Three Out of Six MacBook Pros In the Apple Store Have Horrible Screens

I know that this doesn't matter to most people that buy a MacBook Pro, only those that know that Apple uses different LCD manufacturers for the screen. From the six MBPs at the Apple Store by me, three out of the six of them had horrible screens.

The first two that I'll complain about were just mediocre compared to the two good ones. They were a little above average compared to most other laptops, but compared to other screens you would have a chance at getting, I wouldn't want to stick with these. They had a flat contrast ratio (blacks and whites that aren't pure) and just wasn't vivid, compared to the good screens, at least. Colors were noticeably off, too.

Two of the screens, though both looking different, one with more vivid colors and the other with a deeper contrast ratio, looked amazing and were the best screens I've seen on a laptop. The first screen I saw was that one that I want to have in my MBP.

One of the screens I saw was calibrated with very cool colors instead of warm like the other MacBook Pros. This screen wasn't regularly cool either, it was overly blue with a blue dominance so bad that it makes the top bar look blue instead of silver and messes up the colors and the screen had whites and blacks that were a lot less deep and pure than the rest. You really have to see it to get an idea of how bad it is, but I can't believe Apple would use a screen that looks so much worse and is calibrated so differently. In my opinion, that screen should be considered defective. I asked an Apple Genius if they would return my MBP if I got the screen and she said probably not since it was in spec.

I'm really disappointed with how different the screens are in the new MacBook Pro. Some of them are mediocre, some are horrible (the horrible screens are really bad), and if you're lucky enough, some are amazing. I wish that there was a way to request one of the screens, if you're paying $2k for something, you shouldn't have to get lucky to get the better screens. Apple shouldn't use screens that look so different, anyway. By the way, I've noticed the same thing with the MacBooks using screens that look a lot different, too.

 

it is definitely possible that a screen just had its color profile changed.

this is pretty ridiculous. at stores I have seen, there is no such issue, or maybe I am just less crazy

but thank god for the internet where peoples single experiences become absolute truth for everything.

 

I'm sure if Apple uses those three displays on three MBPs, they use them on at least 10k+, or maybe 100k+ more.

 

You know there is a setting in the System Preferences for calibrating the screen. By default, I think that the MacBook screens are calibrated too warm, so I am currently using the Adobe preset calibration settings on my new MacBook.

 

uh huh. anyone else want to chime in on this? Apple Store goers?

 

My first iPhone 3G had a really bad screen compared to the other iPhones in the store, so I exchanged it for another one and the screen on that is noticeably better. You can't change the color profile of the screen on the iPhone, so that was a problem with the screen it came with. I don't doubt that people might mess around with color profiles, but since I never saw any MBPs in the last lineup with such different displays during the ten times I got play around with them, so I doubt that somebody screwed up the color profile on three of the screens.

 

Apple probably uses multiple panel manufacturers for their displays and if you notice an inferior-looking screen, it may have been manufactured by Chi-Mei. I've read a lot of complaints from people who got Dell notebooks with the Chi-Mei panels.

Maybe someone here knows if Chi-Mei makes panels for the MB/MBP. So far the new MBPs I've seen looked very good.

 

Yeah, every major laptop manufacturer has to to keep up with demand. Apple has always did that with all of their computers and even with their Cinema Displays.

 

Just to be fair, I had a 15" Chi Mei LCD screen on my Asus C90S and it was by far the best display I have ever seen. I think the quality of screen really depends greatly on the model of the screen, not the manufacture.

 

I had a chi mei screen too before and thought it was quite nice. I think it is the samsung LED WXGA+ screen that everyone complains about, or maybe it is the LG? look at the dell E6500 or M4400 threads, they probably use the same screens that Apple uses...

sucks that there wont be any consistency in screens. I thought that part of apples pro screen strategy???

 

new MacBook Pro uses LG-Philips LCD panel (LP154WP3), with 90% color saturation, 700:1 contrast ratio and 8ms response time, it is the best 15.4" screen on the market.

 

In response to the first post in the thread, based on the description offerred it is *highly* likely that the screens had their color calibration played around with and set by customers in the store to various settings. I say this because when I calibrated the screen on my new MB over the w/e, I tried all the settings and I saw the exact same symptoms with blue, white and yellow/brown effects on the lcd colors.

This would not be a problem with the lcds in the units, but a result of the fact that Apple encourages customers to play with the units on the floor and they don't lock out any parts of the OS or settings (i.e. BestBuy) so people have full access and can change whatever they like. In the case of the screens seen by michaelsd01, people simply did not take the time to reset the screen before they walked off (and shame on them ).

