iPad Pro 13" M4 iPad Pro : Dead TrueDepth Sensor [Warranty Rejected]

[MK500]

So FaceID suddenly stopped working on my 5 month old iPad Pro 13" M4 with 1TB. Took it to the Apple Store and it turns out the TrueDepth camera had failed. There is no error; and the regular front camera shows my face, but there is just no way to get FaceID working. The Apple Genius ran some diagnostics which isolated the failed component. It got shipped off to get repaired under warranty.

Just thought I would throw this out there. I'll be curious to see if anyone else experiences this failure.

I've been very gentle with it. Always in a soft TPU back case with folding cover over glass. The day it failed, FaceID worked perfectly all day until it suddenly stopped.

Wish I could go back to the bulletproof design of the 10.5" iPad Pro I had previously. Miss my headphone jack as well. Dongles suck. Love the M4 processor though. Just wish Apple wasn't so focused on thin above all else. Especially for a Pro device where ports and durability are far more important.

 

[MK500]

So my 5 month old, almost $2000 iPad will now be returned to me unrepaired because Apple claims it was bent. I've had it 5 months. I baby my iPad; always in a case, front and back.

I'm so picky that I assure you I would have noticed if it was bent. They offered to repair it for $999.

I don't need Face ID that bad. In the couple days I used it without Face ID I noticed it was actually quite a bit more efficient to use a number login anyway; since it asks for entry much less often. I am concerned about features I might miss out on, but what can I do? What I get back better be the perfect iPad I sent in for repair or I will camp out at the Apple Store until this is resolved.

Just to be clear, if I handed you my iPad you would not be able to tell it was not new. When I say I babied it, I'm not overstating anything. I wonder if somehow it was bent by a technician and now they will blame me? I should try to find the Apple Genius who checked it in to see if she will vouch for it being perfect.

Gah...loyal Apple customer for 38 years

Just venting here because I'm so frustrated. I waited years to finally give in and buy this new design iPad because I was worried about this very thing. I should have trusted my gut.

But wow it's SO THIN!

 

[Wizec]

Do you have AppleCare plus?

 

[zkap]

Just venting here because I'm so frustrated. I waited years to finally give in and buy this new design iPad because I was worried about this very thing. I should have trusted my gut.

But wow it's SO THIN!

That's rough, and for it to happen on the M4 13 stings that much more due to the price tag. Apple should have just swapped it out for you, it's insane to read about this level of "customer support" after the M4 price hike.
Not to mention the bend-gate with the OG 2018 iPP that Apple wrote off as normal for the device to be slightly bent out of the box.

Obviously the iPad will not bend at the top (portrait mode), but the middle section which is the point of weakness structurally. They put the camera there so they should have guessed some bending will inevitably happen to some users (as they claimed was normal) and that may affect the camera and/or FaceID. Should be prepared to make things right for the customer despite the fact it would cost them more, they're the ones that made the design choice.

 

[MK500]

Should be prepared to make things right for the customer despite the fact it would cost them more, they're the ones that made the design choice.

Thanks for the words of support. Of course the reality is that Apple isn’t going to lose me as a customer. But this kind of thing reduces trust and will make me think twice about buying expensive products and services from them.

 

[MK500]

Do you have AppleCare plus?

I do not.

 

[elmoss]

Ring apple get a case manager onto it

 

[macfacts]

Do you have AppleCare plus?

on Jan 30th, I'm sure Tim is going to gloat about increased apple services revenue.

 

[HDFan]

Apple claims it was bent.

When you sent it in it did it lie flat on a flat surface? Did you take pictures?

 

[Macintosh101]

Write to Tim Cook. He has a team that looks into things like this and they'll likely help you out. I've needed to do this in the past and a few days later I got a call from one of his team.

 

[stevemiller]

dang that sucks, i'm sorry.

i'll definitely take HDFan's advice if this fault ever happens with mine. it'd be extra ****** if they bent it in transit for repair and then tried to blame you.

fwiw, as a left handed person, i hold the ipad with my right hand and tap with my left, and am constantly blocking the faceid camera when i pick it up. so much so that i too am considering just turning it off and using a passcode.

 

[MK500]

When you sent it in it did it lie flat on a flat surface? Did you take pictures?

It was so new, and perfect, that I never tried to put a straight edge to it. Of course it can't sit flat due to the camera hump. But I handled it every day, and looked it over quite closely. I really think I would have noticed a bend. I used it 8 to 10 hours most days.

I also did not take pictures. The FaceID had been working perfectly, even throughout the day it failed. Then I went to access my password for a website and it suddenly stopped. 2 minutes earlier it worked being held in the exact same position. It just felt very much like a circuit suddenly failed, so I never even considered physical damage. Especially since I never dropped it and it was always in a case with full front and back coverage.

