Screen Spots on computers other than the PowerBook G4 15" (FireWire 800)
Screen Spots on computers other than the PowerBook G4 15" (FireWire 800)
MacFixIt reader Chris Goltz writes about his PowerBook G4 17": "I have two screen spots on my computer. One half way up the screen above the F5 key and another 1/3 up above the F2."
Eric Temple reports spots on his PowerBook 12", purchased this spring: "Two small white blotches in the lower third of the screen near the left margin."
Another reader notes spots on his G4 iBook 14" but points out that they are minor at this point (the iBook is one month old): "I can now see 3 small brighter white spots, near the bottom or my screen but only against white backgrounds. I must say that these spots are barely noticeable at present."
These reports are indeed sporadic, and we haven't yet seen any indication that they are widespread, nor that they disproportionately affect any particular model. However, that doesn't make the users affected by these issues any happier about the spots on their laptop screens. It's worth noting that the well-publicized issue with the 15" PowerBook seemed to be caused by a combination of a weak enclosure (newer 15" PowerBooks appear to have a more rigid screen enclosure) and "pressure points" where the display assembly was pressing against the back of the actual LCD screen. Although this is pure speculation, we wonder if those users who happen to be experiencing white spots on their iBooks and PowerBooks may have a similar issue whereby their LCD screen is being pressed from behind by something in the display assembly. With hundreds of thousands of units shipped, it wouldn't be surprising if a few individual laptops had defective assemblies that mimicked the problem with the 15" PowerBook G4 (FireWire 800).
Resources