 

I emailed [email protected] about it so we should get a response about the different quality of the screens that Apple uses during the next few days. In case anyone's wondering what my message sent to him (or Apple ) said:

 

This is very hard for Australian consumers, most stores only put out 1 of each line up for display, so how am i going to see if the screens have defects?

I really should ask to see 2 at the same time but knowing the aussies they will say this "Oh we can't open them because Apple only gave us 1 for display".

 

Ahh the computer store that sells Apple had this problem, some customers came into the store and messed up all the laptops on display on purpose

....

 

Just my opinion but I noticed the OP also posted this same thing verbatim on Macrumors. I think he's blown this all out of proportion. One man's vision doesn't become law. He's already acknowledged that he knows nothing about how to operate a Mac otherwise he would've known how to navigate System Preferences and checked for profile settings. If he's so passionate about this he should addressed this with one of the Apple geniuses and they would have recalibrated the screens to factory settings. There's no way they would be that far off in difference unless the profiles were set differently.

 

Here's my two cents. As its the OP's closest to home store, why doesn't he just go back and take another look at the laptops in question and check the calibration. That would save everyone sometime, and he might just get the answer.
But I guess he is angry and want to vent.. what are the 5 stages of grief again???
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Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8yjjfXOzpY

 

The Fujitsu n6460 has a Chi-Mei screen and its absolutely gorgeous.

 

Maybe Dell gets the lower quality panels from Chi-Mei?

 

Hey OP, you say your a long time Apple fan, way, way, way back when the iPone was released? Unless you remember pre OS X, your a youngling, especially as recent as the iPhone.

With that out of the way, your also an uber computer n00blet. Apple doesnt lock out any part of the OS so you can really see it. nothing hidden. its nice that way. if you spent 5 seconds in the control panel to fix it, there would be a lot less stupidity floating around on the internet.

and another about your "defective" iPhone 3G screen, its a little something called a placebo. AKA you want it to be better, therefore it is better. it is not scratched like your old one, therefore its better otherways too.

 

Actually, I just remember after I posted this that an Apple Genius did look through the calibration settings and they were all default. BTW, the screen wasn't "defected" on my iPhone 3G and I just got a tip that some of them are worse than some of the others, which I definitely saw for myself, so I got it replaced. To some people it matters, to others it doesn't. EDIT: It's just my opinion that if you're spending the money and have the chance to get a higher-quality version of the product, to go for it. /EDIT The truth is that Apple does use a lot of different LCD panels for their screens and they all look different, either a little or a lot. You can search around about the screens from other sites, ChaosSpear, I'm a little tired now to explain how much your post failed.

 

1st off I have not had the opportunity to view the new MBP's in person so I cannot comment directly on the quality of them as a species of laptop screen or individually. I have a Santa Rosa 15" MBP which has a glorious matte LED screen which never ceases to amaze me even in direct sunlight and for me stands as a credit to Apples quality control for models made during that period (Nvidia issues aside). But if what I have been seeing turning up in recent €2000 24" iMacs is anything to go by Apple have decided QA is no longer as important as it once was. To those people out their who have rubbished the OP's claims calling him a newbie I don't think I'm in the same catagory (although designers and artists using Macs would have much greater experience than me).

I've seen 12 24" iMac's in the past 2 months, 3 having stunning screens, 6 having abnormalities such as moderate stripping or poor contrast or uneven lighting across their surface, and 3 having quite frankly such poor panels that I would not consider them for €1000, never mind 2K. All units were viewed in shops where friends work and they let me play with each one as they know I'm an Apple nut and don't want to sell me a dud. This included checking the profile settings, running side-by-side comparisons of identically spec'ed models and moving them out of the shop lightings direct gaze. My mate who also sells Macs (as I have done in the past) was helping me choose one and has been a user for over 8 years also agreed threre was a problem with these panels so unless we both perceive the exact same faults in exactly the same way each and every time IMHO there were QA issues with these panels. According to my mates who work in the shops those iMac's had been delivered to them over a 4 month period so I'm presuming some should be different production runs (anyone more familiar with Apple's manufacturing cycles please let me know if I'm wrong). I was dumb enough not to make note of the panel models and manufacturers but I'll try to get a look again if I get a chance and install SwitchResX on the good and bad ones if they are still there, sorry.

These panels IMHO degrade the Apple brand which many (including myself) hold in high regard. It is as a result of this that I am holding off on buying one straight from Apple as I can no longer trust I will get a quality display sight unseen.