When the genius ran diagnostics on it, she looked it over quite closely. I don't remember her exact words, but it was clear to me that she thought it was perfect physically. And when she had me sign the repair order, she made a big point that everything on the repair was zero'd out even though it said $999 on the estimate.

I guess I was under the belief that the new internal structures resolved the bending issue. I looked at reviews before purchasing it. 🤦‍♂️

 

[MK500]

I received my iPad back today. I can see that the long edge opposite the camera is slightly bent. I admit it is subtle enough that I could have missed it. Again, OPPOSITE edge to failed sensor. And being the "bottom" edge when I use it in its case; I could have missed it.

So, word to the wise: Check your iPad's thoroughly when you buy them. With a straight edge. Because if there is a bend it will void the warranty. I think I'm going to rename my device FragilePad.

I will post a proper photo when I can find my metal ruler. It's hard to photograph the bend without something very straight.

Photos: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ensor-warranty-rejected.2446489/post-33672679

 

[Wando64]

It's hard to photograph the bend without something very straight.

Lay it on a flat table, screen face down.

 

[ThatsMeRight]

I’m sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, Apple’s never been that great at handling warranty claims. They’re pretty good when things can be handled in-store and it clearly is a manufacturing defect. That’s how they got their ‘fame’ for being pretty good at handling warranty, because they prefer to swap instead of repair (so people will feel really good about getting a brand new device). But as soon as things need to be send out for further investigation and inspection, you basically already know you’re screwed. Honestly, it’s always been like that. Remember the first iPhones with a headphone jack on top of the device? Just making a phone call in the lightest of rains could trigger the ‘water damage marker’ inside the headphone jack. Faulty home button? Too bad… water damage. Wi-Fi chip stops working? Too bad… must be that water damage. I wouldn’t be surprised it they rejected tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of iPhone repairs based on that.

For you, it’s a nearly invisible bent on their thinnest device… a device with a massive price tag I might add…

I’m assuming you’re American, but if you’re European: did you buy it at an electronics store or directly at Apple? If you bought it at an electronics store, just try to do the warranty through them. Consumer laws are pretty good, so they shouldn’t be allowed to deny warranty for Face ID based on an extremely slight curve on the opposite end.

 

[MK500]

They’re pretty good when things can be handled in-store and it clearly is a manufacturing defect.

Thank you for this very thoughtful reply. This clarifies things a lot for me. Any time I have ever had an Apple product fail I have repaired it myself or had work done direct at apple stores (which often did involve replacement). And I’ve always had extremely good care; even getting free repairs when I already agreed to pay $200 for a new battery on a laptop.

I think this gave me a kind of artificial “oh Apple will take care of me” attitude that didn’t serve me well. I should have taken lots of pictures before taking it to the store.

Yes, sadly, I am American. And I bought directly from Apple.

As a possible piece of advice for others: When you get a repair done at the store, and they have to send it out, choose the option to pick it back up at the store. I’ve always done this in the past, but this time figured it was easier to get it delivered to my home. I think it’s better if someone in the store has to deny your repair to your face when you pick it up.

It gives them the direct feedback of the shock on your face, and at least gives you the chance to have a discussion. I’m not advocating for treating lower level employees badly. Be polite. But be clear when things aren’t right.

 

[MK500]

Lay it on a flat table, screen face down.

 

[Wando64]

Wow, yes it is slightly bent, but there is no way this would be the cause of the fault.
I think I would look to go down the legal route. In the UK you would be able to do so on your own, without having to engage expensive lawyers. I would ask for advice from a consumer support group in your state.

 

[Technerd108]

That is a pretty significant bend. However, I am not sure that is your fault? A large and thin device like that may just bend if it does not have a pretty significant frame and some type of metal x cross inside the frame. I have an iPad Air 5th gen and its design doesn't make you feel very confident with the structural integrity. At least it is just 11" but with that extra 2 inches I imagine that this may happen a lot.

$1000 to replace a FaceID sensor seems crazy to me. Who would do that? Even if it cost's Apple that much to repair since it is so new they should at least halve that number to make the sting a little less painful.

I have a 13.6" M2 MBA and the screen can easily be twisted so if you double the thickness of the air screen that is about the same width as the iPad with a processor and battery inside. Maybe it is stronger than my MBA screen but I feel like the iPad Pro's should be as heavy duty in build quality as the MBP's are now. The 16" MBP is built like a tank.

I get they try to make a tablet as thin and light as possible but physics and all you really can't have a Pro model built like an air at 13" and not expect these type of failures. Personally, I would like the same build quality and strength in the iPad 13" pro model as the MBP and any bend failures should be on Apple at that price point. In my personal opinion it seems like a hardware failure by Apple's poor design rather than a user not using the device properly.

