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iPad Air

solarus

Member
I'm returning my Air because of this. After checking various forums and a few Apple stores, I have a feeling that every Air on the market is affected to some extent. The problem is kind of subtle, though, and I think many people don't notice it.

I'm not dropping all that cash without a pristine screen and I'm not convinced that I'll get one if I exchange my current Air. I'll buy it again when this shit is sorted out.
Yeah it seems that way, although what I'm thinking is that if my replacement doesn't fix it I'll hold onto it for a few months then get it exchanged again, hopefully newer panels without these faults will be present by then. Hopefully 1 year warranty allows you to replace it as much as you want in that period, even months later as long as the issue is present on your device. It's unacceptable for the amount of money we pay for the product.
 

Guess Who

Banned
After checking various forums and a few Apple stores, I have a feeling that every Air on the market is affected to some extent.

Never use internet forum complaints as a judge of this shit. For every person complaining on MacRumors there's a hundred more who are fine. I'm a giant screen pedant who's really sensitive to this kind of stuff and my Air's screen is flawless.
 

Deku Tree

Member
Never use internet forum complaints as a judge of this shit. For every person complaining on MacRumors there's a hundred more who are fine. I'm a giant screen pedant who's really sensitive to this kind of stuff and my Air's screen is flawless.

Yeah my Air has a perfect flawless screen. This problem is non existent for me.
 

solarus

Member
I've never owned an Apple product but I want to get a new tablet (currently still using my HP Touchpad). Thoughts?
Do it, best tablet on the market. Moving from the touchpad to an air is such a huge quantum leap you may faint from shock.
Yeah my Air has a perfect flawless screen. This problem is non existent for me.
While i believe you, note that most of the yellow tint issues are so subtle that 99% of people would never notice it unless you were specifically told about it, although a minority have much more visible issues (as always with any hardware). Hoping for a flawless replacement.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Speakers are far far better than the iPad 3. If you really care about the ram i'd wait a year, tabs refresh when too many open on safari. I love the air over the 3 however, it's so much lighter and super fast, but if you are investing into it for a few years maybe hold off until next year for 2gb ram and touch id guaranteed (among whatever else they add), the iPad 3 isn't exactly dead yet.

I think the tab thing is an ios7 issue. I'm sure it wasn't nearly this bad on my iPad 3 with ios6
 

Peagles

Member
Do it, best tablet on the market. Moving from the touchpad to an air is such a huge quantum leap you may faint from shock.

Yeh, I'm that kinda person who loves technology but seldom upgrades, but when I upgrade I want a super upgrade.

I actually far prefer Android, but it just seems like there's no high end Android tablets available. The Galaxy tabs just seem to be pretty much the same as they've always been. I might be wrong though?
 

Deku Tree

Member
Everyone complaining about reloading tabs must have 1996 dial up internet speeds. I get 20+Mbps at home and 50 at work and tabs reloading is virtually un-noticeable.
Unless your loading some crazy long photo filled page I guess.
 

solarus

Member
Yeh, I'm that kinda person who loves technology but seldom upgrades, but when I upgrade I want a super upgrade.

I actually far prefer Android, but it just seems like there's no high end Android tablets available. The Galaxy tabs just seem to be pretty much the same as they've always been. I might be wrong though?
In that case I'd wait for the new nexus 10 that's coming soon, it will be the definitive large android tablet as the previous nexus 10 was. Although lack of tablet apps on android compared to ios may matter to you depending on how you use your tablet, although seeing as you came from a touchpad I don't think it will :p
Everyone complaining about reloading tabs must have 1996 dial up internet speeds. I get 20+Mbps at home and 50 at work and tabs reloading is virtually un-noticeable.
Unless your loading some crazy long photo filled page I guess.
Errr ok? No one cares. My internet is rapid too, doesn't get rid of the fact that there is still reloading of tabs due to lack of ram. It's a valid complaint.
 
Yup, watch any hd content and you will definitely see the difference.

That sounds amazing. I know it sounded like a stupid question. I just remember hearing the Tested crew talking about how it wouldn't affect video on the ipad 3. Although thats been quite some time ago, and my memory could just be making that up
 

Peagles

Member
In that case I'd wait for the new nexus 10 that's coming soon, it will be the definitive large android tablet as the previous nexus 10 was. Although lack of tablet apps on android compared to ios may matter to you depending on how you use your tablet, although seeing as you came from a touchpad I don't think it will :p

Cheers! I'll look into both the Nexus 10 2 and the iPad Air...