The posters who talked about people coming into shops and playing around are quite right. People do come into these stores and play with systems. Some even try to make the systems look bad deliberately, including but not limited to PC fans trying to make the Macs look terrible as a salvo in some sad fanboy war. They used to do it to the iBooks and iMacs I was selling in my store 3-4 years ago and my mates in the shops report they are still at it. Anyone who is looking at Macs should always check the profile settings and calibrations. If your unsure how to do that ask the CSR's in the store. If they don't know how to do it walk out and go somewhere that knows what they are doing (assuming there is another reseller of course). Its your money thats paying for expensive Apple gear and you deserve the best Cupertino has to offer every single time. And the best examples are oftentimes the best the industry has to offer.

As for comments from Circa86 proclaiming the OP to be incorrect or 'more nuts than him' and that sacastically a single user experience is somehow a global truth he said the same Apple-protectionist things against other posters when looking into the faulty MBP Nvidia issues (now admitted) among other issues and has never once responded to my or others requests to back up his statements with incontrovertible facts. Circa I don't want to start any kind of flame war here but as far as I am concerned you have no credibility in your statements and are mis-informing people on this forum which may cost them serious amounts of money or at the very least lead them to accept sub-standard product by relying on your comments. If you don't have conclusive evidence don't make conclusive statements, as I've said before over and over again. Fanboyism is not fact and serves nobody, least of all the Apple community who are proud of these products and want each user to experience the Apple experience to its fullest, myself included. This cannot be done if the product is sub-standard and any potential defects should be alerted to, raised with Apple as the OP has tried to do, and hopefully find a explanation for any irregularities that placates the purchaser and/or helps ensure Apple keep QA up to scratch.

Every manufacturer has a bad batch every now and then, Apple are not immune and shouldn't be judged as a company due to individual faults but along with complaints about 20" + 24" iMac's from other users on Macrumors and other forums, the 2G iPhones well known negative-black screen issues effecting a large number of units the last thing we need is this uncertainty to be extended to the MBP which IMHO is the jewel in the Apple laptop crown.

P.S: If people are wondering about the Chi-Mei screens the Asus VX2S owners thread over on the Asus NBR forum had many posts regards its quality versus a Samsung panel used in the same laptop. From what I remember the Samsung panel came off worst of the two and most wanted to get the Chi-Mei unit either straight off or for Asus to replace the Samsung in their current laptop.

P.P.S: If I am your average ordinary non-techy walking into a store and see a crap looking laptop screen I won't buy it. Its not a requirement that a customer have a certain level of knowledge of OSX before walking in, especially if they are a switcher from Windows. The OP had seen these laptops in the store and even if they looked rubbish merely due to a profile or calibration change they still looked useless to the outside world. What the hell are the store personnel doing allowing their companies products to be left in such a manner which reflects badly on them and Apple. These so-called Apple Geniuses must not have the cop on to revert the profile to display the product the way it should be viewed. Its an Apple store, they are Apple products, they are Apple employees. Even if the screens are ok if they don't look it and nobody is making sure they look ok the store manager needs to have a word in the backroom with someone from head office, or go find another company to work for. That kind of failure leads to bad impressions of otherwise good products and the staff owe a duty of care to ensure that does not happen.

 

OP, i dont mean to say your wrong, sorry if i sounded mean. but it usually is the case that its a small thing they got wrong. sure, the screens may not be that good.

and yea, im a mac fanboy.

 

Where did you hear that? It'd be great if they put that into every MacBook Pro, but I doubt that they do.

 

Who would EVER think something made by Apple could be anything but perfect *gasp*. Lots of manufacturers seem to suffer from screen issues, Apple is not alone.

That said, Chi Mei LED is definitely gorgeous on my notebook, and noticably brighter than other notebooks that my friends own. I know that it was the Samsung screens that people were complaining about.

 

This thread is useless, you absolutely cannot judge an uncalibrated screen. It's the same with HDTV's, they HAVE to be calibrated for best picture and lighting before you can judge whether the quality is good or not.

These are not the days when you bought a tv and brought it home, adjusted brightness and contrast and forgot about it. Modern screens require modern calibration techniques.

 

Yeah thats absolutly right. Every screen is different, even two that are produced right next to each other on a production line... and anyone who actually cares about colour reproduction and screen quality will have an external calibtation tool (eg spyder). These exist because even over ~1month a monitor can loose its color and need to be corrected.. not to mention that the lighting and environment can change the way a monitor also looks.
There are just too many variable to automatically jump to the conclusion that 50% of all mbp screens are crap. Unfortunately, there is no other evidence apart from this one users anecdotal point of view that screen are actually defective.
Thus I have to agree with dkwhite.
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