Hello everyone, I had and am having the same issue(s) and thought sharing my experience so far could be interesting, though first I’m very curious about these, so please let me know:
- Have you used the magnetic Apple smart cover or other magnetic cover/case with the iPad before the problem’s development? I have been using the Apple one continuously before the issue.
- What model is your iPad more exactly? Specifically, is it wifi-only or cellular? I have no screen issues with a cellular model but had the issue twice with the wifi-only model.
Let’s send as much feedback to Apple about this as possible. Might be the only way to eventually have an extended repair / replacement program started. Quick and easy:
https://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html
Now to the details: I had bad spotlighting / backlight bleed on a 2. generation iPad Pro 12.9” 256GB, on it’s portait-left side or edge, the same as everyone else. Several spots, strongly visible. It was purchased in July 2017 in Austria, where the consumer law protection provides 2 years of warranty. After being on the phone with Apple support, being tranferred to other employees who diagnosed the device remotely, I was told to book an appointment in an official Apple Store in Austria, then get back to the support employee with the appointment details so that he can instruct the store to have the replacement unit in stock and replace my iPad right away. Because of this I could successfully replace the iPad in an official Apple Store in Austria in March 2019, within the 2-year period, for free. (The new unit didn’t come with it’s own box and accessories of course, only in a plastic wrap.) The store employee, who handed me the replacement unit, informed me that the 2-year consumer law protection period restarts with the replacement, however, the email I received about the procedure afterwards doesn’t talk about the consumer law, it only says that either the original 1-year Apple warranty continues or a new 90-day Apple warranty applies, whichever is longer - we’ll see.
After about 8 months with the new device I noticed slight spotlighting / backlight bleed again, around about the halfway point of the portait-left side edge, the same side as previously and as everyone else. I will definitely contact Apple again. If the 2-year consumer law protection period didn’t restart, I’m out of warranty, however I think it’s obviously a manufacturing / design issue, seeing so many other examples here and elsewhere, so the right attitude would at least be free out-of-warranty replacements for all cases possibly accompanied by an official extended repair program.
Both the original and the replacement unit have been used with an original Apple smart cover. I was also wondering if the issue has to do with the strong magnetic connection of the smart cover to the iPad, which happens on the same side, portrait-left. I have removed the Apple smart cover, probably for good.
(As a sidenote, I haven’t ever used the built-in smart connector and the iPad has always been inside a hard plastic case along with the Apple smart cover, so both units were in a damage-free mint condition.)
