[filmmaker2002]

Try going through the same problem on FOUR powerbooks. This fourth one is the worst of them all...but I am getting sick and tired of swapping. Apple has some serious explaning to do.

[darcybaston]

My fiance's Compaq Presario 915us laptop has a little white spot in the bottom right region. I did a search at the HP website and they had a page for known LCD defects :

http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/any/na/...4&cat=prodinfo

The don't refer to 'white' spots, but they do refer to 'dark' spots. Just sharing this to see if there is an exacting terminology to uhm...jog...Apple tech's memory with the next time they say they aren't aware of such things.

[Sakino]

Originally posted by filmmaker2002:
Try going through the same problem on FOUR powerbooks. This fourth one is the worst of them all...but I am getting sick and tired of swapping. Apple has some serious explaning to do.

Sorry to hear that man, yeah I really don't know what route to go. I mean is this going to be an on going problem. A company cannot ship pos product for over a month and get away with it? I really don't know what to do. I will be calling tomorrow to add 2 more thing sto my case number and ask for a replacement to be sent out.

[kentuckyfried]

^ your second powerbook is jacked up too?

[ProLyfic]

Can't you just ask for your money back? Or at least exchange it for like a 12 and receive money back or upgrade to a 17 and pay the difference?

[kentuckyfried]

I asked that very same question in a different thread. No go....Apple just gave that dude the middle finger.

Apple shouldn't be such dicks about it, but hey, keep in mind we all have a year to get our perfect AL laptop. It is a war of attrition!

*SHAKES FIST*

Originally posted by ProLyfic:
Can't you just ask for your money back? Or at least exchange it for like a 12 and receive money back or upgrade to a 17 and pay the difference?

[ProLyfic]

Man that Sucks. Oh Well, I got 3 years. I got the Apple Care. Man, Steve Jobs should have called 2003, "Year of the White-Spots" I hope that everyone who bought a defective 15 Al laptop gets their perfect one SOON. I don't care how Apple does it, publicly or not. Just fix the stupid problems or there's gonna be a lot of cranky people. How is Apple gonna not admit PUBLICLY that there is a problem, that just makes them look shady. Oh well, I don't care how many powerbooks or lcds Apple goes through before everyone gets what they paid for. A Perfect PowerBook with no defects.

[PoisonTooth]

If someone were to post all the white spot discussions across every relevant forum (here, Ars, Apple.com) and send it to Slashdot, this would get real public real fast. Assuming /. posted it, of course.

[MacNTAdmin]

I got the white spot disease on my 15" AL PB. I just noticed them a few days ago, when I restaged with panther and had the default blue background. . . this sucks. . . but I think I'll wait a bit before I contact support since so many of you have gotten replacements with the same problem. . .

you guys think that's a good idea?

[jcam]

Apple has had my 15 pb for over 7 days and they say that the lcd is on backorder. They won't discuss any replacement with me until it's been 2 weeks. I'm not sure if I want a replacement as I'm worried about inheriting other posted problems. One advantage, although a minor one, would be to have Panther freshly installed...although I already paid for it. It's very frustrating as I'm the only one in my office who elected for an Apple laptop vs. Wintel. Very frustrated...any advice??

[aapljack]

Originally posted by MacNTAdmin:
I got the white spot disease on my 15" AL PB. I just noticed them a few days ago, when I restaged with panther and had the default blue background. . . this sucks. . . but I think I'll wait a bit before I contact support since so many of you have gotten replacements with the same problem. . .

you guys think that's a good idea?

You should probably go ahead and contact Apple and log your problem and tell them you choose not to send it in yet. I am going to do the same with mine. I want to wait until 1. LCDs are not backordered and 2. the problem can be fixed for sure!

-b

[ProLyfic]

How long after the purchase can you still get it repaired/replaced? It should be until the apple care runs out right? Can anyone confirm this? I just want to be sure because I don't Apple to say that it was not sent in by a certain date after purchase other than the date when the apple care is over. Thanks.

[amazing]

You should call AppleCare and get a case number for it, but specify that you won't send it in until Apple has a guaranteed fix and has the parts on hand, that you can't lose the use of your laptop while waiting interminably for parts.

When MacWorld magazine reviews an Apple product and declares that it has "inconsistent quality" then you know that Apple has really messed up. MacWorld hardly ever criticizes Apple hardware, they don't bite the hand that feeds them, but here's a quote:

"We can't check the vital signs of every computer Apple ships. We can, however, report on the quality of the PowerBooks we've received, and that report is not encouraging. Of six 15-inch PowerBooks Macworld ordered from a non-Apple retailer, three had to be returned. One repeatedly locked up and experienced kernel panics after being unplugged from an external monitor, another's fan ran constantly, and another displayed only the magenta video channel when plugged into an external display. So if you absolutely must have this PowerBook now, be prepared for potential problems."

"The screen on the 1.25GHz 15-inch PowerBook used for this review exhibited a white blotch about the size of a dime when we put a white background (such as a blank Microsoft Word document) on the desktop. And the latch on this PowerBook locked inconsistently -- the lid occasionally popped up after it had been closed for a couple of seconds. Reports of such latch problems are widespread on the Discussions area of Apple's Web site and on other Mac-related sites."
http://www.macworld.com/2003/12/revi...hpowerbookg4s/

[ProLyfic]

Wow. Interesting article. I wish I would have read that before hand. Isn't there anything we can do other than just calling Applecare. I think if Apple wants to save face, they should have a return program for all 15 AL Powerbooks that were purchased since the beginning. And instead of sending them in, people should be able to walk into any Apple store or reseller with their receipt and exchange it for a new one NO questions asked, once the problems have been fixed and the new PERFECT machines are produced. This in my eyes would save face and keep a lot of loyal Apple customers. Apple please do the right thing. Please.