I could probably deal with IOS7 since it seems a lot more Android-ish than before. Apps don't really matter too much to me I guess. Are they gonna be comparable specs wise?
 
That sounds amazing. I know it sounded like a stupid question. I just remember hearing the Tested crew talking about how it wouldn't affect video on the ipad 3. Although thats been quite some time ago, and my memory could just be making that up
If you watched a 720p video on the iPad 2 screen and then watched it again on an iPad 3, 4 of Air, the difference in resolution would not have an enormous effect on the video, because the iPad 2's screen is close enough to 720p for it to display most of the detail. And by the same token, the 3, 4 and Air screen is way overkill for 720p footage, so it would be displaying all the detail of 720p, but not anywhere near what it is capable of. However it would look noticeably better due to the more accurate colours.

Watch 1080p however... and that is a different story. Totally wasted on iPad 2, but very close to the native res of the retina iPads.
 

ShowDog

Member
I used to have a yellow splotch on my iphone 4, but I don't believed it developed until a year of ownership or so, so I probably did something to fuck it up.
 

solarus

Member
Cheers! I'll look into both the Nexus 10 2 and the iPad Air...

I could probably deal with IOS7 since it seems a lot more Android-ish than before. Apps don't really matter too much to me I guess. Are they gonna be comparable specs wise?
Comparing specs directly between ios and android is kinda pointless since the operating system are different. All you need to know is that the next nexus 10 will be top of the line hardware wise for android, and the air is the best you can currently get on ios. Doing a direct comparison never translates well into real world usage. I really think you should wait for the nexus 10 if you don't care much about apps, ios 7 did not really change sufficiently to sway android fans who love the customisability of android, the fact that apps can share information between each other easily (ios desperately needs better inter app sharing), the ability to download files and have a real file manager, etc. they are completely different beasts and picking ios or android depends on what you want out of a tablet. For you it sounds like the next nexus 10 would be better, it will be cheaper too.
EDIT: expected launch of november 21st for new nexus 10
 

Peagles

Member
Comparing specs directly between ios and android is kinda pointless since the operating system are different. All you need to know is that the next nexus 10 will be top of the line hardware wise for android, and the air is the best you can currently get on ios. Doing a direct comparison never translates well into real world usage. I really think you should wait for the nexus 10 if you don't care much about apps, ios 7 did not really change sufficiently to sway android fans who love the customisability of android, the fact that apps can share information between each other easily (ios desperately needs better inter app sharing), the ability to download files and have a real file manager, etc. they are completely different beasts and picking ios or android depends on what you want out of a tablet. For you it sounds like the next nexus 10 would be better, it will be cheaper too.
EDIT: expected launch of november 21st for new nexus 10

Yeh I figured, I guess it'd be better to see when it comes out how the performance is (rather than the specs). The trouble with the Nexus is I'm pretty sure nobody sells them here unless they are parallel imported, or I'd have to order one from overseas myself. At least with Apple I'd have peace of mind in terms of warranty and stuff if anything goes wrong. I'll see what happens on Nov 21st though, thanks :p
 

epmode

Member
Never use internet forum complaints as a judge of this shit. For every person complaining on MacRumors there's a hundred more who are fine. I'm a giant screen pedant who's really sensitive to this kind of stuff and my Air's screen is flawless.

Eh, I took a look at a few demo units and they were all affected. Some more than others but it was there.

I'll buy again in a month, probably.
 

PFD

Member
I've never been one of those people who have an ocd about displays, but after hearing about the yellowing issues people were having with their screens I became instantly aware of it on my air and it bugs me, i've heard it's pretty widespread. The left side definitely has a slight yellow tint to it, while the colours on the right side seem cooler and and more normal in comparison. Most people would not notice it but if someone told you and you looked real hard then you would, it's more noticable whenever you have a lot of white which is unfortunate for ios 7 since there is a lot of white in the redesign, i notice it in safari the most. Anybody had any luck with getting theirs replaced or have you guys not bothered? I can't imagine that most notice it.
Edit: it's more noticeable than i thought, split keyboard really makes it clear.

