iPad Air Dead Pixels?

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I have gone to the Apple store twice and opened seven boxes in total, and each of the iPad Airs has had 1+ dead pixels. The first time I went one of the iPads had a shocking 5 broken pixels. The second time I went I opened two boxes and was not allowed to open any more, and thus I was forced to choose between an iPad with 4 broken pixels and an iPad with 2 broken pixels and a tiny scratch. A technician inspected the iPad and said that the broken pixel was dust under the screen, which it definitely was not. Besides, as if that would make it any better; it's still a defect. Anyway, I ended up chopsing the one with 2 dead pixels and left the store extremely disappointed in the customer service this time around as well as extremely stressed, and I was feeling like that for a couple of days afterwards. I still had not opened that iPad from its box and it had been sitting there because I didn't want to think about it and be stressed once again. Eventually I just opened it up and inspected it again and it was not THAT bad, but it's noticeable. Basically there is one dead pixel, and the other thing I thought was a dead pixel is probably just dust under the screen because it's only noticeable from specific angles. I could not find the scratch under the light in my apartment.

Anyway, I can do one of two things:

(1) Keep fighting this war and try to find one without a stuck pixel, and potentially stress myself out in the meantime. However, if I eventually find one without a dead pixel (which I'm starting to think is HIGHLY unlikely after opening 7 boxes) I will be very satisfied.

(2) Accept the fact that it has these defects and move on with my life. Forget about perfection and just slap on a matte screen protector that will blur everything out and disguise the defects from my eyes. Finally, I will be able to rest and over time forget that this ever happened. Hopefully.

I really don't want to hate my iPad, and I also don't want to hate my life. I'm in the middle of moving and I have boxes everywhere, and I'm also going to be starting the new semester of school again in January. I don't know if the hassle is worth it, but I also don't know if it's right for me to have a product that I paid a lot of money for that has a dead pixel. Then again, will it kill me to have one darn dead pixel? I feel like I have two people living inside of me that both want different things! Someone please give me some advice.

Thanks!

(If you'd like to see pictures of the pixel and the dust under the screen, let me know.)

(Also, do you think these things will affect the iPad's resale value?)
 
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I guess we're missing half the story here because it make no sense that you'd buy an iPad that was defective so I'm guessing you bought one, had an issue and returned it.

Either way, if it were me I would insist firmly, but politely that under the terms of the warranty you want a 100% brand new device as a replacement.
 

pigoo3

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What you don't seem to realize is...many companies selling products that have display panels...have policies regarding dead pixels...and in many cases, these companies do not guarantee ZERO dead pixels.

Read this (the "Manufacturer Policy" section"):

Defective pixel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't remember Apple's policies on dead pixels. But given the number you found...it's pretty obvious Apple does not have a zero tolerance policy for dead pixels. Many companies do not have this...since it would be very very expensive to guarantee ZERO dead pixels.

- Nick
 

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I don't see the problem here. As you were advised by member "mrplow", return it and insist on one without any dead pixels. Or, return the iPad Air and do without it. I have never heard of Apple refusing to exchange a device with dead pixels for a new one provided it was within two weeks of purchase.
 
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I don't see the problem here. As you were advised by member "mrplow", return it and insist on one without any dead pixels. Or, return the iPad Air and do without it. I have never heard of Apple refusing to exchange a device with dead pixels for a new one provided it was within two weeks of purchase.

What if such an iPad air without dead pixels does not exist? I'm starting to lose hope :(

Do you guys think this pixel would affect my resale value?
 

chscag

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That's simply not true. Lots of iPad Air devices have been sold and sold very quickly. Yours is the first I've heard of dead pixels. And yes, dead pixels will definitely affect resale value. That's why you need to either take it back for a refund or make sure you get one without dead pixels.
 
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That's simply not true. Lots of iPad Air devices have been sold and sold very quickly. Yours is the first I've heard of dead pixels. And yes, dead pixels will definitely affect resale value. That's why you need to either take it back for a refund or make sure you get one without dead pixels.

Really? Hm, I've heard of a couple of people receiving Airs with defective pixels. I'm wondering if other people's Airs have defective pixels as well but they don't notice them since I didn't even pay notice mine at first (someone dropped something on my Air and I was making sure that there was no scratch, and that is when I accidentally found the pixels). My dad can't even see the pixels at all. I did take a couple of pictures with my camera thought, and the pixel on my current Air is quite visible once zoomed in. So I'm just not sure if other people will notice it and look for dead pixels.

Anyway, thanks for all your help! :)
 

pigoo3

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...and the pixel on my current Air is quite visible once zoomed in.

Of course a dead pixel is going to look "quite visible" when zoomed in. Bacteria look "quite visible" when observed under a microscope as well.;)

Don't get me wrong...I think every customer deserves to get a display with zero dead pixels. But given the results you have had so far...and knowing that ever since computer & display manufacturers have been making flat panel displays there has been an allowance/tolerance for dead pixels (very few manufacturers have a zero dead pixel guarantee). You may have a difficult time finding a unit with zero dead pixels...ESPECIALLY on a retina display which has a heck of a lot more pixels.

Due to the retina display technology (pixel density and newness of the technology)...I wouldn't be surprised if dead pixels are much more common than on older non-retina displays.

- Nick
 

chscag

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Due to the retina display technology (pixel density and newness of the technology)...I wouldn't be surprised if dead pixels are much more common than on older non-retina displays.

That's true, however, Apple is charging a premium price for its Retina display machines. And if I'm paying that premium, then it makes sense if I as a customer have a "no dead pixel" tolerance. But like I stated to the OP, he's the first person I've heard from having a problem with dead pixels on an iPad Air. And I can't remember anyone who purchased a MacBook Pro retina model complaining about dead pixels.
 

pigoo3

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Since we're getting into this a bit deeper...here are two Apple documents related to "pixel anomalies" (document differences based on the date of the product):

About LCD display pixel anomalies for Apple products released before 2010
About LCD display pixel anomalies for Apple products released in 2010 and later

Unfortunately these documents don't spell out what the exact "dead pixel policy" is. Some companies actually say how many:

- total number of dead pixels on a display that are acceptable
- number of dead pixels that are clustered in a specific area (how tightly clustered in a specific area)
- number of dead pixels that are actually adjacent to each other

Here are two older articles from "engadget" and "appleinsider" that claim to have come across an Apple internal document/chart that better spells out the "pixel policy" for display panel replacement (at least at the time of the article):

Apple's dead pixel policy leaks out, up to 15 anomalies 'acceptable' on 22-inch and above screens?
Leaked Apple dead pixel policy allows two for iPad, none for iPhone

Unfortunately this document seems to be before "retina" displays...to get an idea of of what the dead pixel tolerances would be for them.

Just came across this as well (an older "dead pixel article" from 2005)...spelling out the pixel policy by manufacturer for notebooks (of course Apple is "unstated"):

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2211

- Nick
 
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Let's also take this opportunity to clarify our terms, since I think we're engaging in some word abuse here:

1. A "dead" pixel is not the same thing as a "stuck" pixel.

2. A "dead" pixel is always black (ie does not operate). A "stuck" pixel is usually stuck on a particular color (white, red etc).

3. A "stuck" pixel can often be GENTLY massaged into working again. A "dead" pixel cannot be.

Thus, if you have an iPad with a "stuck" pixel, you may want to try gently fixing it yourself. If you genuinely have an iPad with a "dead" pixel, I would ask Apple for a replacement.
 

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