# iPad2 owners: any backlight bleeding?



## Art_Vandelay (May 9, 2008)

Have any of you iPad2 owners experienced the "Backlight Bleeding" problems that've been reported on some websites?

The issue becomes apparent when watching a movie/video clip that has black bars on the top & bottom.


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## staples57 (Nov 19, 2007)

No backlight bleeding here
...Black 64GB Wi-Fi iPad 2


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## jhuynh (Mar 21, 2011)

I have backlight bleeding but I can only see it if it's a black screen and the brightness is at 100% and i'm in a dark room so I don't see any issue with it because I wouldn't have the brightness that high in a dark room anyway. I've watched movies and haven't noticed anything using my regular brightness setting which is at about 1/4 with auto brightness turned on.


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## Rounder (Aug 9, 2008)

No bleeding on mine, but I think my home button is slightly recessed. No biggie though. Love the iPad 2


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## pd18 (Jul 10, 2008)

I have noticeable back-light bleeding on my black 32Gb wifi. Spoke with an Apple rep this morning. Said there is no replacement stock available at any Apple Store as of now, but that my case was documented and when more units are available I will be able to replace my unit. If new device also has the issue, I can keep replacing until I find one without the problem. This issue is very widespread, and will affect many iPad 2's. Hopefully, Apple will do right by those of us who have spent hundreds of dollars on their product.


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## Art_Vandelay (May 9, 2008)

pd18 said:


> I have noticeable back-light bleeding on my black 32Gb wifi. Spoke with an Apple rep this morning. Said there is no replacement stock available at any Apple Store as of now, but that my case was documented and when more units are available I will be able to replace my unit. If new device also has the issue, I can keep replacing until I find one without the problem. This issue is very widespread, and will affect many iPad 2's. Hopefully, Apple will do right by those of us who have spent hundreds of dollars on their product.


For an iPad2 bought from an Apple retailer/reseller (e.g. BestBuy, FutureShop, etc.), would I have to deal with the retailer (from where it was purchased) if I get an iPad2 that exhibits significant backlight bleed? Or would I be dealing with one of the Apple stores in the GTA?

Thanks.


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## pd18 (Jul 10, 2008)

I bought mine from Future Shop. I asked the Apple rep the same question. Your iPad is covered for 1 year by Apple.
I was told I can go to the Apple Store to exchange mine, even though I purchased it at a different retailer. He explained it by saying that even though FS return policy is 14 days, Apple considers the issue a hardware defect. As such, the manufacturer's warranty covers such defects and they are able to deal with that issue directly.


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

No issue here either but I also don't use it with the brightness all that high.


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## pd18 (Jul 10, 2008)

Paul82 said:


> No issue here either but I also don't use it with the brightness all that high.


For what it's worth, my brightness is set at 50%
Didn't notice the issue until I went to watch a movie and turned off the lights. Then, it jumped right out at me... It may be worth checking.... you may not notice it in a well-lit room, and depending on what's on your screen...


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## Art_Vandelay (May 9, 2008)

pd18 said:


> I bought mine from Future Shop. I asked the Apple rep the same question. Your iPad is covered for 1 year by Apple.
> I was told I can go to the Apple Store to exchange mine, even though I purchased it at a different retailer. He explained it by saying that even though FS return policy is 14 days, Apple considers the issue a hardware defect. As such, the manufacturer's warranty covers such defects and they are able to deal with that issue directly.


OK, that's good to know. I have a bunch of FutureShop gift cards that I have to use otherwise I'd go to the Apple store.

So, are you going to get your iPad2 replaced under warranty for the backlight bleeding?


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## pd18 (Jul 10, 2008)

Art_Vandelay said:


> OK, that's good to know. I have a bunch of FutureShop gift cards that I have to use otherwise I'd go to the Apple store.
> 
> So, are you going to get your iPad2 replaced under warranty for the backlight bleeding?


Yes, I plan to... I will have to wait though, as there aren't any replacement units available at the Apple store. I suppose it's possible that the situation MAY resolve itself before a new unit can be supplied (in which case, I'd be happy to hang on to my current iPad). If the bleed doesn't subside, I will be checking back in with the Apple rep I spoke to next week. I certainly will not accept sub-par product for the price I paid. My experience dealing with Apple leads me to believe it will be resolved one way or another.


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## KMPhotos (Jun 17, 2008)

2 big blotches on the left side of the screen. Really annoying when watching movies. 
I'm waiting to replace. Replacements in the US are having just as many problems.


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

It was suggested by some posters in the Apple Discussion threads that Apple was aware of the problem. Posts also suggested that stores were being asked to return their inventory of replacements to HQ. 

Supposedly, the next production run will have better displays and/or QC.

