Bright Spot on LCD

Question

Bright Spot on LCD

My MacBook Pro has a strange spot on the far left of the LCD, about 1/3 of the way up. It's definitely not a scratch, stuck/dead pixel etc. before anyone suggests something like that.

It's a small area of about 3-4 pixels in width and about the same in height that is considerably brighter than the rest of the display. It appears to be a spot where the reflective layer is reflecting too much of the backlight, and I believe it's popped out of nowhere and changed shape slightly over the last few days (it started out more like a horizontal streak than a spot).
It shows up fairly prominently on a white or light coloured background, but does not show up when the screen is displaying a black or very dark image.

I've got a feeling it might be 'mura' - see the second post of this discussion if you're interested:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=474465

My MBP is well within warranty (bought in January), but I'm not sure whether this would count as a defect worthy of a replacement LCD. I'm just concerned that it may get worse if it is indeed 'mura', or worse still, a leak in the LCD panel. To me the display is the most important part of my Mac. I'm not bothered by physical damage and warping, but defects in the display really bug me!

If anyone's encountered the same problem and managed to get it fixed, please let me know. I did make a post on Mac Rumors which resulted in several people replying:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=543245

Thanks

MacBook Pro 15", Mac OS X (10.5.4), 2.4GHz Santa Rosa, 4GB RAM, 160GB HDD 5400RPM

Posted on Aug 17, 2008 8:36 PM

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Answer 1

Aug 17, 2008 11:33 PM in response to Leaping Ahead

Hi,

I have the same problem, almost the same place as you
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1665591&tstart=0

What's your MacBook Pro Serial number? (just the first 5 characters/numbers).

Thanks for your info,

Cheers,
S.

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Answer 2

Aug 18, 2008 12:53 AM in response to Solitary_Satellite

Hi, thanks for your reply. The serial number for my MacBook Pro is W8742.... I saw in your thread that yours begins with W88, so it looks like they didn't come from the same factory, if that's what the number represents.

The LCDs, however, are made by either Samsung or LG, both to the same spec. I'm not sure where the indicator is for the LCD manufacturer, but I remember reading somewhere that a model number for each is hidden away somewhere under some sort of system information section. Any ideas?

If all of the LCDs with this weird 'flurry dot', as you put it, are being made by the same manufacturer, that would make more sense.

I might try bringing the computer to the local Apple reseller here in Singapore (I'm on holiday at the moment) and see what they think of it. They may just call it a normal manufacturing defect and say the warranty doesn't cover that sort of thing.

Message was edited by: Leaping Ahead

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Answer 3

Aug 18, 2008 1:00 AM in response to Leaping Ahead

Hi,

I don't know if they can call it a "normal manufacturing" issue.
After contacting my local french Apple Reseller (not an official Apple Store) they said they would
need my Mac for about 1 week to replace the screen, which in my case is a no-go as I need it for
my daily work.

It's a bummer not having a real Apple Store, I am pretty sure that as long you are in warranty, they would exchange it immediately.

Also, I read somewhere that those flurry white spots would become more and more in the future once they appear...

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Answer 4

Aug 18, 2008 5:05 AM in response to Solitary_Satellite

Some good news to report:
I handed my MacBook Pro into the local Authorised Reseller here in Singapore. They've recognised the problem and written on the service report "WHITE PATCHES AT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LCD. (not visible on dark color)" and they've said they'll replace the LCD completely. They also said it would take up to around 5 days or more depending on the part stock. Hopefully it'll come before then because I'm flying back to England on Sunday. In that case I'd have to bring it to the Apple store back home.

If I were to show the UK store the report given to me here, hopefully they'd be willing to replace the LCD too.

I had to stress that the problem's not stuck pixels, and after that the girl went into the shop to inspect it closely, later coming out to agree that it's a non-pixel related defect, hence the replacement LCD. Anyone with a similar problem should definitely give it a shot at your local store/reseller. 🙂

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Answer 5

Aug 18, 2008 10:56 AM in response to Leaping Ahead

My MBP, bought in November 2007 developped the same kind of spots. There was first one, later three more of them. Apple accepted a warranty exchange of the display.

As I could not leave my computer over 5 days for repair, my ASP agreed to to order the spare parts. After delivery, the informed me and I could wait in the shop for the exchange, wich took about half an hour.

In my experience, the white spot problem, if occuring once, gets worse over time. It should be repaired as soon as possible.

Hope, this helps
Albrecht

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Answer 6

Aug 18, 2008 3:48 PM in response to Albrecht Brenner

Hi Albrecht,
thanks for the info. I checked with my retailer here, but it seems that they don't want to order
the parts without my MacBook Pro at their clutches.
So, he promised me to fix this in 2-3 days.

I will bring my MacBook Pro tomorrow to them, so hopefully
all this screen trouble will be over
😉

thanks for your information,
Cheers,

S.

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Answer 7

Aug 21, 2008 1:40 PM in response to Albrecht Brenner

Hi again Albrecht,

got my MBP back from repair, they exchanged my Screen.
No White Spots anymore, and luckily, no dead pixels.

Apple Support rocks solid.

Thanks for your help,
cheers

S.

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Answer 8

Fondeur

Level 1

0 points

Sep 30, 2008 11:30 AM in response to Solitary_Satellite

In an apple certified store in my country (Dominican Republic) they told me that its no covered by warranty, it doesnt mather that i have only a week with my MBP... the told me i have a bad look and that apple only change the screen if it have more than six bright or dead pixels....

😟

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Answer 9

Big Bert

Level 1

0 points

Oct 17, 2008 4:39 AM in response to Fondeur

The same issue appeared on my MBP I just too it in and I am getting the LCD replaced under warranty.

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