They need to go back to the drawing board as this type of failure might be more common than we can tell and if Apple is by default denying warranty claims then eventually they could lose customers or at least make those customers never chance buying the largest and most expensive iPad which I imagine has the highest profit margin for Apple. It is in Apple's best interest to redesign this model to make it much more durable.

One of the things I really like about the new redesigned Mac's is the build quality in terms of material strength for the base of the laptops is really strong and better than most Windows laptops of the same or similar sizes.

When I compare my Samsung tab s9 11" to my iPad Air the build quality in terms of durability is much better on the tab s9. For a smaller tablet babied as yours was it is not a big deal but it doesn't make you feel super confident in daily use comparatively to my tab s9.

 

[MK500]

I get they try to make a tablet as thin and light as possible but physics and all you really can't have a Pro model built like an air at 13" and not expect these type of failures.

When I look at my 10.5" iPad Pro structure, the edges are a curved radius. Sorry if I'm using incorrect terminology, as I am not an engineer. Anyway it is extremely strong and not flexible. All previous iPads used this curved edge.

The 10.5" is also the exact same weight as the first generation 11" "squared off" iPad. I know because I bought 11" when it came out and returned it shortly to purchase the 10.5" which was still availble new at the time. Here is my 2018 post:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dilemma-need-more-gb-stick-with-10-5.2158233/?post=26870703#post-26870703

In my opinion the squared edge design was a huge fail. If you look at a bridge, it doesn't have a square support. It has an arch. The only advantage I can see to the square design is that the camera can be closer to the edge. In my opinion a few extra millimeters of blank glass on the edge would be worth it for the extra strength.

Another example is my 12" MacBook. The body and screen both have curved edges. It is incredibly light. But also incredibly strong. There is zero flex in the screen or any other part. If I compare it to a modern MacBook Air or my 14" MacBook Pro, they seem fragile by comparison.

To this day I use my 2017 MacBook, and it looks and feels like it did when new. No device with a keyboard that Apple makes today compares to the size and weight of this. I had to replace the battery a few years ago, and it's critical to blow out the keyboard regularly to avoid the problem with things getting underneath the butterfly keys, but that's a pretty well known issue.

 

[MK500]

That is a pretty significant bend. However, I am not sure that is your fault? A large and thin device like that may just bend if it does not have a pretty significant frame and some type of metal x cross inside the frame.

I'm not sure I would agree that it is pretty significant. Pictures are difficult. When using it 8 to 10 hours per day in its case, it is completely not noticable. From the front the screen glass does not appear curved or anything. The only way I ever was able to see it was when I looked for it.

 

[Devyn89]

That’s a load of bollocks (and I’m not even British). Sorry that’s happening, they should replace it even if the bend was more pronounced because that’s not relevant to the Face ID sensors. My iPad recently wouldn’t restore properly and I took it to the Apple Store and they replaced it even though I had a small crack in the top corner. I’m not sure if they didn’t notice or they pretended not to notice but I was grateful as hell because it’s almost the cost of a new iPad for replacement and that’s bullcrap. I did the thing where you pick up the replacement device in store when it’s ready and surrender the old one.

 

[MK500]

That’s a load of bollocks (and I’m not even British). Sorry that’s happening, they should replace it even if the bend was more pronounced because that’s not relevant to the Face ID sensors.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy you had better luck with your iPad. I have usually had great support at the Apple Store as well. Guess my luck ran out. I wish it would have run out with a less expensive product.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I do not.

No AppleCare+ on such an expensive device was not very wise.
By the way I saw the pictures and it hardly is your fault for the bend.
One question arise: was really necessary to make the iPad any thinner ? My iPad Pro M1 is thin enough…

 

[MK500]

No AppleCare+ on such an expensive device was not very wise.

I respectfully disagree. Throughout my life whenever an extended warranty has been offered to me I just put the money away in a savings account instead. Eventually I moved it to an investment account (and bought AAPL shares). I have well over $100K in there after this many years; so I can afford to fully replace anything that breaks if needed. It takes surprisingly little time for this method of managing your own risk to work out in your favor. Walk around your house/garage and add up all the extended warranty plans you have purchased and do a some quick math. You may be surprised.

By the way I saw the pictures and it hardly is your fault for the bend.

Thanks for this. I've been feeling pretty crappy about the whole situation, and I appreciate hearing that I'm not crazy.

One question arise: was really necessary to make the iPad any thinner ? My iPad Pro M1 is thin enough…

I completely agree. I've never really understood the "thinner is better" goal. "Lighter is better" is absolutely true, but this does not always correlate to thickness. But for most products I use; after a certain thin-ness is achieved it seems pointless. Especially since it is one of the reasons given for why we lost our headphone jacks and need to have external dongles for high end wired headphones now.