I feel your pain man. This is NOT good. The odd thing is I have six close friends/colleagues who have all let me use their rev B MBAs extensively to determine whether or not I was going to buy mine. I was an original MBA owner, but that experience was so poor, that it literally took a 180 degree change of Apple's component usage for me to go with the revised MBA. I really did not feel Apple was honest or fair in introducing the original MBA, but that is a different issue. BUT it did make me really uneasy about buying the rev B MBA. It made me uneasy about ever buying a Mac again.
Point being, we all DESERVE a perfect MBA. My six friends ALL have perfect displays. All six use the SSD and all six are amazingly fast (one is a 1.6 GHz). It was reading all of the changed components, plus seeing with my own eyes that the speed and overheating and problems were gone that made me want to buy the revised MBA, but the final component was the displays... the lines... were they on my friends/colleagues displays, NO. Not one of them had lines. Not faint lines. Not lines on white, black, red, blue, or solid green backgrounds. Not any colored lines. Not tiny lines. Not big lines. Not lines that could be seen from 2" 6" 8" 12" 16" 24" 36" 48" or even from across the room. Not lines seen from the keyboard. Not lines seen from above. Not lines seen from a right or left angle. Not lines seen by moving the display back and forth. There were NO LINES.
So, after all of that I bought my MBA. I could NOT be happier with it COMPARED to the original. That being said, the line issue is problematic when all of us MBA owners are using it as a gauge of whether or not we should even attempt to buy a rev B MBA. This is a HUGE problem. I have seen the lines. I know what they look like. They are very faint on some, and obvious at the same time when looking for them.
While for MOST rev B MBAs with lines, it takes the right elements to even see the lines. But when it is so widespread, how can we not look for them? When we are paying $2499 plus tax and software on top, how can we not expect perfection?
At the same time, LIFE IS TOO SHORT to wait for a revision C. The rev B MBA is too good to have to wait for a rev C just for this problem. If you can deal with it, buy from Apple store and keep opening until you get one that is RIGHT without lines. There are MANY of us, probably 95%+ that have no lines or extremely unnoticeable lines. So, the others should expect the same.
Why wait for a rev C, when life is so short? Putting up with a little trouble SUCKS and SHOULD NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN. However, it is happening, but as soon as you get a good one, the experience will be worth it.
When will a rev C MBA even come out? Sure we are hopeful the SL9600 CPU comes out next month, but that doesn't mean Apple will release next month or even the month after. Heck, I think it would be a big mistake, but Apple could use a different chip in the next MBA??? There are ultra low voltage alternatives from the current low voltage. However, the SL9400 is amazing to have a Penryn with SSF and 45 NM and 17V and 6 MB L2 cach is GREAT. A huge step up from the original MBA.
So, an MBA could come out as early as next month. It could be two months. It could be September though. Is it really worth waiting that long to just not have to deal with the hassle now? Life is too short.
Granted the rev C MBA should be amazing, but the rev B is available today and is perfectly capable of being most Mac users primary MAC! It may get better, but it is already so good, and that is why I think Apple may put off an update to the rev C. Sure we all want a 256 GB SSD, but tough to come by in 1.8 right now, I don't know if it exists... I have been looking and found NONE! Sure 4 GB RAM sounds great, but 2 GB RAM is enough and it is the faster RAM. Sure a "Silky Smooth" glass trackpad would be nicer, but the enlarged trackpad on the rev B is already really great. The graphics aren't going to get any nicer (as far as card goes) as the 9400m is incredible and low power using and cool running. And the SL9600 CPU is barely any faster than the 1.86 as current projections are for a 2 GHz with same other specs.
So, a rev C could be a LOONNNGGGG ways off. I don't wish that but I think it just based on all of the current components and the excellence of the rev B MBA.
BUT, you touched on something else, the rev B MBA COULD get a fix from Apple, and an acknowledgment that it has corrected the problem. The deal is, I think even though the lines are exclaimed as fact on these forums, I just don't know what the percentages are? Why is Apple able to come up with other laptop displays that have NO LINES? What is the issue? It's a much nicer display than the MB, so is the better viewing angle and such creating problems on a 13" display? I don't know much about technology compared to the external panel display types like TN and IPS and etc.
Surely based on all we hear and read here on MR, Apple has had a lot of returns of the rev B MBA for the line issue? When can we expect 100% shipping rev B MBAs without lines? WTF?
I feel bad for you. I really hope you can muster up the courage and patience to get yourself the right rev B MBA without lines. Sucks it couldn't happen on first attempt, but I THINK that two attempts nearly has to yield a lineless MBA or a near lineless MBA where you can only see lines via white background and at an angle NOT usually viewed during NORMAL use of an MBA. A lot of people find lines by pushing the display back all the way and looking from the keyboard, but that is NOT affecting NORMAL viewing.
Based on what I believe has to be good odds of a lineless MBA, two in a row SHOULD NOT happen UNLESS it is from the exact same source and the SOURCE is the problem. I am in Arizona, why do I see so many great MBAs here? Why when I go to the Genius bar to get a new iPhone do I talk to a genius that says his Apple store RARELY ever gets rev B MBAs with lines brought back. Could be BS, but I prefer to think there is something going wrong somewhere and this is NOT all MBAs.
I wish you the very best in your quest for the perfect MBA. I have one, and I know many others that have them too. It's something you should be guaranteed with the money you are shelling out.
Godspeed!
GO MBA!
