Q: MacBook Pro screen blinks

Hi everybody, my MBP just started to blink few time ago and now I'm constantly using 9600GT to avoid the problem... I didn't do Apple Care cause I thought that Apple's machines should be just perfect for 1600euros... I was wrong! Now I have this problem and no warranty, and the motherboard replacement seems to do nothing. I'm very disappointed with Apple for such a big mistake that I must pay for... I think I will call apple center just to complain about this policy. Many other manufacturers give 2 years warranty, and for an amount of money equal to Apple Care they give 5 years warranty with at home repair, or 5 days repair at service center, pick up and return and repair to accidental damage. I'm a software developer and I have something various computers like a Sony Vaio of 2006 that is still working flawless. I'm planning to develope also iOS software, and this was my first MBP... nothing to say of the past 1 year and 10 month... but now??? I have to stuck with a defective machine only because Apple did a mistake... I will be very carefull in future with every apple product. If this time the customer care fails I think I will say to other people to avoid macs... and I know a lot of people that ask me tecnical informations... now by now I have only this result: Vaio (5 years old) 1 - MBP (<2years old) 0.

Its not any sorftware issue... this is caused from poor conections on the logic board... if you have experience using a heat gun, take out your logic board and with your heat gun pass it along the logic board espeacially on the conector of the internal monitor (dont leave it too much or you will burn it). PLEASE TAKE OUT THE LOGIC BOARD OR U WILL DAMAGE SOME OF THE PLASTICS ON YOUR LAPTOP. DO THIS AT YOUR RISK.

I have a Lukey Soldering Bench with a heatgun, but I'm not going to take out my logic board... I surely know that these **** ICs are very very delicate and I'm not going to repair it by myself without the right spare parts...

It is APPLE that if wants to be a good company must recall my computer even if it has not apple care. It is a known issue (company error) and so it has to be fixed also out of warranty. But Apple doesn't seem to be honest with its customers...

I was just trying to help... i fixed a few macbooks that had this problem with that simple method. This method is for people that know what they r doing not for newbies. Its safe if you take the correct safety methods.

Yeah I know... don't worry, I was not angry with you... I have a lot of confidence with hardware, I build every personal computer by myself and sometimes I also mod them. But here we're talking about an Apple computer, it costs 1595 € and I don't think I will unmount it, because a notebook is very easy to break. The computer is working fine with 9600gt so I don't want to take the risk... if Apple wants to repair it and make an happy customer it is free to do it! but now by now I will suggest to nobody to buy an Apple computer until they are known to work well...

This has been going on since 2008?  I have a 2010 MBP and this BS just started happening.  Several times a minute.

INEXCUSABLE.

Its a common problem on "nano" products that heat mucho... the macbook logicboard is tiny andd heats a lot... if u have warranty send it, if not repair it yourself or send it to repair

It seems that we need to win at bingo to have a good Apple product! I am starting to develop ios, i need to buy an ipad in the next future, I bought this MBP in 2009 just after being impressed by all the Apple Fanboys... I was sceptic and now I CAN say that I'm sure that these products and their assistance are not good. Someone has no problem, others have a lot of problem: screen blinks, freezes (fanboys always say that mac don't freeze), noisy optical driver, bad plastics, bad cases, and so on...

I will contact apple customer care even without warranty, this is a known issue and they are supposed to repair it also out of warranty... they cannot cheat a customer in this manner... if not possible i suggest them to put an auto destruction in all macbook that after 1 year and a half it dies (time degrading chip).

I'm hoping to get some answers. I've had my Macbook pro screen replaced twice. Once for big white dots appearing and the the other because the hinge wasn't connected correctly. I figured when the first was replaced it would stop blinking, now it keeps blinking. Sometimes, it takes a while other times every few minutes, its not predictable.... does anyone know to do to stop it?

Guys, I feel for ya but after 83+ pages, it should be abundantly clear by now that it is a "design fault" and there is nothing Apple or anyone is going to do about it.

Your options are either to send it in for repair on the 50/50 chance it'll get fixed, sell it and purchase a new one without the fault, or simply petition Apple for a resolution.

Like you, I am a consumer so I vote with the almighty dollar (peso, euro, pound, etc.). I do not think Apple makes very good portable computers, certainly not like the old days.

Our experience with Apple... (Wordpress)

I don't have Apple Care. My MBP was bought Dec. 2007. No flickering issues but a very occasional graphics spaz (only way I can describe it - like a frenetic test pattern that caused me to reboot) and it always ran really hot and the battery life was practically nonexistent.

The screen went black one day last month, took it in (knowing nothing about the prevalence of this problem), and Apple replaced logic board free of charge.

So for those out of warranty, who don't have Apple Care, there is indeed the ability to get the logic board replaced for free.

But now I'm worried the fix won't "hold" ... I really am not looking forward to going through this multiple times... guess I'll subscribe to the thread and try to keep updated.

Thanks for the education and I'm thinking Apple Care is in my future for all subsequent purchases.

I had my logic board replaced and it is still blinking. I've been experiencing this for the last two years & can't find a solution. I definitely won't ever buy another one if this is how they handle business. 83 pages of posts & no solution? I've been following these posts for a long time hoping that a solution will be found

Hi everyone

I just bought my Macbook Pro (version 10.6.7) this year (Mar 2011) and I encounter the screen flickering too I notice that Macbook will get quite hot after awhile. As I'm the 1st time user for Mac, is it really related to the 'Graphics Processor (I read these from above)? If so, how can I check mine? Can anyone teach me, thank you

And recently this month (June 2011), the screen started to hang/freeze my magic mouse cannot even move, so I have to force to power off and power on again. Is this the correct way to restart/reboot your Mac. Usually for Microsoft, we can press Control + Alt + Delete to restart/reboot the thing, but am not sure for Mac. Anyone can advise me! Thank you

I called Mac support yesterday for the screen flickering, they don't since like either have any solution or advise for it. They advise me to bring it down to the Apple store to take a look. The problem is I bought my Macbook Pro from Singapore and I'm in China now. I'll go back to Singapore around Jan/Feb 2012. I wonder if I let them take a look, will they do anything or just change anything from the Macbook, and the problem will be back again after few weeks/months? Sigh!! Quite disappointed with Apple, a laptop that not even 6 months, and having this kind of problem which is unacceptable!!!!!! And worst, many Macbook users in this forum encountered the same problem, and Apple is not doing anything to help or assist us?? What is this????? OMG!! My ex Toshiba don't even encounter this kind of problem (screen flickering) when I just bought it few years ago?

I got my late 2008 MBP back from the Apple Store today after a logic board replacement. While still in the store the screen flickered twice in just a few minutes!  Ridiculous!  The Apple Repair Manager for the store did not even seem surprised.

Next up they are replacing the display and connector cables.

If you have this problem, make sure that they replace both the logic boad and the display at the same time.  It is really frustrating to have to keep going back and losing 3-5 business days for them to do these repairs each time.

ravivmg wrote:

 

I got my late 2008 MBP back from the Apple Store today after a logic board replacement. While still in the store the screen flickered twice in just a few minutes!  Ridiculous!  The Apple Repair Manager for the store did not even seem surprised.

 

Next up they are replacing the display and connector cables.

 

If you have this problem, make sure that they replace both the logic boad and the display at the same time.  It is really frustrating to have to keep going back and losing 3-5 business days for them to do these repairs each time.

Replacing the logic board doesn't seem to fix it but I've heard some people mention that replacing the LCD helped.

After a certain # of repairs, I would call Apple customer service and see if you can get it replaced.