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Advice on purchasing a “good” apple cimema display and their “wedge” warranty
I purchased a 23″ cinema display about a year ago from the apple store and noticed it had some dead pixels. I eventually looked into dead pixel tolerance levels of the monitors and 7 seemed to be the magic number. I had 11 dead ones and 2 red ones touched each other so it was pretty distracting. As I bought on line from the Apple Store I was reluctant to send it off for warranty and be without it. Finally when I still had 9 days left on the warranty I called Apple and was told “yes, 7 or more was the magic number and take it in to a local dealer”. After about 2-3 weeks I got a call from the dealer to pick up my new monitor but when I got there I was told “they tested it and found a loose dvi connector that pixelated 50% of the screen when touched”. I saw and confirmed this. They let me take my original one back till a new replacement arrived. Today it arrived and guess what, it has 11 dead pixels! Looking at the bottom of the base I can see it is a used display. I phoned Apple to see if this was normal customer service and was told “yes, when they replace a new item their tolerances are higher than when replacing a replacement item”. Since this was my 3rd display the tolerances were lower. HUH? I’ve never even had any replacements in my possesion yet! I asked them “so does this mean the next person who sends in a monitor with dead pixels will be getting my old one as a replacement?” Since it would be their 2nd display it wouldn’t need the same level of quality because as they are used, the pixels die off. I was told “there is no magic number for permissable dead pixels, Apple has not published this tolerance level and that even my 1st. display shouldn’t have been replaced with only 11 dead pixels as that is well within specifications”. I have to say that after over a month dealing with this I’m a little disapointed with Apple on this. If I
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8 Replies
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Thank you for the info, read some negative comments on this display on line also. I am also looking for a display for my Mac Book Pro. I don’t belive they are having these problems with the 30 in display are they ?
Later
Tom -
the new Apple 23″ Cinema Display seems to have the most problems of their monitors. We purchased a brand new one a few months ago and immediately returned it due to a ghosting / burn in problem. We run the Dell WFP 2407 now. The 30″ seems to be fine as there are very few comments about that monitor on the forums.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
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Walter,
I’ve just got a 30″ and I thought it would be too big – wrong! it now makes my 23″s look small!
No dead pixels at all and I’m amazed that my MacBookPro powers the thing.A very different layout approach can be done for FCP, also good that the canvas & source are at 100%
in anamorphic mode.Edit on one 30″ or two 23’s – hard choice now I would always gone for the latter but now I’m not too sure.
Peter
ps dont anybody say what about 2 30″s!
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So are you saying I should NOT get the 30″ but instead just get another 24″ Dell, so that I’m using 2 Dells instead of the 30? (I was going to give my wife the Dell 24 when I get the 30″ HD from apple, I’d better not let her see this thread…!)
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Dell has a 30 now too.
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Does anybody know how to tell the date of manufacture on these monitors? I hate the thought of my replacement being a few years older than my original. It seems looser on the pivot.
If I buy a 30″ I’ll be checking it in the store before going home with it.
[JeremyG] “Dell has a 30 now too.”
From what I understand Apple and Dell use the same lcd’s so it’s price, performance and warranty between them. I just looked at the Dells, they have a 3 year warranty included and it’s called “advance exchange” so it looks like they send the replacement before you return your monitor.
The price is right $1444.00 on the dell web site. I paid over that a year ago for my 23″ These things are at least getting affordable. Am I getting this right? The Dell doesn’t include a dvi cable? (The old upsell) You can add an 8′ for $120.00 or a 12′ for $100.00. (one thing for sure, their forfathers were’t the ones trading long guns to the 1st peoples for furs because it’s cheaper to get the longer one!)
I must say as someone who has applied flat black gaffers tape to the front bezels of my monitors since the days of beige, my 23″ included, I like the black finish on the Dell much better but is it plastic? Lacie and Sun have been using dark light absorbing finishes on their monitors for the last decade and it is less eye strain.
The Dell has flash card reader ports for 9 types of cards and 2 usb ports but no firewire. The Mac has 2 usb and 2firewire 400 ports. I think I like detachable power cables over the hard wired ones. I’m thinking of the problem with one of my replacement units, touch the cable and the picture frazzels. At least with the detachable ones if someone tripped on a cable it could just pull out of the socket.
Apple brought us these hi res monitors in the beginning and have just demonstrated they can compete dollar for dollar, lb. for lb. with the new intel workstations but they need to sharpen their pencils to compete with the big bad giant on the flat panels.
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Reading all these posts , trying to make a decision here. Will my Mac Book Pro run the Dell ?
Thanks all
Tom
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I just got a Dell 2407 and it’s beautiful but God help you if you need customer support. It took every bit of my concentration and 1 hour of my time to communicate my need. I sure hope that I’m getting a replacement stand in 3-5 days. 🙂
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