Ack! a bad pixel!

asaphasaph
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
My precious new iBook 800 has a bad pixel near the top right hand corner of the display ... its just one but it always glows an aqua blue. I didn't purchase applecare, but im certainly still within both my 90 day and my one year limited warranty... can I get this fixed? If so, how/where would I do it? Thanks in advance for any help!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    nope, one pixel won't do it, especially in a corner.



    however, it's a stuck pixel (has color) not a dead one (black) so there's some hope.



    take that grey cloth you got with your machine for the LCD (or and soft cloth) and gently massage the pixel. sometimes this will cause them to become unstuck, and you'll be back in business.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    pevepeve Posts: 518member
    you can try to complain, but most likely that won't change anything.



    1 dead pixel is no reason to get it fixed (for apple (or any other company))



    but the "massage"-thing could help.
  • Reply 3 of 12
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Where did you buy the box from? You could always return the machine and claim that, say, you had five dead pixels, or the CD burner wouldn't work. Get them to exchange a new one for it.



    Although a single dead pixel isn't enough for a company to warrant a defect, you would think that with the way LCD yields are these days, and with this being a 1024x768 panel, we shouldn't see any of these.
  • Reply 4 of 12
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    also keep in mind that you have the distinct possibility of getting a machine with a stuck/dead pixel if you return this one. and next time it might not be in an out of the way place. i'd try the massaging thing for a bit, although i've only had it work for me twice out of 10 stuck pixels.



    i have one on my powerbook, lower center. i don't even notice it anymore. :cool:
  • Reply 5 of 12
    stunnedstunned Posts: 1,096member
    I had two bad pixels on my ibook before.



    Only one recoverd. The other one, which happens to be at the center of my screen, never recovered



    I understand your pain
  • Reply 6 of 12
    quickquick Posts: 227member
    I had a bad pixel on my brand new PowerBook. I tried the massaging thing too, but from behind. It's gone and has not emerged ever since. I guess this only works on Powerbooks because the screen is so thin.
  • Reply 7 of 12
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    If it doesn't go away, don't worry, you won't notice it after a while. I bought a 17" Apple Studio Display CRT for a pretty good price: $200, shipped, and this thing is a beast. Anyway, the guy informed me that it has some minor surface scratches, and sure enough, there are two vertical lines that always display "rainbows" slightly left of center. There's also a triangle shaped scratch in the upper right corner. But these are all small and light and minor, I'm used to them now.



    I do think Apple's policy on dead/stuck pixels is pretty crappy though... it's one thing if you have one bad pixel in a corner, but they often tell you tough luck no matter how many are bad. I've even heard that some tech support people will lie about company policy and say that you can't get a replacement screen even when the number you have is above Apple's set limit. I believe it's 8 or so, perhaps fewer if they are all near each other and/or near the center. Most LCD sellers will accept a return for far fewer than 8, but I doubt many will allow you to return a screen if it's only one or two.
  • Reply 8 of 12
    kidredkidred Posts: 2,402member
    What's a bad pixel look like? A dot? I have a little area on the top left of my cinema display that is 'greyed' out so to speak. But it seems more like dirt on the desktop because it gets hidden with windows over it. Yes I have changed different desktop pics, and tried massaging it. It's not the size of one pixel, it may be 2-4 making a slightly larger square shape, but it almost appears to be slightly blurred on the top edge. Any ideas? (had this ACD for about 9 months now)
  • Reply 9 of 12
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    I dont have any bad pixels with my TiBook... but every once in a while (read, 3 or 4 times a day) I find a "stuck" pixel that i just have to touch to fix... IT IS NOT dust... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" /> i dono, any ideas? Could this cause permanent problems in the future?
  • Reply 10 of 12
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    i have had the following



    400 PBG4

    550 PBG4

    667 PBG4



    I have been plagued with dead pixels - every model I have had has had one or two - AND everytime Apple have replaced it for a non dead pixel model - each time.



    Even with just one dead pixel I have had replacements - it all rests with how much you complain!



    good luck
  • Reply 11 of 12
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Apple's policy is well behind the times on this, no surprise. Formac for instance guarantees a MAXIMUM of no more than 2 dead/stuck pixels anywhere on their displays. One of our office dells was replaced with ONLY ONE dead pixel. Though this was a display only and I do not know how willing Dell would be to replace a whole computer.
  • Reply 12 of 12
    quickquick Posts: 227member
    [quote]Originally posted by Paul:

    <strong>... but every once in a while (read, 3 or 4 times a day) I find a "stuck" pixel that i just have to touch to fix...</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Try pressing very, very gently on the back of your TiBook Screen. It does not have to be the same location/area as your stuck pixel. Also check near the borders of the screen.

    I had the very same problem and got rid of the stuck pixel permanently using this method.
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