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New MacBook Pro Quality Issues?

jcarlson

jcarlson

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 18, 2016
6
1
I just received my brand new Late 2016 15" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. I'm noticing a couple issues that seem a bit off for a $2,800 machine... anyone else noticed these?

First, the machine occasionally produces a faint clicking noise. It sounds exactly like the clicking of a mechanical hard disk drive head seeking. But that's impossible with an SSD, right?

Second, the screen has some noticeable discoloration, or "hot spots" where the backlight is not uniform. See the attached photo, where I've "enhanced" the contrast to more vividly illustrate the hot spots.
 

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Pootmatoot

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2014
614
1,244
jcarlson said:
I just received my brand new Late 2016 15" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. I'm noticing a couple issues that seem a bit off for a $2,800 machine... anyone else noticed these?

First, the machine occasionally produces a faint clicking noise. It sounds exactly like the clicking of a mechanical hard disk drive head seeking. But that's impossible with an SSD, right?

Second, the screen has some noticeable discoloration, or "hot spots" where the backlight is not uniform. See the attached photo, where I've "enhanced" the contrast to more vividly illustrate the hot spots.
Click to expand...


It definitely feels like a very different QA level. Apple products often have one single design flaw - antenna-gate etc - but this release seems to have many issues across many different areas - broken keys, a variety of graphical glitches, a razor-sharp finish on the vent holes, over heating etc.

Have they slashed QA costs?
 
D

dyn

macrumors 68030
Aug 8, 2009
2,708
388
.nl
@jcarlson: there are fans in the machine which could make that clicking noise. Is that noise happening at certain times/occasions? SSD is all electronics so that can't be making clicking noises like you are describing but those fans could. As well as the trackpad (if you rest your wrists on it, I wonder what happens).
The discolourations are rather difficult to see on that image. The quality of the image is so bad that the poor image alone could be the culprit. By the looks of it I think it is just the common reflection of some sort of light source in it.

@SlickVik: That thread shows the exact opposite, there are hardly people agreeing with you and all the likes are going to the people disagreeing with you.

@Pootmatoot: the fact that there threads about those issues are non-existent on the first page of this subforum says enough.

There will always be issues with any product, that's how the statistics are but here on MacRumors all hell breaks lose when someone has a scratch he found with some electron microscope. Things are grossly over-exaggerated here. Oh, the solution is also rather easy: contact the seller and get it sorted. It's what grownups do.
 
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danieleilertsen

danieleilertsen

macrumors regular
Jun 1, 2016
188
55
Oslo, Norway
I am having a problem with my new MacBook Pro touch bar.

Everytime I start up, the screen flickers real bad. Its all over the screen. It happens right after I type the password.

Is this a software issue? Or should I take it back?
 
B

BondFancy

macrumors 6502
Jun 26, 2016
341
386
danieleilertsen said:
I am having a problem with my new MacBook Pro touch bar.

Everytime I start up, the screen flickers real bad. Its all over the screen. It happens right after I type the password.

Is this a software issue? Or should I take it back?
Click to expand...
I think this has to do with file vault. If you turn it off that won't happen.
 
K

Kn!ghthawk

macrumors member
Nov 24, 2016
80
21
BondFancy said:
I think this has to do with file vault. If you turn it off that won't happen.
Click to expand...

There are at least two threads on this at the moment. Nothing definitive on if it's a software or hardware issue. It's been reported across the entire product line apparently.
 
danieleilertsen

danieleilertsen

macrumors regular
Jun 1, 2016
188
55
Oslo, Norway
BondFancy said:
I think this has to do with file vault. If you turn it off that won't happen.
Click to expand...

This is great to hear. The issue comes right after you write the password and push the enter button. This is also the same for the others?

Do you recommend to reinstall it and turn off file vault? You think this will help?

I would also like to note the the MacBook gets really hot, really fast when downloading files from iCloud. Could this also be a software issue?

Thanks again.
 