I fought long and hard with myself about picking one up, but with all the issues with iOS 4.3/display quality/microphone interference on 3G/wifi interoperability, I chose to not be an early adopter and give it a few months.

For everyone with these display problems, I'd suggest getting in touch with a Genius or Apple Support and letting them know that you want a replacement (they should create a work order of sorts for you). If they won't help, escalate.


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## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

no backlight bleeding, but 2 dead pixels for which I have to wait until they have replacements to ship. The apple rep flat out told me, they are sold out. period. just don't have any.

it's my wife's, but she does presentations to clients and the last thing i want is someone looking at the bright white dots instead of listening to her.

irritating, but not overally unexpected with a new product.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

This problem isn't even isolated to iPad 2s. My 11" MBA has this same problem.

It's because Apple is so damn obsessed with making things thinner and thinner. There's pressure being exerted onto the screen from the frame/bezel. My screen has a border of 'backlight bleed' - which is basically pressure from the frame causing a distortion in the black levels.

Really freakin annoying while watching movies.


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

Haven't notice any problem. I'll try it in a dark room tonight and see if there's any. (White,64-3G)


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

I can't tell. I don't have a blank screen in the dark very often. Either I don't have the problem, or don't know how to replicate it, either way, it's not worth a replacement for me.


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## Paul82 (Sep 19, 2007)

So after getting home and googling it to see examples I found I can replicate it by turning the brightness all the way up on a black background in a dark room... And pressing slightly in e lower left corner... Not a common set of things for me to do... And even then it's not nearly as bad as the pics I saw online so not worth swapping it out for me...


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## csonni (Feb 8, 2001)

I'm starting to wonder if I should cancel my order. How long is a replacement guaranteed? The reason I ask is because we are driving out of Labrador in mid-July to where we can stop in at an Apple store and get a replacement.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

You have 1 year to get as many replacements as it takes to get one worthy of keeping.


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## MomentsofSanity (Jul 9, 2008)

Regretably my 32GB seems to have quite a bit of light bleeding which I noticed as soon as I powered it up and got the connect to iTunes screen. I don't really notice it under lighted conditions when doing anything but as soon as the lights go out it is very noticeable. 

I googled black screen just to get a dark image filling the screen and that's where it really became apparent. Back to FS to start the revolving door of iPads. Hopefully I get lucky early.


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

Have two 16 gig WiFi iPad 2 models here. The white one has noticeable bleeding while the black one has so little that you have to look for it.

I think that I will get the white one replaced...


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

I was able to replicate it on my white 32GB... with a lot of work.
Google "Black" saved image.
Open settings, increase brightness from 10% to 100%.
Open "Black" photo.
Turn off all lights and close doors....
Squint... 

There seems to be a lot on mine, but I can guarantee you, I'll never be in these conditions again to notice.


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

Retracting my post before this gets further out of control.

(apologies for offending - was certainly not my intention)


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## Elric (Jul 30, 2005)

lang said:


> I had a look at a few demos last night and couldn't see what the fuss was about myself.
> 
> Am starting to wonder if the complaints are blown out of proportion by a bunch of whiny, spoiled fanbois.


Yeah, I remember now my Nintendo DSes did that, I just assumed it was normal. I still assume it's normal lol


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

lang said:


> I had a look at a few demos last night and couldn't see what the fuss was about myself.
> 
> Am starting to wonder if the original complaints were blown out of proportion by a bunch of whiny, spoiled fanbois.


Brilliant, you looked at them in a very well lit store. 


Does this look GOOD to you?


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## kevleviathan (Apr 9, 2008)

Mine has one little splotch of bleed right near the home button, but it's only visible in the dark and I'm not really worried about it.

Backlight bleeding is quite common on many devices and screens.


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

kloan said:


> Brilliant, you looked at them in a very well lit store.
> 
> 
> Does this look GOOD to you?


Hey - before this gets further out of hand, let me explain.

First, I said I was "starting to wonder." Not that people (including you) were blowing this out of proportion. And yes, it was in a brightly lit store. But I did in fact put my coat over my head and iPad in an attempt to simulate. Still - nothing jumped out at me. However, it's possible those were good units.

Second, I am usually the first to complain when I buy something that doesn't meet my standards (which can be very high at times). So if people are getting defective product, I support their complaints.

Now from the picture you provided, I agree that the bleed is very noticeable in the conditions in which the picture was taken. and if you are planning to stare at that screen for a long time in the dark, I'd be equally pissed. 

Hope it gets sorted out for you quickly.


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## MomentsofSanity (Jul 9, 2008)

lang said:


> I had a look at a few demos last night and couldn't see what the fuss was about myself.
> 
> Am starting to wonder if the original complaints were blown out of proportion by a bunch of whiny, spoiled fanbois.


