Rainbow Screen -- Newton Ring effect

I have this problem on the lower half of my screen.
It is only visible when the pod backlight is turned off though, so not too bothered.
However, even if i was bothered i would still have trouble returning it, as i bought it second hand for £115 via ebay.


MATT

skypatch,

Yes, I have seen that effect on my iPod. (20GB U2 Special Edition) I've noticed it for a while, though only recently have I decided to do some research before I pursue a repair/replacement, as I wanted to see if Apple would accept this as a problem for a product repair/replacement.

I do have Apple Care Support on the iPod until this December, and if I were to do anything, this would be the time. I've also noticed that the battery life is not as long as it used to be when it was first taken out of the box.

I was hoping to find more responses to your initial posting, as to what steps others have either taken or were recommended to take for this issue. Maybe my posting could help spark some new views or postings to your topic.

Regards,
-James-

I only have this affect on my iPod when tilting the screen at quite an extreme angle in direct sunlight while the backlight is off.

To me this sounds normal.

So I decided to test out some of my other electronics, and again the Newton Ring only appeared under the same circumstances that it appeared on with my iPod.

I don't believe this as being a problem, and I believe it affects all electronics, with LCD screens, expecially under direct light. To me it seems as if the light is being reflected of the iPods plastic outer screen and is therefore creating that Rainbow Effect.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it


Regards--- Justin

I follow you. And I've seen it during that instance of testing. However I've seen it in and out of direct sunlight and from various viewing angles. When viewed in the extreme angle you describe, as well as angles that are straight toward the screen and even slightly tilted; each display this effect when the iPod is on and the backlight is off.

I've tested a few LCD devices and haven't noticed this issue; or at least if it was present, it was very slight to the point that I didn't notice it. One test in particular that I haven't seen it in, where it's a similar display is the old Nintendo Game Boy. (Which I still happen to have a nice working copy of)

Now this may be a normal instance, but it just seems odd that some are having this issue (at varying amounts) and others are not.

-James-

Well when I turn off my iPod and look into light I see colors like blue, purple, and yellow on my screen. Is that what you are talking about with the Newton Ring effect and does it like affect your iPod performance?

Yes, that's similar to what is seen. The Newton Ring effect looks similar to what you see when you see "Oil in a puddle of water" on the ground. That is probably the best analogy to what is seen in the display of the iPod. (as in skypatch's initial post)

However, I do not see this effect when I turn my iPod off, it's only when it's up and running and, usually, after it's been playing for about 3+ minutes. And it's not always in the same parts of the screen each time.

I don't think it has any real "performance" issues with how it plays the music. Though, because it makes it difficult to read any text in the display, it causes me to pull the iPod to a dark corner and use the backlight where the natural light should allow for easy reading.

Now this might just be a little bit of an annoyance for some when one would be sitting, walking, roller blading, etc. It is, however, a MAJOR issue if you try to take a quick glance at the iPod if you are on the road driving and are not able to quickly glance at it had the Newton Effect not been obscuring the view.

Because I use my iPod often when I am on the road, this is why I guess I might be more apt to research this issue that others seem to be having.

Hopefully this answers your question(s) and hopefully shed some light on this not-so-rare occurrence I've seen in the discussion groups.

Regards,
-James-