glyn105 wrote:
Is it common for a MacBook Pro screen to fail this early without any damage?
It's not common for a display to fail at all. As others have said, you have a sample size of one. My sample set is larger and goes back many more years. I've never had a display failure of this kind.
Could this be related to a known issue (display cable, panel, etc.)?
I'm unaware of any such known issue.
Has anyone successfully had a similar case reviewed or escalated by Apple?
Anyone? Any one of how many millions of people? That's a difficult question to answer.
Does using a third-party repair automatically remove any chance of support, even if the issue existed before repair?
It shouldn't, if the repair was done by a competent, authorized service provider. But there's always a chance that some future Apple technician could open up the machine, take one look, and say, "Not touching that, not my problem".
For context, I didn’t have access to an Apple service center in my country, so I had no choice but to use a third-party repair.
What country is that? Was the repair centre an authorized Apple service provider? If so, then it's 100% legitimate. If not, and if you don't have any authorized Apple service providers, then perhaps Apple products aren't a good choice in that region of the world.
I chose a MacBook Pro because of its reputation for durability and longevity
Where did you hear about that? I haven't purchased any comparable PCs in a long time, so I don't have anything to compare with. But at least during the Intel era, every Mac in my house has needed major repairs. And I was lucky enough to avoid the models that were really bad. The Apple silicon machines seem much more reliable. I always buy AppleCare.
A couple of times in your replies, you've referenced the "Pro" name as an indication of expected quality and durability. It's not. It's just trademark. Apple only makes consumer equipment. Some of the most legendary Macs for quality problems have been MacBook Pros.
if there are next steps I should consider.
I'm not sure what you mean by that. You seem to be saying that you're not interested in escalating, but you also want to escalate. Your chances of success in that endeavour would be very low. Since Apple doesn't even have a presence in your country, your chances of success are absolutely zero.
I can make some recommendations going forward. First of all, Apple stopped making Macs years ago. All current Apple computers are just big iPhones. I think it would be cool if Apple just made components like keyboards, docks, and displays that one could just plug their iPhone into and go to work. But why do that when you can sell a Mac for $6000 instead?
So, knowing that all these devices are just big iPhones, ask yourself why you need the $6000 version. With a MacBook Pro you have an option for a slightly larger display, more external ports, better (relatively speaking) external display support, and slightly faster internals. You could buy a MacBook Air instead and it would be quite comparable. If you really value reliability and durability, then buy two MacBook Airs for the price of a single Pro.
The trick with Apple is never be stingy and never splurge. If you buy the lowest end of anything, you'll regret it. If you buy the top-of-the-line, you're just wasting your money. But in all honesty, the people I know who always buy the top-of-the-line Apple products seem to be very happy with them. They're always telling me how great they are and how much they spent.
So always pick the mid-range. And when you are picking configuration options for your mid-range, pick the mid-range options. Same rules apply as above. When it fails in a few years or you're ready for a new one, that new mid-range will be much more powerful than that top-of-line model that you didn't buy.
