Q: MacBook Pro screen blinks

Did everybody in this thread send in their complaint about this on http://www.apple.com/feedback/macbookpro.html ? Please do so to at least get somebody at apple's attention on this.

Reported.

Unbelievable that Apple ain't doing anything about this issue, I've just checked that this thread has been consulted more than 150.000 times!

Aha... someone installed gfxCardStatus and posted the same results. Somehow switching graphics does minimize the issue.
9600gt never blinks... gfxCardStatus + 9400m hardly ever.

I've looked at the driver. There is this part gMux which i think mixes together the two streams. I think there is something wrong with the syncing while on the 9400m. I think it's a clock sync issue.

I DON'T think it's a hardware issue. The 9400m is integrated in the mainboard's chipset. I've never seen any problems in this kind of configuration.

Have you guys tried this?

http://guides.macrumors.com/ZappingThePRAM

If not maybe give it a shot, I didn't try it yet though.

Yeah I tried this,and it certainly did work,but only for a short while

gfx card status for my current situation does seem to be the best solution,it has virtually solved my problems! I just wish apple would sort out a proper and final solution so I can get back and enjoy a piece of equipment which is only 2 years old and cost me in excess of £1700!

I'm beginning to think Bill Gates is not so evil after all and maybe Steve Jobs is taking over from him....

So it can't be just a hardware problem OR a software problem. It seems it's a combination of the two. Maybe it simply can't be solved because incompatible software/hardware and that's why Apple can't/doesn't provide a solution. Because that would mean they have to give everyone new Macbooks...

I do not expect anything anymore for us late 2008 MBP owners. I guess we're ******

Well iv had my macbook 2 years now and the problem has only just started in the last 2 months or so.

It maybe the hardware is breaking down somewhere due to age (not exactly old),or its from a new piece of software/system update that is causing the problem,but it certainly wasn't happening a few months back.

My screen has pixels that constantly flicker white at random intervals. Zapping PRAM doesn't help.

I have reported this issue as well. It also seems that the blinking of my screen has gotten WORSE.... it flickers black more often, and its concerning me greatly. I don't know what to do, I don't have the money to get a whole new computer. I do still have Apple Care though, but I don't think any repairs that they will do will solve the problem. I don't know what to do!

For the record, I got this computer in March 2009 for my birthday. These issues started this past November for me. I have had a screen replacement and logic board replacement, and the problem persists. I have submitted a complaint to Apple.. I'm very unhappy. I've come to expect so much more than this from Apple.. this is beyond ridiculous.

I have purchased a new iPod every year beginning in 2004. I got this computer in March '09, an iMac in September 2009. I bought my iPhone 4 in September 2010..

And now I'm wondering who I can sell it to. It's absolutely infuriating.. how can they ignore this issue? Shall I post it all over my domain? Create a facebook group about it and invite everyone I know? What will make them at least make some effort to correct this issue?!

Every time I sent this computer in for them to fix this "unfixable" issue, it was gone for at least two weeks. I have ONLINE classes. I NEED this stupid computer to work correctly..

Sigh. I don't know. I don't want to go back to Windows, but now there's nothing for me. I literally loved Apple. I wanted to work for them. And now.. I'm kind of broken-hearted. I feel like my best friend let me down. I know it seems really weird, but I really felt like I could trust Apple. Now, I just feel like another person who bought something from them, who they couldn't care less about. And it *****.

I feel about the same. It's really sad when a company puts money above customers. I thought Apple was different, it turns out this was a naive thought.

Hopefully this will not be deleted, because that has happened to complaining customers here too.

I had this same issue and pulsating backlight at low brightness. I called AppleCare and was told it was "normal" for my "vintage" to have this issue, and to use the 9600GT chip to avoid it. That was nearly a year ago, I no longer have the machine.

I cannot say how well my current one will hold up but I think this will be my last Mac laptop. I've been strangely disappointed with the quality of the portables over the last few years.

John P. wrote:
I had this same issue and pulsating backlight at low brightness. I called AppleCare and was told it was "normal" for my "vintage" to have this issue, and to use the 9600GT chip to avoid it.

This is interesting John. Do you have a case number? And which model MBP was this with?

When I spoke to them the other week, they mentioned that there may have been issues relating to low brightness settings affecting some 17" models, but had nothing on record concerning the 15"s. If they have actually told you to use the 9600M GT chip because of a known issue, this is tantamount to an admission that the dual chip setup that we've all paid for doesn't work.

pete_a wrote:

John P. wrote:
I had this same issue and pulsating backlight at low brightness. I called AppleCare and was told it was "normal" for my "vintage" to have this issue, and to use the 9600GT chip to avoid it.

This is interesting John. Do you have a case number? And which model MBP was this with?

When I spoke to them the other week, they mentioned that there may have been issues relating to low brightness settings affecting some 17" models, but had nothing on record concerning the 15"s. If they have actually told you to use the 9600M GT chip because of a known issue, this is tantamount to an admission that the dual chip setup that we've all paid for doesn't work.

It was the "late 2008" model but I got it in early '09 (May), it was a 2.66Ghz model with the same 9400/9600GT chipset. I was given a case # from the "senior advisor" who called me back to tell me this two days after my initial complaint, which he had to forward to their "engineering class" who gave him the information. I wasn't about to shoot the messenger but that was what I was told.

I have the very same problem. Intermittent blinking, the top third of the screen goes black for a split second. Just bought a used MacBook Pro, 2.53 GHz, less than one year old. Has this problem been solved or do I need to take it in before the warranty expires? It's very annoying.