Q: MacBook Pro Retina display burn-in?

Just back from the Apple Store (hopefully for the last time!!)

I had another swap done and finally came out with a Samsung display. Just to add to the discussion, here are the first 5 characters of my last LG and this Samsung model:

LG: C02J9

Samsung: C02J9

They are both the same

Congrats JacksterD! I see more and more Samsung screens out there recently. Let's hope this is a good sign

About to have mine replaced for a 3rd time after dealing with Apple over the phone. The one thing I'll give them credit for is every time they've been helpful about the issue as I'm sure they know its becoming a wider known problem and affecting more people.

Hopefully 3rd time lucky I won't have any problems.

 

 

 

JacksterD wrote:

 

Just back from the Apple Store (hopefully for the last time!!)

 

I had another swap done and finally came out with a Samsung display. Just to add to the discussion, here are the first 5 characters of my last LG and this Samsung model:

 

LG: C02J9

Samsung: C02J9

 

They are both the same

 

And what is the week of production of your machine? Can you please check it?

Sound Evolution wrote:

 

You have a very good point masterfish. I figured too, they advertise with IPS, so somehow they are forced to use LG panels. The sad truth is. "IPS" is a commercial good marketing name, that is associated with quality screens. Despite S-PLS (speculation) is superior. Advertising woth S-PLS won't be as effective as advertising with IPS, since the mass never heard about S-PLS. Therfore I think the rMBP will always have mainly LG screens, and only Samsungs to back up. Myself I design electronics for commercial manufactures, and one thing you can be sure of, Marketing above everything.

 

I have nothing against the LG IPS screen, as long they can fix this ghosting problem. At least in a matter that it doesn't show up after just 5 minutes.

Totally understand the marketing perspective, but the manager told me that because it's being presented as an IPS display, Apple is "legally bound" to provide an IPS display. All I was saying is that there are clearly two different technologies being presented (and enforced by employees) by Apple as the same when they are clearly different. I unfortunately didn't have any documentation of the samsung PLS tech on me, so the guy kinda brushed it off....

MarkRHolbrook wrote:

 

Ah ya... I should have figured SuperDuper.  I use that too.  Did you find that you needed to get a 3.0 USB HD to take advantage of the clone speed?  I find with my older machine doing SuperDuper (512gb SSD) seems to still take quite a while.

I notice that backups to my USB 2.0 (high-speed) drives are faster with the rMBP. Not a lot, but a bit. Probably due to the computer just being faster in general. The increased performance when I used a USB 3.0 (Seagate Backup Plus 1 TB, if you're curious) was incredible. I can do a differential backup in less than five minutes now.

I guess the more I think about it and in looking at my current windows on this laptop I RARELY if ever am in a situation where I've had a window on screen then I go to just the background.  I almost always have another window below it.

 

So that begs the question if if the burn in of a white (for example) window over another white window would be noticable?

It's difficult to say how this will impact others. I know how it affects me, but while the issue is definitely there, its impact is somewhat subjective. A white window to white window likely wouldn't show any IR, since nothing is really changing. However, if you're coding for hours and switch to a browser, you may see some of the toolbar icons, sidebar, etc. from BBEdit after switching. I know Coda 2's toolbar is visible on my screen when I switch to a solid background (whether that's the desktop or another window with a solid colour). Your colour scheme when coding might affect this as well. I tend to use a light background with dark text (a lot of developers like the dark background with light text look).

Mad_Mac_Man wrote:

 

So, assuming that the 5th slot of the serial number is a NUMBER, the MBP has an LG IPS display and when it has a LETTER, it appears to indicate a Samsung PLS panel.

 

[...]

 

Now, for the most disturbing part: My Retina MBP that is en route and has the serial already attached to my Apple ID profile, so I know what's coming:: 5th spot in the serial number: A LETTER!

I can understand your situation. My last two iPads had dust/dirt under the screen; so now I'm always expecting something and even looking for it!

I don't want to minimize your situation, you're going through a lot with all those replacements and since it takes so long for each replacement (calling, negotiating, mailing back, waiting for the replacement, etc.) the process just drags on for what seems like forever. At the same time, there's no reason to start assuming you're getting a defective unit. Remember that Apple makes a ton of these machines and the overwhelming majority work as designed.

You're making an assumption (as you, yourself, state) based on obversations you have made. Your observations don't encompass the whole picture, though. And really, how can they? You're not overseeing Apple's production.

Serial numbers are generally not specific as to the hardware that's included in the unit. With all the various components in the computer, how could they be? The number would be 100-characters long! They are unique codes for each unit produced, typically based on some broad conditions (year of manufacture, location of assembly, etc.).

Newtoniano wrote:

 

Well, even if the 5th character/number thing doesn't seem to tell anything, there could potentially be a way to discover if it's a Samsung or LG display just by reading the serial number, still.

Probably not without inside help. Apple may keep a database of the components in each machine based on serial number, but as I mentioned earlier, serial numbers are unique codes that often have generalized information in them: year, country of manufacture, batch number, unit number, etc.

If all Samsungs were coming from one place and LG, another; this might make it easier to ascertain. It doesn't appear that's the case though.

Friends,

I care deeply about this very important issue.

<Edited By Host>

Can you please enter both serial numbers into appleserialnumberinfo.com and get the week number?

So - if I got the story at the Genius bar about an upcoming software update - should I call AppleCare and reference this discussion?

Hi guys, From the UK just received mbpr BTO first one and its a samsung, it was week 37 ordered 13th sept shipped from over seas so im guessing is brand new, it must mean samsungs are still in production, so theres still hope.

2.3ghz

16gb ram

256GB

I can't see a software update fixing this. A firmware update might diminish it a bit, but probably not for the users who have a severe case of IR.

It doesn't hurt to call just so there's one more case on file from a user. Remember that the more cases Apple has, the more likely it is they'll take action.

Where did you get your build week information?  I ordered the same day as you and its looking like it will be Week 38.

I really don't think there will be any changes done by Apple with regard to which display is used in the rMBP.   Apple wants to have at least two suppliers.  The two supplierers (Samsung, LG) make their panels differently since they are basically competitors. Samsung is most likely building their screens with technology that LG does not have access to.  It could also be that Samsung can not produce enough displays to meet the demand so LG needs to be used as well.  The Samsung displays may have other issues but rarely if ever the image retention issue.

There are also probably a lot of people who have LG displays and image retension that simply don't care or are convinced that it is normal not ever realizing that there are displays without the issue.  I am guessing that there simply is not enough people returning LG displays to warrant Apple to stop using them contrary to all the posts here. 

For those of us that do care about it you are going to have to just keep getting a replacement until you get a Samsung.  The one thing that Apple could do that would make life a lot easier for people that want the Samsung is allow people to specifically request a Samsung display if they are getting a replacement.