Not again... Strong yellow tint on display.

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Level 1

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Not again... Strong yellow tint on display.

This has been a problem for how long, 4 years now? I thought it has been fixed.

I opened the box of my brand new 12" MacBook last week, only to immediately be greeted by a yellow tinted screen.

I've been to the Apple Store 3 times since then, got 2 replacement MacBooks, all have a yellow tint. Every MacBook on display in the store has the yellow tint as well.

The store geniuses refuse to acknowledge the problem, even though it is clearly visible. They say they can't see a problem and won't replace my MacBook again.

Why isn't there a huge outcry over this? I can't be the only one who notices that the screens are broken?

What do I have to do to get a working screen from Apple? I'm completely out of ideas, short of returning the **** thing and buying something that's not from Apple.

Help?

Posted on Jul 15, 2015 2:15 PM

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Answer 1

a brody

Level 10

82,981 points

Jul 15, 2015 7:29 PM in response to netmute

I love how your store geniuses refuse to admit the problem. They should have shown you how to optimize your screen color with the Color preferences.

Apple menu -> System Preferences -> Displays -> Color:

Note how you can optimize the colors the way you want. This affects the overall tint of the display.

Also the store in question has overhead lights which may affect the tint overall, and would not be your normal at home or office lighting, so it is best to try the adjustment at home.

You can calibrate your profile to optimize for your vision.

I would report the store to AppleCare, and inform them the store Geniuses need better customer service training, if the store in question did not have a manager who would take your complaint.

Mind you, I'm not saying you did this, but the tone you approach the people at the store makes all the difference between getting good support and not.

Thinking it is an overall hardware problem and asking them to fix a hardware problem, when in fact it could be the software problem above, you will not get the answer that it is a software problem in a setting. So don't assume the Macs are necessarily deformed in any manner. Know there are tools you can help the situation.

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Answer 2

netmute Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 16, 2015 4:39 AM in response to a brody

Thank you for taking the time to write this in-depth answer!

I know that I can configure my color profile, and I already did that for hours, trying to get it to match the (good) screen of my MacBook Pro. However, the best I could do was turn the screen from an ugly yellow tint to an ugly blue tint.

When I showed the genius in store my (non-retina) MacBook Pro that looked fine, he immediately said I'm just not used to Retina screens, and that the higher pixel density makes the screen look yellow. I think I know enough about technology to identify this statement as nonsense. So he is either not the sharpest tool in the box, or outright lied to me.

He proceeded to get the manager, and the manager said he can't see anything wrong with my MacBook, and that they would exchange it one last time. Of course the new MacBook had a yellow screen again (like every MacBook in that store), and the geniuses generally treated me like I was crazy. They even tried to make me feel guilty by saying that they "can't sell the MacBooks I return, and would have to throw them away", that I would be responsible for all the trash and that they would make a note to my file to not exchange my MacBook again. I don't want a new MacBook, I just want my screen fixed. I don't care how.

It was the worst customer service experience I ever had.

I have an iPhone 5C with the same yellow tint as my MacBook. Other iPhones of the same model look perfectly fine when you directly compare them. So I assume this is a general problem with the retina screen hardware and can be fixed by getting good hardware. Am I jumping to conclusions here? If I'm right, this is an incredibly widespread hardware issue (As I said, all the MacBooks on display in the store looked yellow).

I called the Apple telephone support, send them pictures, and they immediately said my MacBook doesn't look right.

I'm kind of helpless here. I will never enter that particular Apple Store ever again, just to be treated like trash. How do I proceed from here? Is this just how Retina screens look nowadays? I find that hard to believe.

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