I originally bought a white iPad air, but later exchanged it with a black one. The black one seems to be yellowish on one side, and bluish on the other. I didn't scrutinize the white iPad that closely, but I don't remember it having any such issues. I went back to the apple store today to exchange the black, but they were out of new 128gb iPads. They asked if I wanted an opened one, I said I'll wait.

I tested the demo units they had, and all seemed to have some form of yellow tint/fading.

On a side note, tomorrow was to be the last day I could return the iPad (14 days) but they extended the return period on all items purchased since Nov 1 until Jan 7th. It's their holdays return policy.

Is your new unit fine? I'm worried they won't see the issue and refuse to replace mine...

If they refuse, you can return it for a full refund and purchase another one.

Also, you don't need a Genius Bar appointment for exchanging a recently bought item (within return period.) I just talked to a random employee when I had mine exchanged, they didn't even check the box.
 

solarus

Member
I originally bought a white iPad air, but later exchanged it with a black one. The black one seems to be yellowish on one side, and bluish on the other. I didn't scrutinize the white iPad that closely, but I don't remember it having any such issues. I went back to the apple store today to exchange the black, but they were out of new 128gb iPads. They asked if I wanted an opened one, I said I'll wait.

I tested the demo units they had, and all seemed to have some form of yellow tint/fading.

On a side note, tomorrow was to be the last day I could return the iPad (14 days) but they extended the return period on all items purchased since Nov 1 until Jan 7th. It's their holdays return policy.



If they refuse, you can return it for a full refund and purchase another one.

Also, you don't need a Genius Bar appointment for exchanging a recently bought item (within return period.) I just talked to a random employee when I had mine exchanged, they didn't even check the box.
I didn't buy it from apple so refund is not an option :( the shitty online uk retailer i used, isme (only used because £50 cheaper deal was available), does not allow you to return it once you've opened it, even though I'm sure that's illegal as i swear all retailers in the uk must abide by 14 day return no matter what. Best thing i can do is use my 1 year warranty to exchange for a replacement unit, if that one is bad I'll wait a few months and exchange again, hopefully it'll be fine by then.
 

PFD

Member
I didn't buy it from apple so refund is not an option :( the shitty online uk retailer i used, isme (only used because £50 cheaper deal was available), does not allow you to return it once you've opened it, even though I'm sure that's illegal as i swear all retailers in the uk must abide by 14 day return no matter what. Best thing i can do is use my 1 year warranty to exchange for a replacement unit, if that one is bad I'll wait a few months and exchange again, hopefully it'll be fine by then.

Ah in that case yeah, you have to do it through the Genius Bar, but I highly doubt they would refuse you.
 

Jag

Member
If you watched a 720p video on the iPad 2 screen and then watched it again on an iPad 3, 4 of Air, the difference in resolution would not have an enormous effect on the video, because the iPad 2's screen is close enough to 720p for it to display most of the detail. And by the same token, the 3, 4 and Air screen is way overkill for 720p footage, so it would be displaying all the detail of 720p, but not anywhere near what it is capable of. However it would look noticeably better due to the more accurate colours.

Watch 1080p however... and that is a different story. Totally wasted on iPad 2, but very close to the native res of the retina iPads.

What about going from an ipad 1 to an Air. Will I see a big difference in video on something like Netflix?
 

Alex

Member
Don't see any case talk so I figured I'd drop some random experiences of mine. Have tried out a moko folio case and this finite smart shell case, both came from Amazon.

Moko case was nice, fit well, but kinda bulky even for a folio and I don't care for the kind of stand it had (tucking the cover in the back)

Finite case was remarkably good, fit super well, no bulk, stand functionality works quite fine. Normally I have that regretful sigh where I just wanna keep on using a device without the case but don't wanna hurt it,but this one I actually like having it on.
 

LCfiner

Member
What about going from an ipad 1 to an Air. Will I see a big difference in video on something like Netflix?

ipad 1 and ipad 2 have the same screen resolution.

you'll notice a massive performance increase for everything else, though
 

TxdoHawk

Member
So, why are people so split on the new Smart Cover? Some people say it's better than the old design, some say it's worse. I kind of want one for minimal screen protection + as a stand and then a simple sleeve to drop it all in for trips, but I am hearing major gripes about typing with it propping up the iPad.
 

