

My original iBook started having dead pixels after a couple of months. Here and there they would pop up, singlely and in groups over a period of a few weeks. *IN EVERY CASE* pixel massaging gently w/ my index finger fixed the problem. In some cases the cure worked immediately. In other cases I had to apply massage several times before it took.

Funny, after that rash of puking pixels, it hasn't happened since - over 3 years now.

[cryon]

I have gently rubbed it for like 10 minutes, no differense. I'll try that a couple of more times before I send it back. But I think it's a broken transistor nothing I can rub away. In your case they came after a while. mine was there when I got it, it probably never worked. But hey I'll keep trying, 'cause i don't want to send the computer away. Like it a LOT!

[orlick]

Cryon I feel your pain. My ibook just arrived today and it has a dead pixel. It's really hard to notice, but I am so obsessive I am noticing it constantly. I don't think it's crazy to spend a ton of money and want everything to be perfect. Since it was built to order from the Apple store it looks like I will have to live with it. Anyone have any luck getting a computer replaced with a dead pixel? Is it possible to wrangle some free software out of Applecare?

[rlane]

Don't buy from Apple? That's who I would buy from...especially if one is in your area. If they won't fix or replace it, you can file a complaint with a court for $25.00 bucks or so. Apple would jump to avoid going to court over something like this. To you think MacMall would even show up to court or give a rats.....?

[cryon]

buying from Apple was the only way for me to get the iBook with a bluetooth module (and everything maxed out) and the student discount which were about 1800sek and that's about $200 which i can't just ignore as i have little money to spare.

EDIT:
ops i misunderstood you a bit, thought you were saying that i shouldn't buy from Apple.

[FXWizard]

Originally posted by rlane:
Don't buy from Apple? That's who I would buy from...especially if one is in your area. If they won't fix or replace it, you can file a complaint with a court for $25.00 bucks or so. Apple would jump to avoid going to court over something like this. To you think MacMall would even show up to court or give a rats.....?

Every company that sells LCDs has a policy as to how many dead pixels are required before they will replace it...a single dead/stuck pixel on a screen is well within manufacturing tolerances at this time and no company will automatically replace it for you.

Of course you try try taking them to court but I would wager that you won't have much luck.

[im_noahselby]

Originally posted by FXWizard:
Every company that sells LCDs has a policy as to how many dead pixels are required before they will replace it...a single dead/stuck pixel on a screen is well within manufacturing tolerances at this time and no company will automatically replace it for you.

Big retailors such as Future Shop and London Drugs will accept back LCD's for a full refund, even if there is ONE dead pixel. If you happen to be stuck with a bad LCD, simply return the first one and than travel to your other neihborhood Future Shop or London Drugs and try your luck again. I am sure there are places in the U.S. that offer friendly return policies and I would encourage anyone to shop at these places.

True, companies like Sony, Apple, etc have their own individual dead pixel policies. However, places like Future Shop and London Drugs have their own return policies as well and if for any reason you aren't satisfied with your purchase or wish to return an item, you have the ability to do so.

Noah

[Athens]

LOL I said the same thing about Futureshop and London Drugs on a different post too