Still no word from Apple on the 'lines'/screen issue?

[EnderTW]

To be honest, it's there. However, it's not that big of an issue for me, because it's hardly noticeable.

 

[The Toddfather]

No, if Apple loses potential MBA buyers, sales will go down, and they will just cancel the MBA line. This is in addition to them losing money to people on this forum returning their MBA 4-5 times.

The lines issue is overblown. I have the horizontal lines but I can only see it at a very extreme angle (my chin on the trackpad with display tilted all the way back). If it weren't for this forum, I never would've noticed it. Hell, if I had a MB, I wouldn't be able to see anything at that angle, much less horizontal lines, because the screen is so bad.

Apple says it is "within spec" because it is. It's not a flaw and they will never fix it. All this whining does is scare potential buyers who don't know how irrelevant the problem is. "Horizontal lines across the entire screen!" sounds horrible until you actually see it in person. Then you realize it's no big deal and I'm someone who's incredibly OCD about my displays. I get every TV in my house calibrated every 12 months by an ISF certified technician at $400 each. I annoy my friends constantly when they come over to watch a movie and I break out the color meter to make sure it's perfect. I manually focus my 1080p projector every time so it's always razor sharp.

Yet I had no problems with my MBA. If Apple offered to fix it for $10, I would keep my money. That's how irrelevant it is to me. In fact, the screen is the only reason I bought a MBA instead of a MB. The MBA screen is the BEST among all 13" laptops (although I would've preferred a higher resolution. 1080x1200 on a 13" would be sick.)

If Apple drops the MBA line, I would be forced to go to the much heavier MBP and that would suck. Someone wrote in another thread "go to a light solid color desktop and tilt your head up and down until you see the lines". I say, you can either enjoy your beautiful screen with deep inky blacks and vibrant colors. Or you can spend every day changing to a light solid color desktop and tilting your head up and down until you see the lines. Which sounds more fun to you?

D

Well said. You are happy with your MBA so the haters say you do not have lines. These same people said I did have lines, but couldn't see them - both assumptions made without ever having never seen your laptop or mine, unreal.

Bottom line, if you like your MBA, great. If not, take it back and find something else you do like.

 

[Carl Abudephane]

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[zer0tails]

One is entitled to an opinion only when it is an informed opinion, and, bearing in mind your choice of words throughout your post, I have to question whether anybody should listen to your 'opinion'.
You think your Air Rev B is not affected, fine. Very happy for you to be honest, I really am. Unfortunately others are not so happy with theirs. And I am not saying that you, or others happy with their B's, have the lines but cannot see them. I don't think that, because I haven't seen your unit. And I don't feel anybody should say that. How can they, without seeing it/them?!
However, I can assure you that this issue is most definitely not overblown.
I can speak personally from the four B's I have seen in two stores, and from the two B's brought out from behind the genius counter when I decided to ask about the problem.
Chin on trackpad?! That is just mischievousness, looking to portray people genuinely frustrated by these problems as irrational obsessives.

I loved the Rev A screens, but from first seeing a Rev B, I couldn't believe the difference, and I can honestly say that all six I have seen have had screens identical in their problems. From standing up, in front of the Airs, simply looking down at the screen from a normal viewing angle/distance, I immediately noticed a grainy look, which I then perceived, when actually looking at this effect, as subtle lines over the entire screen. Yes, I said subtle, but I still noticed them, easily. The white on the screen simply wasn't pure white. Asking to look at a unibody MBPro next to the Air highlighted this to an incredible degree.
But it isn't just that. I felt the screens to be muddy, or unclear, to some extent, but my girlfriend standing next to me, said after a minute or so that she couldn't look at it anymore as she felt the screen was flickering. I hadn't noticed a flicker per se, but I feel that I was interpreting this as the muddiness and slightly out-of-focus aspect of the screen.

Within spec?! Ludicrous, utterly ludicrous. Unless that is, that the Rev B has been given an inferior screen, and that these issues are just the normal performance of this screen. Thankfully, neither genius I spoke to came out with that little nugget. Both said they saw the lines and interestingly, both said that they felt that it wouldn't bother them personally. I suspect they might well be bothered if they were paying out £1271 minimum, but that perhaps this is the stance being taken at this point in time if anybody queries the issue.
Quit our whining? How irrelevant this problem is?
I suggest you count yourself fortunate to be happy with your Air, when so many are not, or haven't been. But please, the whole tone of your post is nothing less than vindictive.
People out there that love Macs, that love the Air so much that they want to buy this supposedly underspecced & overpriced machine, do not want to then, make up problems, believe rumours that they could easily disprove once they turned the thing on(if they weren't valid), or, god forbid, have to return it, rather than enjoy it as we all so look forward to doing when we buy a new Mac.

