This seems a little far fetched and doesnt make sense at all.

I took my Macbook Pro in to Apple to have them assess the display. When looking at the interior side of the display, as if you were using the laptop, there are two white marks about a pencil eraser big, one with a slight "streak" form to it.

The Genius quoted because most of them are technically inept in the first place said that these white marks are a result of "pressure marks" and are therefore not covered under warranty.

I am well aware of the umbrella policy of Apple and its Apple Care warranty that *any* damage done to the display is not covered under warranty (even if it is a manufacturer defect). There are scores of reports of this on the internet, picked up by various technical blogs, consumerist sites, enthusiast sites, etc.

So my question is how can these white marks, clearly visible on a white background of a web page (or any color really) a result of "pressure marks", when there is certainly no physical damage done to the external metal casing of the display, nor internal either. If in fact it was due to "pressure marks", said pressure would have to be constant. For there to be pressure on the screen there would have to be physical indentations on the metal casing on the external side of the display, or internal side of the display which would not be present if the laptop was opened.

I now ask TWW to consider this situation before you, and please provide any insight that substantiates one explanation or another.

Ive already fought with Apple once on the shoddy work of a display being replaced, Im not skerred to do it again.


Edit: Ive done some preliminary research and it seems that these pixel groupings I am observing are called "Hot Pixels", which is a "permanently lit pixel" and in short, "always on".

[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 5:00 PM. Reason : .]

12/14/2008 4:50:38 PM

pictures plz

12/14/2008 5:04:18 PM

Err the only camera I have is from my iPhone

Ill try. BRB

12/14/2008 5:08:01 PM

not sure what or if this will help, but see if they are stuck white during all of the colors of this pixel check
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/10793

12/14/2008 5:12:10 PM

Iphone sucks at taking pictures but here are a few
http://tinyurl.com/69fc6v

http://tinyurl.com/67dtz6

http://tinyurl.com/66hnm5

http://tinyurl.com/5q5d3r

http://tinyurl.com/6er8m2


[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 5:24 PM. Reason : bad pics]

12/14/2008 5:22:26 PM

upload them again with circles around the problem areas

12/14/2008 5:25:55 PM

^ K

As for the pixel check I see the hot pixels on every color except black.

12/14/2008 5:27:02 PM

Areas are circled now:

http://tinyurl.com/69fc6v

http://tinyurl.com/67dtz6

http://tinyurl.com/66hnm5

http://tinyurl.com/5q5d3r

http://tinyurl.com/6er8m2


Of course they dont look bad from the iPhone camera, but I need more light, a better camera, and the screen is glossy so that doesnt help much.

12/14/2008 5:39:33 PM

go and bitch some more

[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 5:43 PM. Reason : 

12/14/2008 5:42:19 PM

Yes I have Apple Care.

Geniuses refused to fix it, and said this "damage" was caused by the user and not under warranty.

[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 5:43 PM. Reason : .]

12/14/2008 5:43:26 PM

go at a different time and try to get a new person, or go to the other store (Crabtree or Southpoint)
Those may indeed be pressure marks, but any pressure mark that is permanent like that would likely be a manufacturing defect.

There aren't visible dents in the casing behind those spots, are there?

12/14/2008 5:45:22 PM

None whatsoever.

I actually pointed that out, and asked them to explain further how they could be caused by user damage when there isnt any indentation on the display. They couldnt except for a superficial response that its not covered by the warranty.

This was at the Southpoint Store. I have a good relationship with the GM there. I guess I will have to speak with him about it.

[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 5:51 PM. Reason : .]

12/14/2008 5:50:56 PM

exploit that relationship

12/14/2008 5:51:23 PM

Well lets just say that Ive had enormous success with a previous, non related issue with a MBP display by use of my blog, and other sites picking up my story.

I have no hesitation writing about this issue either.

For now, PHP time. Ill deal with this tomorrow.

[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 5:53 PM. Reason : .]

12/14/2008 5:53:27 PM

i mean, that's retarded to say that a presure point on a glass display is user error (or is this a plastic display from an older MBP). For that to be so, either the glass would be cracked, or there would be dents on the lid behind the screen

12/14/2008 5:57:18 PM

^ Its a 2.4 C2D, about a 1-1.5 years old.

I told them that in a much more sarcastic and somewhat, demeaning tone.

In short, they are technically inept fucking morons.

