Q: MacBook Pro Retina display burn-in?

I don't have to note that most people whoever bought the retina Macbook Pro had the desire; along with it expects a perfect display. Sure, it may seem like hysteria but the fact that Apple is the one marketing this product mainly featuring the display. It's not an odd behavior that people with IR problems react this way. Again, this is a very expensive product.

Not in my case. It’s very noticeable during daily use and consequently in no way acceptable.

As I said, it’s noticeable after a mere three minutes. Something like the address line in the browser is displayed in one place on the display very often for much, much longer than that – making the white line of the address bar even visible on colorful backgrounds. When I make a video I just watched in the browser fullscreen I get noticeable lines across the screen (at the edges of the browser window).

There is nothing synthetic about that. It’s a defect display.

I agree with michael.ka

Displays that shows the image retention problem in 3 minutes is unacceptable.

If I were a display engineer, I would only agree that such "extended period time" is at least 1 hour. Heck, I think at least 30 minutes before this problem emerging is acceptable. But really?! 3 minutes, that's gotta be a defective display.

2 hours in Genius Bar yesterday (notes on file say 'issue clearly visible' - they suggested I'd definitely be able to get a replacement via the phone.)  2.5 hours to AppleCare today, ended with the same line it began: 'we can only offer a repair.'  Escalated to senior advisor, told the same thing... Even though the issue only began to show strongly after the 14 day return period.

Last MBP was the high end 8600GT, it ended up getting 3 months actual use between failures, the battery died and the screen was very yellow.  Never got a replacement outside of AppleCare, which I didn't bother buying.

This year I got a almost comically violet iPad3 64gb, didn't return it though.

I'm getting to the end of my patience.  Can anyone suggest where to turn next?

I'd call Apple one more time and ask for a replacement.

If they still won't allow it, then go for a repair; they'll replace the entire display including the aluminum case (one with the Apple Logo).

That's what I'm afraid of .. My last repair on that 2008 MBP left the machine with all kinds of new white bruises, which they claimed had been there when I gave it to them.  I wasn't able to disprove it, so they left me with it like that.

This machine is only 5 weeks old, I don't want a faulty reassembly to plague the rest of its existence.

After seeing the list posted by stecube, there seems to be a ca. 50% chance of getting a faulty unit. Of course this number is not accurate because a person with a faulty unit is more likely to write here than someone with a perfect MacBook. So let's say 20%.

I really want to buy a Retina MacBook Pro. But I don't want to exchange three units until I get a working display. How long do you think until Apple has this under control? And why didn't their QA catch this, they claim to be a premium brand?

clrokr wrote:

 

After seeing the list posted by stecube, there seems to be a ca. 50% chance of getting a faulty unit. Of course this number is not accurate because a person with a faulty unit is more likely to write here than someone with a perfect MacBook. So let's say 20%.

I really want to buy a Retina MacBook Pro. But I don't want to exchange three units until I get a working display. How long do you think until Apple has this under control? And why didn't their QA catch this, they claim to be a premium brand?

I have 2x week 33 LG displays and no IR.

sorry edit: 1x 33 and 1x 34

Add another LG display to the list of replaced in week 26. Confirmed the issue and my local Apple Store replaced it. Also, found another, easier way to discover a related issue.

1. Boot into recovery partition
2. Grab and move a window around
3. If the screen tears or the corners of the window blur, you've got an affected MBPr.

Why the ghosting and tearing of windows in the recovery partion are linked, don't know, but that's what happened on my unit. I tested the new unit in the store and no tearing or blurring of windows in the recovery partition.

Also, been through 10 MBPs in the past 2 years, 3 of them defective. You're likely more informed than the Genius and let them take you through their process.

They can't argue with what looks like video card issues combined with the ghosting IR. 

Message was edited by: DL Byron

Mishanchik

Guys, it's okay to display LG. Lenovo laptops have a S-IPS displays exactly the same "GHOST ISSUES". This is normal operation of the display. Even the support of Lenovo explains the situation: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?DocID=HT051485

 

Why this panic?

Thanks for that post that explains why you can get one of these displays to show faint IR for a short time duration after turning up the brightness, selecting a medium solid grey background and just leaving a safari page up for usually like 20 to 30 min with display dimmer disabled. 

Some of the other conditions like seeing visable screen tearing or bluring of objects as you move it around the screen, or IR observed with 3 minutes usage are examples of service related issues which should be corrected.

Thanks for the article "Mishanchik".

There are two things to consider here though:

1. Some of us are experiencing IR in a pretty short time period (i.e. under 10 minutes). The article you posted suggests using screen savers, which indicates to me that they're IR problem takes a lot longer time to manifest itself.
   
   
2. Not all rMBP's are experiencing this problem. If this was the case, then we might just chalk it up to new technology and move on. However, if some displays are NOT having this problem, then NO displays should be having it, because obviously the technology exists to keep this from happening (i.e. Samsung appears to have nailed it). This is definitely a quality issue.

Cheers,

Peter

Mishanchik,

I don't think that the 'hysteria' comment was warranted. Most people on this thread are professionals, and even if they weren't, they simply don't want to pay a large sum of money for a lottery whereby you may or may not get a Samsung display with no image retention at all, or an LG screen with IR problems.

Compare the images of user 'dodgerthat' before http://s1186.photobucket.com/albums/z374/myfoz10/?action=view&current=photo-1-1. jpg#!oZZ1QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs1186.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz374%2Fmyfoz10 %2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3Dphoto-1-1.jpg and after http://s1186.photobucket.com/albums/z374/myfoz10/?action=view&current=image-3.jp g when testing for IR.

This is unacceptable, not for a MacBook, a MacBook Air, nor a MacBook Pro. Unacceptable for any display!

It occurred on mine within 3-5 minutes at every occasion, FYI.

And at the Apple Store where I returned my rMBP yesterday in Montreal, I tested two, and only two, random rMBPs and lo and behold, one had a LG display (problems within 5 minutes of testing) and the other had a Samsung screen (no problems after testing for 15 minutes).

So all that Lenovo rubbish about IPS ghosting being normal may suit the average Lenovo user who is uninformed or naive, good for them or good for Lenovo for playing a quick one on their foolish customers. They probably get their crap from LG or UAO ?

But, but but, *we* are a needy lot, us Apple fans. This is my 18 Apple laptop since 2005, and I have never had a screen with such issues before (besides dead pixels or washed out colors).

The mere fact that the Samsung IPS do no exhibit IR completely invalidates your argument about the 'normality of ghosting in IPS displays' anyhow...

Peace out.

My replacement arrived today:

Another LG Screen week 33 with bad IR

I change another and if also that have problem, i want my money back

I have a week old week 32 machine, Samsung display, still flawless.

Hi, DL Byron:

Thanks for your tips. I followed your instructions and recorded a short video. (https://vimeo.com/47671483)

I noticed that the app window tears at the (right side) corner. Is that what you mean in the 3rd step? Thanks a lot.

This is my 3rd rMBP (week 32, LG panel). I could notice that there is minor IR on my screen, which makes me want to return this machine anyway.

ps. The video should be available after 20 mins.