Q: Significant light leakage, few light botches on sides/corners  - defective?

Just to keep some of your hopes up and to not be completely discouraged, I'm on my THIRD iPad 2. The current replacement and my original replacement have impeccable screens. My ORIGINAL straight from the factory retail boxed iPad 2 which I had waited a good 4-5 weeks for had pretty excessive blooming (about 2 inches in length and it bloomed about an inch out, that's just the really bad spot, the other three corners all had noticeable blooming but was contained more or less to the corners, there were some light blooming all across the right side as well). My first replacement had an impeccable screen but it developed a very stubborn rotation lock switch in which it didn't really click and was stubborn to the point that it was practically cutting at my finger when I tried to engage it. My current replacement (this being my 3rd iPad) has no issues and an impeccable screen. So that's basically two replacement iPad 2's in a row with no screen blooming issues. I would say that ones chances of getting a iPad 2 that doesn't have the screen issues is very very very high at this point.

Really!  maybe I am just very unlucky.  I keep reading about these "Brown box" replacements - is this what your replacements where ?

I just took shipment of my black 16GB WIFI ipad 2! On a scale of 1 to 10 I would say mine is a 6 or 7 for leakage. It is all down the left hand side, so when watching movies in letter box mode it is very obvious and distracting! Spoke to Apple Tech Support in Meadow Hall (Sheffield, UK) and they said it is a known problem and to bring it in and they will swap it out for me... I have taken the liberty to crack out my DSLR and take some well lined up photos of the problem (in ***** black room, 1/125 F4.0, ISO80 - shows up the problems really well!) and have sent them to the iPad photo gallery. This way I can show the staff at the genius bar the problem...

Having owned an iPad 1 I never had this problem. I am very particular about things like this, and even though I have the base model, it still is £400 and you kind of expect a certain level of quality for this!

If genius bar a) refuse to acknowledge problem or b) give me a replacement that has the same issue I will just use my 14 day refund option and send it back for a full refund... I will then probably wait until christmas and see if the problem is still around. From the research I have done it seems like a massive global issue... It wouldn't bother me so much but my iPad 1 is perfect... So why should the iPad 2 be any different?!

Guys, just resized and uploaded my picture. I will be showing the Apple Store Genius staff this image. Personally, for me, it is not acceptable. This should have been a 'brand new' unit, i.e. one that doesn't have an LG panel. Clearly Apple still have stocks of these kicking around.

Simon, both replacements were from the replacement stock. Replacement stock is pretty much runs of units that are specifically manufactured for defect replacements (they have a different serial number series and they of course do not come in retail packaging, retail packed in documentation, and of course, no included accessories). Apple usually replaces defective units with units from the replacement stock but many times if you are within the two weeks return period (in the US) and bring in your original box and all pack ins, they would swap you out with another retail unit. Sometimes if they are completely out of replacement stock and you insist on getting a replacement right then and there, there is a good chance that they would swap you out with a retail unit if they have one available on hand. In addition to iPads, replacement iPhones and iPods are also usually from replacement stock. If your battery one day dies on your device and you fork out the fee for out of warranty repair (it's more like a replacement most of the time, except for maybe iPhone 4's), they again will replace your unit with one from replacement stock. The only items that Apple actually attempts to physically repair are basically their computers (Mac's). Everything else they just replace with units from replacement stock. If you look at how their products are manufactured (apart from their Mac's), they are basically made in such a way that faulty units basically gets recycled or something because actually trying to repair their current iPods, iPhones, and iPads would really take up much more resources than it would for them to just manufacture a new unit (this also explains why things like iPad repairs usually end up costing half the retail price of the device because that price is only marginally higher than what it costs for Apple to manufacture the unit).

wbjohnson, your screen issue, though not as bad as what I had with my original unit, is still fairly significant and is a completely justifiable reason for an exchange.

I shall keep you all posted with what they say. My appointment is Wednesday evening at 20:50 (last appointment of the day!) they will probably just want to get rid of me so they can go home :-)

I would never buy a computer from Best Buy again, as they have always been terrible with warranty issues.  Contact Apple directly, they always honor warranties.

idgienews wrote:

 

I would never buy a computer from Best Buy again, as they have always been terrible with warranty issues.  Contact Apple directly, they always honor warranties.