I have been saving up for a long time to buy my first Apple laptop, and for many reasons it was only going to be an Air. I currently have a PPC iMac G5 that will shortly be going to live with my parents, so I was really happy to see the specs of the Rev B, as it was possibly going to be my only Mac.
Unfortunately I can't live with that screen. I don't even want to buy one, knowing I could return it if unhappy. I see no point in buying a machine that I actually expect, in all likelihood, to be returning after opening it!

So I've taken the plunge, and bought a brand new Rev A! I've read enough from many threads over the past week from new Rev A owners, to give me enough belief that this Air will be okay for me in the short to medium term.
And with this purchase, I actually expect to love the screen!

you'll love the Rev. A. The screen is gorgeous.

 

[justit]

you'll love the Rev. A. The screen is gorgeous.

After 6 weeks with rev B lines, I'm beside myself on the Rev A. It's a blessing in disguise (thanks apple) saving me $1500.

 

[mhnajjar]

I figured something new yesterday while visiting the Apple store.

They brought a new 1.6/120 revB MBA on display with(out) lines. Yeah that is correct. For the first glance, I thought it was WITHOUT lines till I focused more and I found those nasty lines. The thing is, that these lines are very very very faint compared to the actual lines that everyone is complaining about. I even compared it side by side to another MBA on display and it is like day/night. The thin is that both of the screen have lines with one where the lines will get into your nerves right away while with the other one, you will never bother since they are almost not there.

The bad scree is model 9C9A while the good one is model 9C90. BTW, both are week 52. This means that the lines are there no matter what meaning even the ones that are claiming that they do not have the lines really have them while they do not notice them since they are not as bad as the real nasty lines.

I wish I had my DSLR with me so I can show you what I am talking about, but I used my HTC Diamond to take view pictures and I might upload some of those later if I had the chance to play around with them since I feel I already explained enough and there is no need for them.

BTW, I even asked one of the specialists to wipe off the screen and he was "do you want me to do it now? " and I replied "yes please ". Then I explained to him why I made him do it just because the screen looked almost perfect and I was not sure whether those similar lines or just some dirt.

At the end, the lines are there and everyone is affected by them. The difference is that there are lines where you might not see them and they would not affect your work or burn your eyes. However, Apple should equip the MBA with a flawless screen in order to live up to the premium they are asking us to pay.

I almost bought the Vaio TT today, but seeing this screen made me go back and I decided to wait till this is fixed even if I have to wait for revC.

I hope this is enough to explain the controversy around the lines vs. no lines

 

[drjsway]

I loved the Rev A screens, but from first seeing a Rev B, I couldn't believe the difference, and I can honestly say that all six I have seen have had screens identical in their problems.

I also have a Rev A and side by side, after I calibrated both, the screens look identical. Whites are the same. Only difference is I see very faint horizontal lines looking at it at extreme angles.

I suggest you count yourself fortunate to be happy with your Air, when so many are not, or haven't been. But please, the whole tone of your post is nothing less than vindictive.

I apologize if I seemed vindictive but the people saying "The lines are there, you just can't see it" is equally vindictive, if not insulting. I know as much about displays as anyone here and my eyes are perfect.

People out there that love Macs, that love the Air so much that they want to buy this supposedly underspecced & overpriced machine, do not want to then, make up problems

I never said the problems were made up. Maybe the problem is more severe on your display than mine, and if that's true, I'm sorry. I've only seen 3 Rev Bs personally (mine and two others on display on my Apple store), so maybe I shouldn't have made the assumption that the problem is irrelevant having only seen three out of tens of thousands. That is my mistake.

I see no point in buying a machine that I actually expect, in all likelihood, to be returning after opening it!

That's a more rational approach. If some people believe most/all Rev Bs have these lines, why buy/return five times? In the end, you've just wasted all your time and Apple loses money with five refurbs on their hands. If you believe there is a problem, be patient, and wait until you know for sure it's fixed.