Not sure how you can evaluate under those circumstances and not actual usage scenarios. 

I'm not one to whine and complain all that much on things and accept some flaws in everything but the amount of light leakage that I have is unacceptable, especially considering what I've paid for the device. The entire left side of my screen leaks out over an inch as does the top and bottom. Sitting in my living room at night under a low wattage lamp which is MY real world usage it's glaringly apparent that there's a quality control problem.


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

lang said:


> Hey - before this gets further out of hand, let me explain.
> 
> First, I said I was "starting to wonder." Not that people (including you) were blowing this out of proportion. And yes, it was in a brightly lit store. But I did in fact put my coat over my head and iPad in an attempt to simulate. Still - nothing jumped out at me. However, it's possible those were good units.
> 
> ...


That's not mine. I used that picture for illustrative purposes.

However, having being at the short end of the stick numerous times with Apple's products, I can sympathize with the people who are getting iPads with screens that look like that (in varying degrees).

I just get irked when people pipe in suggesting that people who are complaining about their defective devices are 'exaggerating', 'whining', 'blowing it out of proportion' etc, just because their device is seemingly fine.

Bottom line, if issues like this didn't really exist, I don't think we'd be seeing such widespread complaints over and over again.

When it comes to Apple and their QC, they still have a LONG way to go. Considering they're still doing very little in terms of improving their QC, I think we're going to continue to see ridiculous defects such as this one.


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

kloan said:


> That's not mine. I used that picture for illustrative purposes.
> 
> However, having being at the short end of the stick numerous times with Apple's products, I can sympathize with the people who are getting iPads with screens that look like that (in varying degrees).
> 
> ...


I hear you.

I choose to buy Apple products because of they are supposedly better designed products and the quality control/support. But I've been starting to see decreases in that over the years. My first Apple product was a 12" PowerBook G4, followed by the 17". Now those were well designed and problem free products. 

But things have been different in the last 3 years. I was an early adopter of the MBP C2D Santa Rosa which was nothing but problems - none of which Apple would acknowledge. AirPort Extreme routers which were unstable for I don't know how long. And although trivial in comparison, MobileMe has been p***ing me off to no end. 

To be honest, I've been fighting the urge every day to upgrade since it went on sale in the US but have been turned off by all the negativity. I've found that the web is full of complaints and rarely praise. Also, it's very difficult to see how many people with this problem (and others) would have noticed if others didn't point it out (just like group think). 

Sorry again that my intentions came across the wrong way.


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## Stephanie (Jul 21, 2004)

kloan said:


> Brilliant, you looked at them in a very well lit store.
> 
> 
> Does this look GOOD to you?


Thanks for posting that pic. I've been following this thread but actually had no idea what 'backlight bleed' was or what it looked like.

I gather that 'backlight bleed' is the lighter areas along the left edge and bottom edge of the screen that this is all referring to, right?


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

lang said:


> .....Also, it's very difficult to see how many people with this problem (and others) would have noticed if others didn't point it out (just like group think).
> 
> Sorry again that my intentions came across the wrong way.


It does seem as though some people don't necessarily have an issue until they read about it online. 

Anyway, no worries... 



Stephanie said:


> Thanks for posting that pic. I've been following this thread but actually had no idea what 'backlight bleed' was or what it looked like.
> 
> I gather that 'backlight bleed' is the lighter areas along the left edge and bottom edge of the screen that this is all referring to, right?


Yeah, it's the lighter areas where the display should be black.


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## wonderings (Jun 10, 2003)

I have a little bit on one side, I did notice it a few days ago when using it in a dark room. Is this something that could possible go away in time? Like something settling on the device? Its not a huge issue for me, but it is a defect none the less.


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## iphoneottawa (Apr 21, 2010)

Elric said:


> ... I still assume it's normal lol


LOL!
Same Here


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

Black 64gb 3G, no problems so far. Other than using it all the time.


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

I'm afraid that the best I can do at the moment is to share a link to one of the photos that I took of the white 16 gig WIFi model I have here. The iPad is set to 100% brightness and photo taken in a room with a lamp way off to the side.

I'm pretty sure that my wife would not be crazy about this because she watches shows and movies at night.


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_hNWHrzCo1B4/TZWZGV-_8eI/AAAAAAAAABU/-E9UTLjmdGI/s640/IMG_0110.jpg


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## MomentsofSanity (Jul 9, 2008)

IronMac said:


> I'm afraid that the best I can do at the moment is to share a link to one of the photos that I took of the white 16 gig WIFi model I have here. The iPad is set to 100% brightness and photo taken in a room with a lamp way off to the side.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that my wife would not be crazy about this because she watches shows and movies at night.
> 
> ...


I was going to post a pic as well but yours looks identical to mine. Washes any dark sections when watching movies.


