Dave Z wrote:
JustSayNo wrote:
Now, what you WANT is a screen without IR, and you assumed that's what you would get (quite reasonably since almost every other computer you can buy out there won't have IR), but that doesn't mean Apple didn't deliver what they promised.
I agree with much of what you have written, but on this point I respectfully disagree. Given that I have less than five minutes to view a web page (or anything else) before IR sets in and I'm stuck looking at the same thing regardless of what I open, I would consider that Apple's marquee feature for this product (the display), which is supposed to be stunning, is less than what they promised.
As you say, though, if someone else can order a rMBP right after me, pay the same price, and get a display that doesn't have IR, then I take issue with that. Apple should be issuing a recall and be either fixing it or providing us with a buy-back option.
Thanks for the kind comments, and actually, I think we are in agreement on the last point. I was mainly looking at it from Apple's side and how they might view things if they were looking to avoid responsibility for the problem. Legally, I think they might have an out because they didn't make any statements that are necessarily invalid based on the IR issue. IR does exist in SOME other monitors, so it isn't unique to the rMBP screen and could be considered "typical" for those types of screens. Obvoiusly this response is weakened a bit by the fact that it can show up so quickly and that they are also selling the same computer with a screen that doesn't have this issue, but maybe not fatally. But I'm not a lawyer, so what do I know ;-)
In any case, is it the perfect computer for everyone? Definitley not.
Is it a great computer for the majority of users? Quite possibly yes. Apple is in the best position to measure this since they know how many computers they've sold and how many have been returned. In many use cases, the display IS stunning, and possilby for many users, the IR is a minor annoyance if they notice it at all.
Is it unacceptable for a minority of users? Definitely yes, and for these customers Apple has generally been allowing them to return the computer or replace the screens (mostly within timeframes outside of the NQA period, especially if you push them).
Do the problems justify a recall? Typically, recalls are only done when there is a safety issue or when there is something that results in the device becoming non-functional, but not for customer satisfaction issues. Customer satisfaction issues are typically handled on a case-by-case basis where each case can be evaluated and exceptions to standard rules made based on the situation. Also, Apple appears to have no way to know which computers have the LG screens, so they don't have a way to reach out to only the affected customers, and wouldn't want to freak out satisfied customers for no reason.
That said, I do agree this has the potential to turn into a big black eye for Apple if it drags on much longer and if it is affecting as many customeres as we think it could be (but again, Apple has a much clearer picture of what the exposure to risk is based on units sold vs. units returned).
As frustrating as my experience has been, I'm still optimistic that Apple will eventually put together some sort of response that will satisfy most of the people in this thread. That response obviously won't satisfy everyone (that's impossible) because it might be something like "If there is demonstrable IR within 10 minutes, we'll replace the screen with one that doesn't show IR within 10 minutes", but some people may only be satisfied with a complete replacement because they don't want one that has been serviced. But it's hard to say until they announce their response.
My recommendation to people is the following:
1) If you are on the fence and don't want to play the lottery, wait until there is an official response before buying
2) If you already bought one with IR and are able to return your computer (either with the NQA period or if they make an exception and let you return it), get your money back and wait as long as you can before buying another computer.
3) If you don't mind playing the lottery (and all of the time it requires), go ahead and play it, but be careful of pushing your luck. Since IR sometimes doesn't show up until after the NQA period, there could easily be a point where they stop allowing you to get your money back if you are past the NQA period. It's definitely a gable and personally isn't one I'm willing to take (and I don't want to waste my time).
4) If you don't have another computer to fall back onto while waiting, you can risk keeping your rMBP after the NQA period with the hope that Apple will eventually provide some satisfaction. I'd suggest logging an issue as soon as posible so they have it in their system so it in the future it doesn't look like you are jumping on the IR bandwagon late in the game.
Of course, that's all just my opinion and others are free to disagree.
mittense
Level 1
(1 points)
aut0maticdan