So I've taken the plunge, and bought a brand new Rev A! I've read enough from many threads over the past week from new Rev A owners, to give me enough belief that this Air will be okay for me in the short to medium term.

Congrats! The Rev A is great. I had the core shutdown/overheating problem when I first got mine but once I installed Coolbook, it became a non-issue. Even if there isn't a problem, I recommend CoolBook anyway to get better battery time and reduce fan noise. Every laptop should be undervolted to perform at its very best.

I had the Rev A/1.6/HHD though and had a problem playing 1080p. That's the main reason I upgraded. I'd say if you don't play 1080p, do a lot of gaming or anything else that needs the faster NVIDIA card, there's really no reason to get a Rev B. I think a lot of frustrated people here would be a lot happier just getting a Rev A (especially at the the refurb prices).

 

[Carl Abudephane]

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[drjsway]

Carl,

No problem. I always try to look at it from all sides.

If anyone is seeing ANY kinds of lines while staring at the screen straight on, it's not irrelevant and it is a flaw. To go into more details about my screen (I tested with all brightness settings):

Absolutely no lines straight on.
No lines tilted foward, looking down.
No lines tilted to the side, looking to the left or right.
Very very faint lines, tilted back, looking up. At this angle, I can only see the lines in a certain type of lighting. In total darkness, I can't see it at all (at any brightness setting)

This leads me to believe the problem is in between the screen and glass. maybe the glue they used to hold it together, a reflective coating, or any type of coating. I doubt the problem is with the display itself so comparing model numbers shouldn't help. Anyone willing to take apart the display and remove the glass can get to the bottom of this.

A sure-fire way to get a good screen might be to go to all your Apple stores and buy one on display (if you don't mind slightly used). That may be easier for me however since there are 12 Apple stores within 25 miles from me.

Anyway, I hope you all find a good screen because the MBA is a great machine.

 

[tubbymac]

A sure-fire way to get a good screen might be to go to all your Apple stores and buy one on display (if you don't mind slightly used). That may be easier for me however since there are 12 Apple stores within 25 miles from me.

That's actually what I'm trying to do. As soon as I find a screen without lines I will insist on buying the display model. Problem is, I can't find one without lines these days whether they are rev A or rev B.

 

[mhnajjar]

tubbymac, trust me, that will not work and you will know why after reading my findings above

Even the one with the lines that are very very very hard to find and not affect your eyes, yet it has lines!

I would say, just wait if you can .

 

[drjsway]

Even the one with the lines that are very very very hard to find and not affect your eyes, yet it has lines!

I guess my screen would be considered the ones with lines that are "very very very hard to find" and that should be good enough for even the most discerning viewer to buy. If you don't look for it, placing your head in awkward positions, you should NEVER see it.

Seriously, if you're not going to see it using it regularly, why look for it?

 

[mhnajjar]

I guess my screen would be considered the ones with lines that are "very very very hard to find" and that should be good enough for even the most discerning viewer to buy. If you don't look for it, placing your head in awkward positions, you should NEVER see it.

Seriously, if you're not going to see it using it regularly, why look for it?

I actually found it very usable and I would not mind having it any time compared to the very bad ones.

I guess you are lucky

BTW, is yours 9C90?

 

[drjsway]

No, 9C9A.

 

[The Toddfather]

To drjsway,
...As regards those that accuse Rev B owners who believe their screens to be perfect, of doing so because they can't see the lines, well, the less said the better really! I can understand you, and other happy B'ers getting pretty hot under the collar about those comments...

Well said Carl. As I've posted before, these people see things on my screen without having ever seen the screen. This is as ludicrous as me saying no MBA's have issues. I'll take your advise and leave these folks to wallow in their own misery.

 

[faxao]

No, 9C9A.

Thanks God no lines whatsoever on my brand new MBA 1,86GHz....one question: how can I check the screen version ? Thanks

 

[YOKOJP]

Thanks God no lines whatsoever on my brand new MBA 1,86GHz....one question: how can I check the screen version ? Thanks

you're one lucky person.

to check the screen model -

system preferences - display - color - open profile - it should be on the 13th line.

hope you enjoy your new Mba.

 

[faxao]

you're one lucky person.

to check the screen model -

system preferences - display - color - open profile - it should be on the 13th line.

hope you enjoy your new Mba.

Thanks a lot.....It is a 9C90 Model btw......