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## Rounder (Aug 9, 2008)

So I tried setting brightness to 100% last night and put on a black screen, yeah there's a little bleeding. But if I have to force it then I don't see a problem because at 50% bright, I've never noticed.


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

I did go to the Eaton Centre AS yesterday and the genius looked at it and said she could not see a problem. They were willing to exchange it if necessary. I said, no, that's ok and went back home. Then, I remembered that the unit may not have been set at 100% brightness. You can see it at 50% brightness in the same light as in the link that I posted but at 100% brightness it's just glaringly obvious. Before any fanbois blame the camera it's from my iPhone 4.

I am going to go back and exchange it. If they protest, I'll just whip out my iPhone and if they still protest just get my money back.


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

Here's a link to a Cult of Mac article on the issue:

If Your iPad 2 Has Display Problems, DO NOT Return It. Here’s Why | Cult of Mac

And here's a link to the Apple Support discussions on this issue:

Apple - Support - Discussions - Significant light leakage, few light ...


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

Last night, I tested out my 1st Gen iPad, which I bought new about 2 months after initial release. Max brightness, black background, pitch black surroundings. 

Not surprisingly, it has backlight bleed, too. At first, I felt duped - here I was with a defective product that I had been really enjoying for almost a year. My wife, 20-month-old and cat insisted I call Apple and get a replacement. 

After all, just because I find anything over 50% brightness to be too harsh on my eyes, especially in a dark room doesn't mean I should have to settle for something that isn't 100% perfect.

_(Tongue-in-cheek humour intended solely to celebrate 04/01 . But the 1st gen does have bleed)._


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## mikeinmontreal (Oct 13, 2005)

Did the test with my iPad 1 as well. I have the bleed issue. Been happy with it for almost a year. Hope my iPad 2 in-store pickup today will yield a satisfactory result. For the courageous only, test your screen at appleservedup.com


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## lang (Jun 9, 2010)

mikeinmontreal said:


> For the courageous only, test your screen at appleservedup.com


Oh no....


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

Ok, walked down to the AS...yada yada..it looks good...yada yada...can't go by online pics...yada yada...can't go by Cult of Mac....yada yada...let me get the manager...yada yada...we may not have it in stock...yada yada...got an exchange. 

They claim that this is the first time they've had an issue but I think that online pic of mine sort of shocked the manager.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2011)

Yep just tested and sure enough mine shows quite a lot of backlight leakage and I don't even have to be at 100% to see it in a dark room. I think I'll wait a while until things are settled before I bother trying to get a replacement. I imagine this will be addressed in the manufacturing process at some point. On the up side no yellow spots or dead pixels


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## kloan (Feb 22, 2002)

That's the thing, increasing the brightness to 100% only exagerates the issue.. however, the issue is still usually present at 50% or so brightness. IMO, if it's only visible when the brightness is cranked to max, it's not an issue at all.


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## Rounder (Aug 9, 2008)

kloan said:


> That's the thing, increasing the brightness to 100% only exagerates the issue.. however, the issue is still usually present at 50% or so brightness. IMO, if it's only visible when the brightness is cranked to max, it's not an issue at all.


I agree. But some people will complain about anything. Look at antennagate... Sure by holding the strips it can reduce the signal... Point is, society goes out of their way to find flaws in great products. If I put my brightness to 100% on the iPad 2, yeah it bleeds. But real world situation it will not affect me. Same with antennagate, I have a case.


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2011)

Rounder said:


> I agree. But some people will complain about anything. Look at antennagate... Sure by holding the strips it can reduce the signal... Point is, society goes out of their way to find flaws in great products. If I put my brightness to 100% on the iPad 2, yeah it bleeds. But real world situation it will not affect me. Same with antennagate, I have a case.


I feel different about this instance. For me even at 50% it's very noticeable ... maybe mine is worse than some, but for something that I've paid this amount of $$ for I expect the quality to be better. Mine looks so bad it reminds me of my old powerbook 1400.


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## Rounder (Aug 9, 2008)

mguertin said:


> I feel different about this instance. For me even at 50% it's very noticeable ... maybe mine is worse than some, but for something that I've paid this amount of $$ for I expect the quality to be better. Mine looks so bad it reminds me of my old powerbook 1400.


I was more or less referring to those that would return it and claim backlight bleeding when it's not noticeable unless at 100% brightness (and you know people will just because). I'm not saying it's everyone. If mine was experiencing it and was noticeable with normal usage it would drive me bananas.


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## Zen44 (Oct 25, 2010)

Yep, had serious backlight bleeding on mine, which I had bought on Saturday, which I brought back to the Apple Store today for a refund. My iPad would show the bleeding below 50% brightness. Hope others here will have better luck than I did.


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