I mean, Im no expert of course, but I do have the equivalent of an associates degree in electronics, about 8 years in the technology industry, and Im definitely not stupid. I do know when things dont add up, or at least when they dont sound right.

I take offense at such reasoning and blatant excuses, especially when it undermines my intelligence or their presumption thereof when providing such explanations.

In short it pisses me the fuck off.

[Edited on December 14, 2008 at 6:04 PM. Reason : .]

12/14/2008 6:01:32 PM

Quote :

"i mean, that's retarded to say that a presure point on a glass display is user error (or is this a plastic display from an older MBP). For that to be so, either the glass would be cracked, or there would be dents on the lid behind the screen"

That's not necessarily true. My old laptop had several small pressure spots from carrying it around in my bookbag. The weight of the books pressing against it eventually led to the pressure spots... but the dog broke the display shortly afterward so I ended up replacing it.

not saying that's the case here but it's certainly possible yo get pressure spots without noticeably damaging the case or glass.

12/15/2008 10:06:43 PM

Quote :

"My old laptop had several small pressure spots from carrying it around in my bookbag. The weight of the books pressing against it eventually led to the pressure spots."

ditto...happened on a toshiba and an HP...i don't even know if it was the books themselves, or the way i had the bag packed that caused stress on the frame of the laptop, which in turn caused stress on the screen at week points

you couldn't see them except when the screen was displaying black or white

12/15/2008 10:14:24 PM

Quote :

"go at a different time and try to get a new person, or go to the other store (Crabtree or Southpoint) "

Yeah just try different people. People at the genius bar are usually stupid enough to replace something as long as you give a convincing argument. I got water in my ipod touch and let it dry out for 2 days and it had little white dots like pressure dots (i could clearly tell it was water) but the guy at the genius bar said they were pressure dots, and he didn't see any sign of impact on the ipod so he replaced it saying it was a manufacturing defect. Total i'm on my 4th ipod touch since early September, (1 for water, and 2 times for dust under the screen). I really don't feel bad taking advantage of employees at the Apple store. Apparently dust just randomly gets under my screen every month or so, so i'll just keep going in and getting a new one. Bad design on the seal i guess.

[Edited on December 15, 2008 at 11:04 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2008 11:02:09 PM

^^, ^^^

Pressure on the screen from books, etc wouldnt show up in the lower right center section of the screen.

Im convinced the "genius" I spoke to and the subsequent managers were just technically inept fucking idiots.

Ill speak to the GM of the store later this week.

Has anyone found information as to what exactly causes a hot pixel?

[Edited on December 15, 2008 at 11:09 PM. Reason : .]

12/15/2008 11:06:39 PM

Welp, looks like those white spots dont matter anymore now.

The backlight in my MBP display died today. Will have the display replaced by the end of the week under warranty...

All my problems with Macs have been with the displays... WTF?

[Edited on January 19, 2009 at 10:53 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2009 10:52:29 PM

probably from that special mac bag you use

message_topic.aspx?topic=544889

1/19/2009 11:00:47 PM

dude those bags are AWESOME!

1/19/2009 11:12:14 PM

So being that I have some pretty sensitive IP regarding my business ideas, plans, etc and a lot of confidential info from previous employers on the hard drive.

I asked Apple to remove the hard drive before replacing the display. Genius said no problem. Guy who called me to let me know the display is in said they cant do that unless I pay for Pro Care. Manager at Apple Store said they couldnt do that unless I paid for Pro Care.

Im not giving them access to my hard drive to replace a display, which they claim (the apple store at southpoint) that their policy requires the hard drive to fix my laptop. We all know that technically, thats bullshit. I told them I could bring them the hard drive back if and when they needed to test it, and they could bring it out to me for me to log in to, but that was it.

Then I call apple care and have the specialist talk to them. Specialist said I would not have to pay for pro care, but he cannot override the managers rule that my hdd has to be in the laptop for it to be repaired.

I confirmed with him that all apple stores repair computers based off of the uniform apple care service agreement. However he said every store has different "rules", and that I may have to go to another store. He then told me that it is stated in the applecare service agreement that all the parts have to be in the computer for it to be repaired. I asked for him to tell me where in the agreement it said that. He said "I dont have it in front of me". So I requested he email it to me.

This is such muther fucking bullshit. This is why apple, as a company, sucks.