Ovid

Member
Everyone complaining about reloading tabs must have 1996 dial up internet speeds. I get 20+Mbps at home and 50 at work and tabs reloading is virtually un-noticeable.
Unless your loading some crazy long photo filled page I guess.
GAF usually has those sometimes.

I also think it depends on how many apps you have open simultaneously.
 

Deku Tree

Member
While i believe you, note that most of the yellow tint issues are so subtle that 99% of people would never notice it unless you were specifically told about it, although a minority have much more visible issues (as always with any hardware). Hoping for a flawless replacement.

Has anyone posted a picture of what this ipad air yellow tint problem looks like anywhere? I would like to see it.
 

epmode

Member
Has anyone posted a picture of what this ipad air yellow tint problem looks like anywhere? I would like to see it.

Honestly, it doesn't translate to offscreen photos very well. Even a perfect screen looks strange in an amateur offscreen shot. And it obviously doesn't show up in screenshots.

If you don't notice a problem, don't look for one.
 

BFIB

Member
Yeh, I'm that kinda person who loves technology but seldom upgrades, but when I upgrade I want a super upgrade.

I actually far prefer Android, but it just seems like there's no high end Android tablets available. The Galaxy tabs just seem to be pretty much the same as they've always been. I might be wrong though?

I'm pretty much in the same boat with you. I also prefer Android over iOS, and when it comes to smartphones, I don't ever see myself going back to the iPhone.

On the tablet end, I bought the Nexus 10 last year, and all I did with it was browse the net, read comics, and watch Netflix. Everyone talked about how their tablet was almost an extension of themselves, and I never understood that. Now that I have an iPad, there really is no comparison. I'm finding all kinds of great apps optimized for a tablet, and pretty much use my iPad non stop. When it comes to apps, its not even in the same ballpark. Nexus 10 was a lot of blown up phone apps.

I know Google is trying to tackle this, and I really hope they succeed. Competition is always great for the marketplace. But for now, if you want a tablet, I'd just get the Air, or the Retina Mini.
 

Deku Tree

Member
Honestly, it doesn't translate to offscreen photos very well. Even a perfect screen looks strange in an amateur offscreen shot. And it obviously doesn't show up in screenshots.

If you don't notice a problem, don't look for one.

I just looked at lots of yellow tint pictures on google image search. I am now 100% sure my ipad air does NOT have this problem.
 

epmode

Member
One of the easiest ways to see the problem is to go into Safari, bring up the keyboard at the bottom of the screen in portrait mode, then split the keyboard. The letters on the left will be more yellow than those on the right.

I've also illustrated it by zooming into a picture of a black and white checkerboard. You can actually see one of the small white squares change its tint as you move it around the screen.

Again, it's subtle but it was there for every Air I tested. And it's not there in my iPad 3.
 

Deku Tree

Member
One of the easiest ways to see the problem is to go into Safari, bring up the keyboard at the bottom of the screen in portrait mode, then split the keyboard. The letters on the left will be more yellow than those on the right.

I've also illustrated it by zooming into a picture of a black and white checkerboard and move one of the small white squares around. You can actually see it change color as it moves from left to right.

Again, it's subtle but it was there for every Air I tested. And it's not there in my iPad 3.

No I don't see that at all on mine. I checked every orientation of the keyboard. Could be just a bad shipment to your area.
 

solarus

Member
Ok it's a crappy pic i took with my iPhone 4 for and in general it's something you have to see for yourself but I think my photo shows the problem, just conpare the left and right keyboard. It affects the entire left side of the screen. Might take some better pics later.
eheSeEJ.jpg
 

Deku Tree

Member
Ok it's a crappy pic i took with my iPhone 4 for and in general it's something you have to see for yourself but I think my photo shows the problem, just conpare the left and right keyboard. It affects the entire left side of the screen. Might take some better pics later.
eheSeEJ.jpg

I see what you are talking about in the pic. My Air doesn't have that issue.
 

BFIB

Member
I haven't really noticed anything like that on my iPad Air, but then again, I haven't really looked for it either.

I think the issue is that there is only one backlight for the Air, and its set on the right side of the device. I know on Macrumors forums, there are people who have exchanged their Air a dozen times, and have yet to see a uniform screen.
 

solarus

Member
I haven't really noticed anything like that on my iPad Air, but then again, I haven't really looked for it either.

