This discussion is locked
mike Savage

Q: Colored vertical lines on PB 17" display

There is a lot of documentation on various websites and discussion boards about 17" Powerbooks with displays that break down after about 15 months of use.

I am unfortunate enough to own a 17" powerbook assembled in April 2005 in China - serial number beginning with W8. I believe this is the same time-period and factory location where hundreds (if not thousands) of identical machines were assembled that are now having the same colored-lines-in-the-display defect as my machine.

All these machines assembled at the same time, at the same place, using the same batch of LCD screens, are experiencing the same defect after the same amount of use.
Something stinks, and it smells like a manufacturing problem to me.

Does anyone know if Apple has man'd up and acknowledged the problem yet?





17" Powerbook G4 1.67   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

Posted on May 21, 2007 5:36 PM

Close

Q: Colored vertical lines on PB 17" display

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

first Previous Page 5 of 28 last Next
  • by John Sawyer1,

    John Sawyer1 John Sawyer1 Aug 6, 2007 12:25 PM in response to a brody
    Level 2 (241 points)
    Aug 6, 2007 12:25 PM in response to a brody
    d brody says:

    "The chipmunk website is unsafe to use, and a potential security leak for possible theft of warranty coverage and identity theft. Do not use that website."

    Do you have some information that points in this direction? I need to know, since I use that website all the time, as I repair Macs, and though I know I could use Apple's, at http://support.apple.com/specs, the Chipmunk site tells you two things that Apple's doesn't: when and where a Mac was made. The "where" I don't need (except to occasionally satisfy my curiosity), but the "when" is sometimes handy, to figure out if a given Mac is still covered under warranty or a repair extension program.
  • by John Sawyer1,

    John Sawyer1 John Sawyer1 Aug 6, 2007 12:51 PM in response to Richard Shanks
    Level 2 (241 points)
    Aug 6, 2007 12:51 PM in response to Richard Shanks
    Richard Shanks says:

    "I just called Apple care and they said that "alot of their laptops start with WB" and that this is a "monkey see-monkey do sort of thing from the Internet" and not an Apple product problem.

    Those are direct quotes from the Apple Care technician"

    Unfortunately, that's all too typical a response from Apple. If they handle this problem the same way they've handled other hardware problems, they'll respond to most callers that way for a year until they finally start a Repair Extension Program for the problem, and in the meantime, they'll succeed at their goal in generating a lot more ill will towards Apple. It's official policy.
  • by John Sawyer1,

    John Sawyer1 John Sawyer1 Aug 6, 2007 12:58 PM in response to trevr
    Level 2 (241 points)
    Aug 6, 2007 12:58 PM in response to trevr
    trevr asks:

    "You know I have to ask the question, does Apple give a toss about their customers? I'd really like to know."

    Yes, they do, or manage to act like they do--until your warranty runs out. Then they don't care.
  • by M_Redd,

    M_Redd M_Redd Aug 7, 2007 12:52 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 7, 2007 12:52 PM in response to mike Savage
    Well, this is extremely trouble-some. I have currently 126 vertical lines of all colors. Whats worse is watching any sort of video or do any graphical or photo editing on this machine is out of the question. It's pretty sad that I have to transfer photos to my PC (dare I say that word) just to do simple photo editing.

    126 lines. I guess I have the Skittles version of the PowerBook G4. Taste the Rainbow should be the new motto of this laptop.
  • by M_Redd,

    M_Redd M_Redd Aug 7, 2007 12:55 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 7, 2007 12:55 PM in response to mike Savage
    Well, this is extremely trouble-some. I have currently 126 vertical lines of all colors. Whats worse is watching any sort of video or do any graphical or photo editing on this machine is out of the question. It's pretty sad that I have to transfer photos to my PC (dare I say that word) just to do simple photo editing.

    126 lines. I guess I have the Skittles version of the PowerBook G4. Taste the Rainbow should be the new motto of this laptop.
  • by macuser08,

    macuser08 macuser08 Aug 8, 2007 7:40 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 8, 2007 7:40 PM in response to mike Savage
    One line....two lines.....the third line just appeared today.
  • by David W. Hansen,

    David W. Hansen David W. Hansen Aug 11, 2007 9:37 AM in response to macuser08
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 11, 2007 9:37 AM in response to macuser08
    Just thought I'd add to the growing body of evidence. My 17" G4 serial number W85 just got its first vertical line today
  • by macuser08,

    macuser08 macuser08 Aug 11, 2007 5:56 PM in response to David W. Hansen
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 11, 2007 5:56 PM in response to David W. Hansen
    make that four lines now....this one is red for a change though....