1/24/2009 5:43:30 PM

It's likely that if you kept the HD in the machine, they'd reformat it too.

It's ridiculous that the manager isn't budging on the HD issue. I don't get why they'd make such a big deal about it. Just boot off a CD to test the computer.

But, OTOH, if the contents are so sensitive to you, surely you have a backup, right? Just wipe the drive before you give it to them, that way you won't have to worry about your "sensitive" information leaking out.

[Edited on January 24, 2009 at 5:51 PM. Reason : ]

1/24/2009 5:50:58 PM

Thats what they asked me to do, erase the hdd and then restore it with time machine.

Thats just as effin ridiculous.

You dont need a hdd to test a display after you replaced it.

You can simply boot from the cd.

1/24/2009 5:54:01 PM

i like apple's computers, but when they do fail and you need support, they absolutely suck.

1/24/2009 5:57:39 PM

^ the sad thing is, Apple typically gets the best rating in terms of repair and customer service.

So even if you hate their service, you're probably going to get worse from other manufacturers.

^^ maybe they're worried you'll break the computer swapping the drive, and then try to blame their repair guys.

[Edited on January 24, 2009 at 6:06 PM. Reason : ]

1/24/2009 6:06:08 PM

No excuse for the manager saying his "rule" is that the hdd has to be in the laptop though. The applecare agreement says, if I'm reading it right, that I am not to provide apple with extra parts not needed for repair. So... Yea...

1/24/2009 6:38:50 PM

if it's that huge of a deal just buy another hard drive, put it in there, let them do their shit..then swap back out/return and get your money back.

1/24/2009 6:41:29 PM

more like the goons that buy apple shit don't know when apple is fucking them in the ass and they just like being talked to nicely by a 'genius' that doesn't make them feel like an idiot like a typical pc sysadmin type IT guy would.

1/24/2009 6:41:54 PM

If you have another computer just startup in target disk mode (hold T on your laptop when starting up) get your sensitive info off that drive via firewire.

1/24/2009 6:42:38 PM

Quote :

"^ the sad thing is, Apple typically gets the best rating in terms of repair and customer service. So even if you hate their service, you're probably going to get worse from other manufacturers."

true. but hell, even my cell phone company has never called me an idiot and an inexperienced user before.

me: my computer won't go to sleep when i shut the lid
apple: that's not a supported feature

me: my hard drive is making funky, grinding noises, and sometimes the computer just turns off
apple: make sure the computer is turned on all the way and that it's plugged in

me: my powerbook display has white splotches and faded spots that looks exactly like a previous recall you had.
apple: your serial number doesn't match, so that's clearly not the problem. no screen replacement for you. try changing your wallpaper

1/24/2009 6:46:12 PM

Quote :

"no screen replacement for you. try changing your wallpaper"

hahahhahahahahaha

1/24/2009 7:06:32 PM

Quote :

"the sad thing is, Apple typically gets the best rating in terms of repair and customer service."

Seriously, I can't keep quiet about this anymore. All of you Apple fanboys that think you're paying for and getting good customer service need to wake the fuck up to the fact that Apple has had faulty design after faulty design and responded repeatedly to these issues by lying to their customers. Unless the customer insinuated they were aware of a widespread issue, they insist the customer pay some (fucking batshit insanely marked up) amount to replace it. I'm thinking of an issue with the early iPods, those water-cooled G5s that would leak and become a fire/electrocution hazard, the bullshit display issues I've read about countless times, etc.

I had a problem with the display of my Dell D800 a few years ago and after a single phone call it was determined that they were aware of the issue with that particular model, and... get this... they dispatched a technician to my house to replace the display while I sat there and watched. Apple's support is such a laughable suckfest it's incredible that the fanboys can even swallow shit like the quoted excerpt. I didn't have to blog about my issue or argue with the manager to get the red carpet service I paid for with Dell, they just fucking did it.

Enjoy your Apple, while Apple investors enjoy your gullibility.

[Edited on January 24, 2009 at 7:41 PM. Reason : it's a run of the mill x86-64 system in a fruity box, get a damn clue]

1/24/2009 7:39:24 PM

yep, when i have had a problem with my dell or ibm, i call and they send someone out.

not bad.

1/24/2009 9:44:40 PM

^^ There was never a massive leaking problem with G5s. Apple's most recent problem with screens dying was an Nvidia issue that affected other laptop manufacturers.