I think the issue is that there is only one backlight for the Air, and its set on the right side of the device. I know on Macrumors forums, there are people who have exchanged their Air a dozen times, and have yet to see a uniform screen.
Yeah seeing reports of people who have had several exchange units and still have the issue makes me feel that it is very widespread, especially when people say almost all the demo units in stores have the issue to some extent too, although there are some people like deku tree who have perfect screens. Here's hoping my replacement is better.
 
What about going from an ipad 1 to an Air. Will I see a big difference in video on something like Netflix?
I haven't used Netflix for ages. If it can do 1080p and your connection has the bandwidth to maintain that quality, then yes, it will be noticeably sharper (I doubt iPad 1 could run a 1080p stream anyway). If Netflix tends to be mostly 720p then the difference will be less significant. Also, all streamed video, even at 1080p, is not that spectacular compared to Blu-Ray. 1080p YouTube is particularly unimpressive due to the low bitrate. A downloaded 1080p film from iTunes might be a better demonstration, or one of your own rips played through something like AVPlayerHD.

But even a full quality Blu-Ray rip is not the best demonstration of the screen's capabilities, because it's simply not that great at motion. Still photography from high quality sources, non-rasterized text (i.e. most text-heavy webpages, ebooks), and high-resolution comics are where you'll be blown away by the screen quality compared to iPad 1.
 

Carlisle

Member
Yeah this is what I did, traded a bunch of stuff in at GameStop for the huge promo bonuses (if you're looking for a cheap pre-owned title to get the bonus, buy Too Human on 360 which is only 88 cents).

Soon as I got the Gamestop store credit I used it to buy hundreds of dollars in Amazon gift cards.

I just did this last night and it worked as you guys said. Couldn't believe it. They honored the quote I got online of 265, and I got their last copy of Too Human (actually think I might play it since it can't legally be distributed anymore) for 99 cents, and that threw on another $80, so just under $350 altogether. Simply amazing. In the same order, I used all the credit on amazon gift cards and was all set. How do more people not know about this? It kills the Target deal (as long as you don't have a 1st gen)

There's a load of stuff I want to get on the app store for the new Air, but you can't get itunes cards on amazon! wtf? but you can at gamestop, and you can get gamestop cards on amazon. so...

lol. just hope there isn't some dumb rule where you can't buy a gift card with a gift card or something.
 
I'm returning my Air because of this. After checking various forums and a few Apple stores, I have a feeling that every Air on the market is affected to some extent. The problem is kind of subtle, though, and I think many people don't notice it.

I'm not dropping all that cash without a pristine screen and I'm not convinced that I'll get one if I exchange my current Air. I'll buy it again when this shit is sorted out.

Mine is absolutely perfect FYI.
 

ChRoNiTe

Member
Is anyone having issues streaming HD in Netflix? Seems to be working fine on my old iPhone 4S, but only streaming SD on the iPad air and iPhone 5S. Maybe an issue with the app on 64bit devices?
 
Blargh. Finally found an account issue that I think requires a reset. Newsstand seems to have some kind of "locked on install" account requirement. (Can't change through iTunes, sigh)
 

NYR

Member
Having an issue with my iPad Air, specifically the magnet on the back that holds the Smart Cover in place.

In the last few days, the back magnet is making a clicking noise right before it attaches - it is when I align the Smart Cover to the back of the ipad, on the left hand side if you flip the ipad over - not the edge it is always connected to.

Just for the record, the sound is NOT the sound of the Smart Cover simply hitting the ipad - I can simply open and close the last edge of the Smart Cover when it is against the back and simply let it float over close enough before connecting and it makes a sound.

Even if I go really lightly and attach it, it makes a visible clicking sound - like pushing a piece of metal in and out. I even tried taking the other edge of the Smart Cover (the horizontal magnet edge that is normally always attached) and tried running that magnet along the edge on the back on the side, basically sliding it back and forth along the edge with the buttons and it makes a sounds as well, even louder actually. When you do this, The microfiber side has to be to exposed side, not the other way around, because it won't really stick otherwise.

Can anyone else test this and see if this is normal? Basically, take the edge of the smarty cover and rub it along the other side of the iPad near the buttons and let me know if you hear distinct clicking noises?
 
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