Am I nuts? Is it supposed to be this way or is it not. Help!

Question

Hi, as of now, I could say that I am a proud owner of my new Apple. But…
I have 2 issues, and I'm not sure if it's in my head, or if it's actually occurring, or it's supposed to be that way. But in any case, please slap me off the fence.
First issue and one that is bothering me is a screen problem. I have a basically a brand new laptop (Apple Powerbook G4 12 inch), and now that I've paid more attention to the screen, when I'm looking at bright colors such as white or really light blue or really light gray or something, I can sort of see 'glittering speckles' (sort of like an ice coated crystal-like surface) stuff that's basically uniform on the screen. They're actually really faint and not very noticeable, but they do make the screen kind of ‘dirty’ At first I thought it must be the nature of the LCD screen (this is the first time I've used an LCD screen by the way), but I was able to focus my eyes on the 'stuff' as I moved the window or background around. It's undoubtfully something that rests on the cover of the LCD.
Here's a simpler analogy of the same problem. Imagine you're sitting outside in the yard with a glass table where you can see right through it. Now imagine yourself grabbing some debris and scattering it evenly on top of the glass table. Then you grab a piece of white paper, slide it around from under the table while you are viewing the table from above.
Like I said, it is really faint and is indistinguishable on the darker colors, but is apparent on very light colors. I'm just wondering if it is the nature of the LCD and the coating or is it actually a screen problem.
My second issue is that it appears my screen is always brighter near the bottom. However, this is noticeable. Using it normally, I notice it as I compare text near the top of the screen to text near the bottom, or use pretty much a uniform dark screen. The top seems thicker and darker while on the bottom text skinnier and fainter. This occurs on all brightness.
However, if I were to tilt the screen until my eyes are perpendicular to the surface of the bottom part of the screen, the text does indeed darken. At first I thought it was an angle problem but I noticed that although the bottom did get darker, the top got even more dark. It just doesn't matter how I view it, the top is always darker. The illumination is definitely not uniform.
It is rather annoying and I just can't stop thinking about it at times. What should (can) I do about this? I’ve only owned this Powerbook for 2 weeks. Anyone else having this problem?
I know it's a long squeal so my best thanks to everybody who reads or replies.

Answer 1

Welcome to Apple Discussions, Mark.
I've never come across your first problem on any of the Apple notebooks I currently own (or have owned in the past). Then again, perhaps I'm not looking close enough.
Have you compared it with any other 12" PowerBook? If not, perhaps you might be able to try that at a local store with units on display.
Otherwise you might want to give AppleCare a call. Alternatively, if you have an Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider near you (I don't know where you are located) then you can take it in to be checked.
As for your second problem (uneven illumination), that has been known to afflict other notebooks. My own 15" PB has had its screen replaced on two occasions because of this. Depending on the severity, you might be able to get it replaced. Mine became so bad that the screen was effectively unusable.
To be honest, here in the UK, I would actually try for a replacement PowerBook - if the problems were severe enough and also because your PB is still very new. However the consumer laws in your country (wherever that may be) might be very different to mine.