Note Best Buy doesn't honor any warranties on new equipment themselves; warranties are extended by the manufacturer.

For example, it doesn't matter where you purchased your iPad/iPod/Mac/other Apple product, you can take it into the Genius Bar at any local Apple Store or any other authorized Apple service agent for service.

Same for say, Sony - you can take it to Best Buy or call Sony to find out the address of your local factory authorized Sony service center.

Man, I can say that I am very happy. The one I got yesterday is a brand new one, came in its original box like they sell on the shelfs.

Am I happy that I didn´t buy the Ipad from Apple directly. As they seem to send re-furnished ones to the customers.

It is very sad to see that such a big company is doing such thing. They are hurting their own company. I mean, I personally will NEVER buy a product of Apple again, until it has passed some months and the forums don´t show any problems with it anymore.

And the worst is that the Apple people read this forum, they control it, but never admits that they have a problem and will resolve it. They just leave the people hanging there.

I am sure there are thousands of people with a defect screen who just do not know it or can´t go and drive 4 hours to an Applestore to do another exchange of what they hope will be a good Ipad.

I am lucky that my new unit is perfect, but that is also why I bought it in ECI and not in Apple. As I know they have the best customer service in Spain. They are so powerfull that they even force Apple to print special stickers on every box, so they can know what it is in, with their own code. If Apple doesn´t do it they just return them to Apple.

I wish the best to all the other people and hopefully they will all get a perfect product. And if you can, just ask a refund and wait or buy an Android one. In Spain it is impossible, but in the US it seems to be possible to get refunds from Apple.

Glad to hear you have a working one! I think MOST new iPad 2's are getting shipped with the Samsung panel now. I guess I was unlucky and got some old stock! Apple have really strugged with their supply chain on this product, especically with regards to securing enough panels! For me, personally, I am more shocked at how bad the LG panel is! I don't think I will ever buy an LG LCD panel!

wbjohnson wrote:

 

Glad to hear you have a working one! I think MOST new iPad 2's are getting shipped with the Samsung panel now. I guess I was unlucky and got some old stock! Apple have really strugged with their supply chain on this product, especically with regards to securing enough panels! For me, personally, I am more shocked at how bad the LG panel is! I don't think I will ever buy an LG LCD panel!

Thx. yes i am very surprised with the screenquality. Seems (maybe I am wrong) like the picture is also better to me. Also I got a brand new one!

After reading that Samsung has taken over the production I am sure that my new one is a Samsung one. I know that LG Tv´s are what we call here in Spain "cheap TV´s". They produce good quality/price Tv´s (32" for 300€), but it was for me a shock knowing that they produce for Apple. A friend of mine said that thos are the only companies in the world who mostly produce the TV screens and that LG is much less quality as Samsung. It is like comparing a RedBull F1 car with Virgin Racing team. Yes those are cars, but one is just superior than the other.

And that is maybe why I only have Philips or Sony Tv´s at home. And after my experiende here I will never buy some TV with LG on it.

I had a faulty pc from best buy and I was having problems with the second memory stick (it wasn't recognized). Best buy reported that I had tampered with the stick. I had not even opened the pc unit. They voided my warranty. I will never buy anything at all from best buy.

It still seems we are not having enough GOOD brand new deliveries and people reporting the success.  Also, I wish some people that did get good units would tell us what type and where they live.  I am wondering if there are certain models that might be more prone to have the problem as well as certain parts of the US.

I think we are in the minority my friend! There will be a great deal of people that will never a) notice or b) care about this problem. There are a few threads over at MacRumors from people showing pictures of their iPad 2's with 100% fine screens... I do not think it is region specific either as all the iPads are made at foxconn (china). I think the positive sign is that threads like this are starting to slow down now, and even though my 5 day old iPad has the problem I am more than confident that it's replacement will be fine :-)

Heck, if not it just get sent back for a refund and I'll buy another one, and another one and another one until I get one that isn't faulty!

I have yellow glue all around the border, u can see it slightly wen on White pages but it's fine, if I have my brightness over 50% then it's bad. Iv had it well over a month and it hasn't dryed or lessend