Color is off on my MBP 17" display - cool/purple bias won't go away

Question

I'm disappointed in the color setup of my new MBP 17" Unibody display, compared with the original (2006) MBP 17" that it's replacing. That old machine looked great right out of the box, but on the new one colors tend towards the cool, with a purple tinge in the highlights. Fleshtones look completely wrong, and the contrast is milky, with lifted blacks.
I've gone through the calibration process several times, and while I've improved the contrast, the cool/purple bias will not go away. I bring up the same photo on my old machine and my new machine, and the old one has natural skin tones and rich contrast, and the new one has purple highlights and off skin tones.
I've been told that perhaps one explanation is the fact that the new machines use LED backlights?
Unless I can get this monitor set up properly it's going to be pretty useless to me. Would a hardware calibration tool such as the Spyder help me get the display profile where I need it to be, or is there something inherent in the display hardware that gives it this odd color palette?

Answer 1

The Genius Bar's a suspect place to get possibly complicated CMS/ICC profiling calibration device-level guidance, let alone investigating Apple's apparent driver/default settings to their various and sundry display! You're a brave man! (oops! Forgot I was on the <Apple> Forums- yikes!)...
Seriously, I wouldn't expect any typical Apple Genius Bar denizen to know the ins and outs of what many pre-press folks Graphic Designers, and publishing pros only know of, not know well.
I learned a long time ago, because I was charged with designing, building, testing, and deploying a magazine publishing company-wide CMS, and I didn't want to go hungry, so I learned <fast> ;^)
The first step that I do to eliminate the color cast that does indeed 'color' (sic) almost all stock Apple displays and replace it with a pleasing, more reality-based, warmer overall but with 'clean' color ramps and solids, as well as an accurate white point and proper color and tonal balance. There's the 'free' OS X software-based method, and there's the X-Rite ColorMunki, Pantone Huey, Spyder 3 Elite, or Gretag Macbeth Eye-One Display or Photo... the 'free' OS X method's probably familiar to you- Sys Prefs>Displays>Color>Calibrate>Expert Mode. Perform this simple & brief procedure in a room or surrounding free of harsh, specular lighting, like strong fluorescent lights, or strong sunlight, etc.. Then just follow the directions on each panel in the sequential series of Dialog Boxes, and use the more traditional Mac 1.8 Gamma setting generally and a 6500k White Point; mainly because those two are the 'Old Skool' (well, actually, 5200-5500k White Point's more common setting from Back in the Day, but 6500k is an adequately LONG way from the cold, 'glacial-effect' harshness of any higher WP), and the 1.8+6500k combo strikes an pretty good balance between ultimate accuracy and pleasing warmth. DO NOT check the 'Use Native White Point' box, save the ColorSync display Profile you've just helped yer Mac create for ALL Users' usage, and make certain, before you exit Displays, that you hike on over to the other side of the button, 'Display', and make certain that you've unchecked the 'Automatically Adjust Brightness...' box... NOW exit Sys Prefs, and behold your Band-Aid First Step at getting away from the cold and slanted world of Apple Default Display Profiles. You'll need WAY more accuracy of a good hardware calibration unit if you want to get closer, much closer to Display Nirvana... which brings us to the Next Step. If you've got an LED backlit LCD screen, you'll only need to borrow a unit from someone, or have it done, far less frequently than in days past, because you don't have to concern yourself with the color/brightness/White Point/Gamma/contrast 'drift' of fluorescent-backlit screens, which dim and drift as they age, or the 'phospher aging' of a CRT screen, LED backlit screens need no 'warmuo time', and stay much more consistent throughout their lifespan. Still, you need to somehow get ahold of preferably a Gretag-Macbeth Eye-One Display 2 or the more expensive but more versatile for creating custom ICC/Colorsync Profiles for all your input, output, and display devices, but is about 6 times more expensive than the really good Eye-One Display 2 display calibrator, OR one of the more recent Spyder units, or even an X-Rite ColorMunki (the 'Photo' model, for most users here). I like to avoid the ColrMunki because, amongst other things, it's WAY hard to do what the instructions say you need to in order to produce an accurate profile, and its design gives you way too many opportunities to damage your display. The Huey's a little too basic and less accurate overall than the others, but is still WAY better than our Sys Prefs profile, of which the only reason to perform is to stave off insanity.
Read the manual/PDF, try it slowly and carefully, especially the ColorMunki, which I like less than the others for the aforementioned reasons... experiment with creating two different hardware display profiles with ANY of these calibrators- one with the traditional Mac 1.8 Gamma, and one with the more au courant 2.0 Gamma setting, both with the 6500k White Point, and see which one you prefer for your own use and your own tastes. Even though most calibration unit manuals will order you to stick with the 2.0 Gamma setting, there are many instances where the 1.8 is superior in actual CMS use. Where those instances are is a whole other post; stay focussed on doing the above, and you'll never regret the time, money and energy you put into it- it's a GREAT investment, and one that will go most, if not all of the way you want to go in terms of fixing your Apple Caste' default display conundrum... good luck! =^D
Best,
Charlie