G

Guy Mancuso

macrumors 6502a
Mar 28, 2009
862
43
I do not have FileVault on and I'm running really well with no flickers on the MBP or my 27 inch NEC wide gamut model. Actually not sure I see the value of fire vault to begin with. One thing I did do was go through my old system very carefully cleaned everything up very well . I had a disk issue too which I used restore to fix that and just get the cleanest copy of my old computer before I migrated and I used a external drive to do that too just in case I pick any issues up with my old drive. This glitch I keep reading about sounds like a driver issue or fire vault . I also checked the discreet graphics on. I'm not trying to save battery life at all.
 
G

Guy Mancuso

macrumors 6502a
Mar 28, 2009
862
43
one other thing try and let your computer just run for awhile when you first start up a new computer. They start indexing spotlight pretty much right away. So give that a chance than start one by one with software and check and make sure everything is working. I think too many folks start testing to soon and playing around too fast. Give it a little time.
 
WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2016
620
426
I have none of these issues. I would send those units back, although you have the holiday period return policy so there's no panic.
 
G

Guy Mancuso

macrumors 6502a
Mar 28, 2009
862
43
WhiteWhaleHolyGrail said:
I have none of these issues. I would send those units back, although you have the holiday period return policy so there's no panic.
Click to expand...

Exactly if it really is screwed up send it back. Better yet go to a Genius Bar and have them look at it and than you have it documented as well. They would replace it on the spot if bad
 
M

Mildredop

macrumors 68020
Oct 14, 2013
2,478
1,510
jcarlson said:
I just received my brand new Late 2016 15" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. I'm noticing a couple issues that seem a bit off for a $2,800 machine... anyone else noticed these?

First, the machine occasionally produces a faint clicking noise. It sounds exactly like the clicking of a mechanical hard disk drive head seeking. But that's impossible with an SSD, right?

Second, the screen has some noticeable discoloration, or "hot spots" where the backlight is not uniform. See the attached photo, where I've "enhanced" the contrast to more vividly illustrate the hot spots.
Click to expand...

Wow. I'd be interested to see a video of the screen to see the hotspots. They look inexcusable.
 
A

Awjvail

macrumors 6502
Nov 21, 2010
402
114
What does the photo look like unedited? That looks more like glare than anything to me.
 
danieleilertsen

danieleilertsen

macrumors regular
Jun 1, 2016
188
55
Oslo, Norway
I did a full reinstall, turned off file vault and no flickering anymore! Thanks man. this is great, and this is proof this is a software issue and not hardware?

BUT, every time I reinstall I get a messages stating (my bad English, its stated in Norwegian)

"A crucial software update needs to be done to the Mac, but something wrong happened when installing. the Mac can't be used before this update is installed."

I hit "try again" and it instals fine.

Is this something I should be worried about?
 
WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2016
620
426
danieleilertsen said:
I did a full reinstall, turned off file vault and no flickering anymore! Thanks man. this is great, and this is proof this is a software issue and not hardware?

BUT, every time I reinstall I get a messages stating (my bad English, its stated in Norwegian)

"A crucial software update needs to be done to the Mac, but something wrong happened when installing. the Mac can't be used before this update is installed."

I hit "try again" and it instals fine.

Is this something I should be worried about?
Click to expand...

Is this a false remedy though? I have file-vault operating and I have no bugs at all. So what does this mean?
 
WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

WhiteWhaleHolyGrail

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2016
620
426
danieleilertsen said:
Sorry, what do you mean?

All I know is that the problem went away when I turnes it off
Click to expand...

What I mean is - why should you have file vault turned off? it is a very useful piece of encryption software after all. I am also saying that I do not have this issue and so I wonder whether you do in fact have some sort of hardware issue...
 
danieleilertsen

danieleilertsen

macrumors regular
Jun 1, 2016
188
55
Oslo, Norway
WhiteWhaleHolyGrail said:
What I mean is - why should you have file vault turned off? it is a very useful piece of encryption software after all. I am also saying that I do not have this issue and so I wonder whether you do in fact have some sort of hardware issue...
Click to expand...

I am not sure. Will call them tomorrow, but it seems like a software issue, since everything turned out fine when turning it off?
 
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