Issues with Macbook Pro display.

Question

Hi. Recently, I haven't been having too much luck with Apple products. It started with my Macbook pro Core 2 duo 2.16. It had screen issues, leading to the screen being replaced (replacement screen contained several dead pixels), alongside a logic board, video card, and sound board replacement over the short life of the computer. Apple recently replaced it with a new 2.4 GHz Macbook Pro.
When I first turned it on, only 3 bottom pads made contact with my desk at all, causing the computer to become lob-sided. I brought it to the Apple store and they brought it to their back room to fix it (I am not sure about what they did to it though). The fix was mostly successful and brought the computer "within spec"... Shortly after the fix, I got home and my monitor started acting up by displaying black vertical bars along my screen. The left side of my screen was also disconnected from the aluminum frame; both issues can be seen at http://gallery.mac.com/eliete#100037 . The odd thing is that the issue only comes up every other time I use the computer, and closing-opening the clamshell usually cures the problem temporarily. I discovered that whenever I take a picture in Photo-booth, the screen flash aggravates the problem, making the issue very obvious, and obtrusive.
I do a lot of photography work with Aperture 2 and Photoshop Elements 6, and performance wise, the computer is fantastic, but what good is a fast computer with an awful screen? I do not want to switch back to the PC platform because the Mac OS is just that much better, and I rely on this computer for many everyday tasks. What do you think I should do? - I would rather not have the screen replaced due to the possibility of dead pixels (VERY irritating when editing photos), but it looks like that may be the only option. Do you think that I should wait until the WWDC to see what update the MBP will see, incase they replace my computer a second time? Thank You in advance.

Answer 1

First thing I'd to is take it to the Apple Store, you can talk with them about this. I'm sorry you have been having so much trouble, while Macs are good in general there are some lemons. I bought my current MacBook Pro in August. Within a few weeks of buying it, there were a handful of dead pixels on the display as well as a couple of pale spots (bruises that the Apple store said was my fault). I got the display (the entire top 1/2...display, iSight, etc.) replaced over Labor Day weekend and haven't had a dead pixel or blemish since then. If you wait until WWDC, there are two things to consider: 1) you will have the problem for a few more weeks, and 2) replacements may be refurbished laptops and not necessarily a new laptop. Why bother? If I were you, I'd take it in ASAP and see what options I'm given. If the screen is repaired and dead pixels arise, the screen can be replaced again. What's worse, the possibility of dead pixels, or putting up with the bad display for another month (or two...Apple has a history of introducing things at MacWorld and WWDC that aren't available until the following month)? Hope I helped.
-AHeneen