Apple 17-inch LCD Studio Display Flaw

To:  Apple Computer, Inc.

We, the undersigned, request that Apple Computer, Inc. officially acknowledge and address the defect in the 17-inch LCD Studio Displays. The defect causes the top or bottom part of the display to be dimly lit relative to the rest of the screen. Also associated with this problem is a blinking power light, in the pattern of two short flashes followed by 1 long flash, which is the diagnostic code for a backlight lamp error. The source of the problem has been traced to the backlight voltage inverter by customers on Apple's online Discussion Forum, who noticed the same part listed on Apple's Proof of Repair documents sent to customers who had their displays repaired by Apple.

As of May 5, 2004, 172 unique user names have reported the same problem on a single thread in Apple's Discussion Forum, located at http://discussions.info.apple.com/ and 75 report in their posts that they have contacted Apple regarding this issue. The average reported age of the display at the time of failure is 18 months, and many failures occured within the first year. Some customers report the voltage inverter failing a second or third time after being replaced by Apple. Despite these statistics, which have been reported to Apple Customer Relations, Apple claims that there is no known problem with the 17-inch LCD Studio Display.

As of May 5, 2004, and according to the AppleCare website, a flat-rate out-of-warranty repair of the display, including shipping, is $458.95 USD. The repair has a 90-day guarantee. A new display retails for $699, thus, the repair cost is over 65% of the price of a new display. Because Apple has not publicly acknowledged a flaw in the displays, consumers have no way of knowing if the problem will recur after repair or exist in a new model.

We believe that Apple should:
- Publicly acknowledge this flaw in the 17-inch Studio Displays.
- Adjust its out-of-warranty repair pricing to be reasonable.
- Extend its existing free warranty to three years, or at the very least make AppleCare available for display-only purchases. Currently, AppleCare may only be applied to a display that is purchased with a Power Mac or PowerBook.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Apple 17-inch LCD Studio Display Flaw Petition to Apple Computer, Inc. was created by 17-inch Studio Display Owners and written by Michael Wyszomierski.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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