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jagga · Jul 28, 2004, 10:10 PM

Hi all
I just got my ipod in the mail today. my first one. its a 4G 20gig. I was very worried about receiving one with the 'weird stuff and scratches' on the front as some of you guys have mentioned on the forums. But mine was AOK in that regards. The problem seems to be with the screen. Parts of it are 'purplish' if you look at it a certain way. Mainly the top 1cm or so of the lcd. I do not know how to explain it very well, but i'm wondering if its a normal lcd behaviour to appear this way?

Please advice!
Jagga

discotronic · Jul 28, 2004, 11:17 PM

I have the same thing with my 20GB 3G. I don't think it is normal but I guess I'm too lazy to try to get it looked at. Anybody else have this problem?

rishio · Jul 29, 2004, 01:25 AM

my 4g is a bit purplish also in certain parts of the screen. If i wear sunglasses and look at it - the purple parts really stand out. I don't know if it is normal either as this is my first ipod.

jagga · Jul 29, 2004, 10:12 AM

Can anyone shed any more light on this issue??

jagga · Jul 29, 2004, 11:59 AM

Ok.. here is another way to explain it. Think of 'oil on a wet road' kinda look

105 views.. and only 2 replies..

drive-thru · Jul 29, 2004, 12:07 PM

I had my 3G 20GB iPod replaced in the first week once it stopped working. Anyway, the replacement iPod's screen has some purple-ish areas at the egdes, but it doesn't sound as bad as you guys are saying, mine is hardly noticable.
The second iPod did, however, seem to have a contrast problem. With my first iPod, adjusting the contast kept the background pretty much the same darkness and made the text darker. With the newer one, adjusting the contrast changes the darkness of the background along with the text, so at about 80% contrast the text is unreadable.
At a level where the text is dark enough to stand out, there is a noticable darker square for the background of the screen, surrounded my a slightly lighter but purple area.

I guess that there is a lot of variation with these screens, there was a lot said a while ago about some screen being "blue-er" than others, can't remember if this was determined to be an age thing (Apple changing their screens) or simply variations between batches of the same model of screen.

phantomo · Jul 29, 2004, 01:34 PM

It is possible due to photoelasticity effect - stress on plastic - on either the screen or the outer shell.

jagga · Jul 29, 2004, 01:45 PM

so is this considered normal behavior for lcds?? (especially since this problems comes and goes)

Josh Reid · Jul 29, 2004, 01:57 PM

The 'oil on a wet road' look (or whatever you called it) is completely normal, as described in the following iPodLounge FAQ:

"Q: I can see a rainbow colored pattern on my iPod screen. Is it faulty?

A: The rainbow effect (photoelasticity?-?the effects of stress, such as double refraction, on the optical properties of transparent materials) is well documented with the iPod - some suffer from it more than others and your ambient light conditions will make it appear worse. In a nutshell - stresses in a clear material cause polarized light to bend and colors to seperate as it passes through the material. Thus, if you have a defect of some sort in your iPod's screen, when you are in polarized light, you will see a rainbow appear across the iPod. It just so happens that when the sun is lower on the horizon, it tends to polarize (read- wintertime sun). "

Now, it seems as if they've modified this FAQ since the first time I read it, as I distinctly remember them saying that all iPods had this, that it wasn't a a defect, etc...so..what you choose to believe is up to you. If you are talking about the plastic screen and not the actual LCD, then your iPod sounds normal to me.

-Josh

spotze23 · Jul 29, 2004, 07:42 PM

mine has this oilish rainbow colors, too. its annoying. i think about to get a replacement. i really want a product without even minor defects for this price.

TailsToo · Jul 29, 2004, 08:04 PM

My 3rd Gen looks like this too.. nothing to worry about

brentsg · 01:31 AM

I've seen this on every 4G I've messed with which is a total of 5. I should mention that it's mostly visible with the unit off and held at a funny angle. I had it sitting on my computer desk a couple of feet away when I first noticed. When I picked it up to look closer I couldn't see it.

B

jagga · Jul 30, 2004, 01:18 AM

damn.. that doesn't sound good. But i have to say; it only shows up if the ipod is 'off' for a while. as soon as its been on for a good 15-20 min or so; it goes away.

pliny · 06:48 AM

I experienced this problem just the other day with my 3g Ipod. The oil on a wet road look is a good description. I don't see how this can be considered normal since it looks totally retarded and impairs the figures on the screen. I picked up the Ipod it wasn ot there; I put it down, picked it back up, it was there.

rozwado1 · Aug 20, 2004, 07:27 PM

Yeah, it's normal. Mine has more near the headphone jack (center-top screen) because the LCD is slightly bowed from dropping it with the headphones still in. Just note that it's not the LCD, but the top plastic's reflection with the LCD face. No letters on the screen should appear distorted, just have the purple covering them. If it was an LCD problem, it would look like purple ink moving around on the LCD (ie. smashed calculator). To fix it, just turn on the backlight or move it at a different angle from the light source.

schk · Aug 20, 2004, 09:24 PM

One thing I noticed compared to the 2G and 3G iPods is that the 4G I've received had entire purplish screens and to such a bad degree that it's difficult to see the screen when unlit unless I look at a 90 degree angle. Also, the previous iPods I've had only had small spots at the top of the screen, whereas the 4G is covered completely except for a thin vertical line which is clear. Seems more pressure is being exerted over the entire LCD face during manufacturing.