[TheIceMan]

amazing: Yeah, I agree. When MacWorld says that the 15" PowerBook has "inconsistent quality" that is not a good sign for Apple. They didn't bash the PowerBook which is good. I think the bottom line is that Mac users want to love the 15" Al PowerBooks. BUT, with the quality-control issues I can certainly see why there has been a growing number of dissatisfied 15" AL PB owners. At this rate, I think I'll go with the 12" Rev.B PB.

[PoisonTooth]

I agree 100%. I'm holding off on my order (which would be over $7K total) until this PB issue gets fixed, and I'm starting to wonder if I should make the switch at all if Apple isn't going to stand up and back its products outright. The first batch of IBM ThinkPad T40s had issues, and IBM was very proactive in making sure none of the problems lingered. It was very stand-up service.

[kentuckyfried]

You have a month to return that shipping box before you have to call in the repair request again with Apple.

Originally posted by ProLyfic:
How long after the purchase can you still get it repaired/replaced? It should be until the apple care runs out right? Can anyone confirm this? I just want to be sure because I don't Apple to say that it was not sent in by a certain date after purchase other than the date when the apple care is over. Thanks.

[jcam]

Well, today Apple offered me either a keyboard, mouse, or battery for my problems. I accepted the battery and told them to return the PB to me immediately, unfixed. Right now I would rather enjoy using it until a fix is available. They agreed and said I can return it for repair agian when I wanted.

[PoisonTooth]

Originally posted by TheIceMan:
amazing: Yeah, I agree. When MacWorld says that the 15" PowerBook has "inconsistent quality" that is not a good sign for Apple. They didn't bash the PowerBook which is good. I think the bottom line is that Mac users want to love the 15" Al PowerBooks. BUT, with the quality-control issues I can certainly see why there has been a growing number of dissatisfied 15" AL PB owners. At this rate, I think I'll go with the 12" Rev.B PB.

I'm thinking the same thing -- either the 12 or 17 PB.

Is the most current 12 a solid machine? How's the overall performance?

[MacNTAdmin]

Think you guys should check out the apple boards. . . there seems to be some info from Apple customer care starting to come about, according to some users on the forums.

[Zatt]

I was reading the Apple Disscussion boards and ran across this post:

"I am an apple technician and have taken apart my own PB 15 FW 800 to see the source of the white spots...there are several spacers placed behind the screen which keep the aluminum casing from bending in. It is in these places that the white spots are appearing.
The problem is that any replacement screen you get will have the same issue since it is the same screen. As of right now, apple has not released a Rev B screen for these units so it is pointless to send them in for repair now. Wait about 1-2 weeks, the bring the units to your nearest reseller or send them in then. Apple should have a rmediy by then. If I find anything else out, I will post it. I hope this helps." - Brian Harmann

I don't know if this guy is for real, but it would explain what some people have posted regarding the "pressure issue" that Apple seems to be using as the reason for the white spots. I hope that it's as simple as that.

[mikerich]

Originally posted by MSME:
xylon:

Where is yours located on your LCD? The spot on mine is similar to yours in that sometimes I find it easier to see than others.

I have one as well. Halfway down the screen approximately 3 cm in from the edge. Its about 1/2 a cm in diameter and quite faint. BUT IT'S THERE!

I'm keeping an eye on it - at the moment I'm not too concerned as you have to know it is there before you really notice.

I occasionally switch to a neutral grey background to see if any more have appeared.

Generally I love the Powerbook, but I have had the white spot, a dead pixel, dodgy catch and a bit of a sloppy fit when it closes. None of them are quite bad enough to make me send the machine back (and the catch has started working properly), but I will NEVER buy another Apple machine within 3 months of release.

Must think positive thoughts.

Best wishes,

Mike.

[jcam]

My PB with replacement LCD is being shipped today! I'll keep you posted on my experience with new LCD. I was told it was made by different manufacturer.

[RealMac]

FWIW, I'm on my 5th 15" powerbook g4 aluminum.
1GHz/60gb/combo/15.2" model purchased using my edu discount.

#1 had a fauly airport extreme connector.
2, 3 & 4 had white spots.

The serial number on the first was V7338nnANRY

The fifth is:
V7340nnWNRY

I was given the opportunity to either have it sent out for repair (this way I would know that whatever problem in manufacturing that was causing this issue would be fixed), or get a new one.

Due to the frequency of my returns, they called California and a tech in Austin to inquire further about the matter. Apple's policy right now is to keep letting people get a new replacement (for the spots issue) for as long as it's within the 10 day period.

At the fifth one, a guy who worked there put like 5 boxes out on a cart and let me pick one out. I think he felt sorry that I had to come back so many times.

Picked it up on Halloween as a matter of fact. In commemoration of black cats, halloween and a cat our family had when I was a little kid... I'm naming this system Sheba.

So far this screen doesn't have any problems with it. No pooling white spots, no caps lock sized white spots, no dead pixels. Only sucky thing is that I used that Klear spray on the screen and it has what looks like residue from the liquid along the outer edge. Hopefully that will go away after a few applications or just putting a slighty damp microfiber cloth on it.

I'm using that keyboard cover religiously. Owning two ibooks and seeing screen marks that never went away was a great lesson about why I should use them...

[jcam]

Recieved my repaired powerbook on Fri Oct 31 with a new LCD...works perfect, no dead pixels and no white spots. I will always use screen protector and lets hope no more problems in the future... I love this machine. If it was a a Wintel I would never have had the patience and will to deal with this. Now I'm just wondering if I should upgrade to Panther yet. I figure I'll wait a week or two to see if any other problems come up.