    Message was edited by: macuser08
  • by Adam Prall,

    Adam Prall Adam Prall Aug 11, 2007 6:04 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (50 points)
    Aug 11, 2007 6:04 PM in response to mike Savage
    Just to reiterate to Apple: I am (alone, without a store) responsible for selling over a thousand Macintoshes to clients, friends and associates throughout the years. I've never had to deal with an issue like this. My friends are looking at me like "you recommended this computer to me?" — and it's very, very embarrassing.

    One machine has dozens of lines on it, now, and another one of ours has literally hundreds.
  • by Hardy Geer,

    Hardy Geer Hardy Geer Aug 11, 2007 6:15 PM in response to Adam Prall
    Level 4 (3,165 points)
    Aug 11, 2007 6:15 PM in response to Adam Prall
    If you want to talk to Apple this is not the place. The vast majority people here are just Mac owners like you. The few Apple employees who come here regularly are riding heard on these discussions and have nothing to do your problem.
  • by DavidHudd,

    DavidHudd DavidHudd Aug 12, 2007 12:51 AM in response to Hardy Geer
    Level 1 (40 points)
    Aug 12, 2007 12:51 AM in response to Hardy Geer
    We are all aware of this Hardy Geer, but talking to Apple directly through any of the 'official' channels gets us nowhere and all we get is stonewalled. Apple would not even talk to CBS5 in San Francisco about this so I doubt we will fair any better.

    People are talking here because we believe in the vain hope (and it is vain!) that as long as posts keep going up (and do not get deleted, locked or edited by Apple) then maybe Apple will at least talk to us about this problem, even let us know what part of the TFT is actually faulty, plus let other people know that they are not alone.

    Somebody at Apple is listening as the threads and posts are being deleted, locked and edited. Again we can live with the extremely vain hope that some day this information gets passed along to the appropriate people and something gets done.

    Regards, David Hudd (who is not holding his breath).
  • by jlemon,

    jlemon jlemon Aug 12, 2007 2:03 PM in response to DavidHudd
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 12, 2007 2:03 PM in response to DavidHudd
    I thought that the problem was fairly clear - the epoxy bonding the cable to the LCD itself failed, so the cable comes loose. I found a fairly good description of the failure mode at http://mywebpages.comcast.net/macdan/tibook_display.html
  • by Betsk,

    Betsk Betsk Aug 13, 2007 4:04 PM in response to mike Savage
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 13, 2007 4:04 PM in response to mike Savage
    I purchased two Powerbook G4's with 17" displays in 2005. Both of them now have vertical lines and it is getting worse. I am VERY disappointed that this has happened, but mostly I am disappointed that Apple is not recalling them or helping us fix the problem. Hmmm ... was going to purchase a new Mac Pro in October, but have changed my mind unless this problem is addressed.
  • by TomSawyer,

    TomSawyer TomSawyer Aug 13, 2007 5:23 PM in response to Betsk
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Aug 13, 2007 5:23 PM in response to Betsk
    I share your sentiments. I waited in line like a good lemming and bought an iPhone but I can't see past these vertical lines to buy a new notebook. Now that I've learned my lesson to ALWAYS BUY APPLECARE, the upgrades and AppleCare to replace my system add up to $4000. I can't see myself coming to terms with that sum any time soon without receiving satisfaction for my present purchase.
  • by lserpentairel,

    lserpentairel lserpentairel Aug 15, 2007 4:03 AM in response to TomSawyer
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 15, 2007 4:03 AM in response to TomSawyer
    Happy to see I'm not alone, in this situation... even if happy isn't really the good word !

    My situation isn't too different of yours, I'm just french and buy my PBG4-17 in France (2005).

    For me, there isn't inevitability than Apple don't want to solve our problem. Because they are only obliged to do.

    I Don't know if laws are the same in U.S than E.U (European Union), but if I see Apple don't move. My duty is to contact the European Court of Justice, and starting proceeding against Apple. It's easy, quick and really efficient. Not because I'm a "good" european citizen, but for the simple reason I'm an European Union senior expert. (it's so difficult for a manufacturer to choose his customers...)

    My job consist in conforming Coutries to apply european standards (usually for industrial sector exporters) and for this reason I know Apple can't refuse to solve my screen fault (fault means the screen issue is a direct outcome of the manufacturer, and is an unconformity with european laws).

    If you buy a new car, where the brakes have a manufacture fault, you'll have 90% chance to never post here or perhaps thru cyber-heaven...

    Do only what you think, with this simple concept:
    fault = unconformity = outlaw

    if I remember HACCP isn't so different from ISO. I've got my solution, find yours in U.S.

    Be different, think laws

    PS: Be lenient with my english, I usualy more read it than I write it.
first Previous Page 5 of 28 last Next