And I didn't make that statistic up either. Various different measurement companies using different methodologies have given Apple great marks.

Even in terms of unit failures, Apple is among the lowest.

So it may seem to you that Apple's designs are shoddy, but in reality, outside of your anecdotes, they are typically above average.

1/24/2009 10:55:45 PM

Welcome to Apple CS/TS. Worst in the world

1/24/2009 11:51:51 PM

Here is the bottom line.

They should not be trying to extort Pro Care memberships for a requested service that is reasonable and practical for the consumer. Requiring the customer to provide ALL hardware AND your admin password is ludicrous and insinuates that Apple mandates access to anyone and everyones personal data. Im pretty sure thats illegal in some way or another.

Second, they can boot the laptop from the OS X DVD and do not need the HDD anyway. Every genius bar has OS X install DVDs and spare HDDs with OS X already installed. I dont give a flying fuck how much "time and effort" it takes to disassemble all the screws to get to the hard drive. If its that big of a deal then design a better fucking laptop you retarded twits.

Third, Im really tired of utterly moronic dipshits who amount to little more than failed college techie wannabes "educating" and servicing the mass public. There is no telling how many rightful warranty repairs were denied just to charge customers the full retail price.

To close, Id never give ANY company my laptop with the hard drive in it especially with the well documented cases of snooping by Best Buy/CC/3rd Party techs. Not going to happen, ever.

And yes while I agree Apple may have better customer sat in technical support, it doesnt mean their technical support is reasonable, decent, or satisfactory. In fact that doesnt mean, whatsoever, that its good in any way - it just means they are "better" than the competition which doesnt say much.





[Edited on January 25, 2009 at 1:06 AM. Reason : .]

1/25/2009 1:01:38 AM

Dude

Apple wouldn't sell me a new iphone to replace the broken one I had.

I had money in hand.

I had to negotiate for an hour to get my replacement phone.

LOL@YOU for thinking you'd get your screen replaced.

1/25/2009 1:32:30 AM

Uh, the screen is getting replaced regardless. The issue is whether or not the hard drive will be in it while they do it.

1/25/2009 1:34:40 AM

I should have added *easily.*

While my dell laptop was under warranty, I overheated it by leaving it on with a video game fullscreen on the carpet, and they replaced it next day after call with no questions asked.

1/25/2009 2:01:08 AM

^^Dude seriously. In the time you have bitched, moaned, pleaded and researched you could have backed up the fucking hard drive, WIPED IT, and taken it in to be fixed.

You are being a total techno-cock-nose about this. Yes, they don't know their left hand from their right. You attempting to educate idiots is just a further waste of time for both parties. Just clean your shit so you can do it their way.

1/25/2009 2:08:07 AM

There is a time where making a point is worth the effort. This is one of those times.

Although, Ill just call them back monday and say look, you can just boot it off of the OS X dvd. It shouldnt be difficult.

1/25/2009 2:39:34 AM

I can't think of a job worse than consumer PC tech support.

Severely underpaid, and they have to deal with holier-than-thou techies on a regular basis.

Shocker that it doesn't attract the brightest minds.

1/25/2009 11:09:16 AM

I dont think its a matter of dealing with "holier than thou" techies. Its a matter of dealing with fact and truth. That alone cuts out a ton of bullshit.

1/25/2009 1:15:50 PM

No it's not. Because those repair guys get in deep shit if they don't follow the rules handed down to them. It's an issue of liability, not ultimate truths.

1/25/2009 2:07:32 PM

How can you be liable for performing a repair according to the single service agreement document all apple products are repaired under. These unofficial "rules" are bullshit.

HDD is not needed to repair a display, fact.

Laptop can boot off of the dvd, fact.

I dont have to have to provide apple with all irrelevant components not required to repair my laptop, truth.

Tadaaaah.

It will be handled monday.

1/25/2009 2:20:33 PM

You can't just compress the important stuff into a secure archive with strong encryption? Let's be honest here, you have kiddie porn on there and you're paranoid about it. If these business ideas were as ironclad as you thought they were, you'd have all the backup systems in the world and you'd pay extra dollars to jump through whatever hoops Apple wanted to fix your machine.


I hate faggots like you. Self important for no reason.

1/25/2009 2:37:37 PM

Quote :

"Let's be honest here, you have kiddie porn on there and you're paranoid about it."

That explanation makes sense.

1/25/2009 2:45:06 PM