PowerBook G4 display issues

The following issues were discussed by users of the 17-inch PowerBook G4 in 2007 to 2008:

17-inch PowerBook G4 vertical lines defect
I’m one of the unfortunate hundreds (thousands?) of owners of a 17inch G4 1.67Ghz PowerBook with a defective display. Beginning 12-24 months after purchase, our screens show an ever increasing number of one-pixel-wide vertical lines in several colours. Apple Discussions forum administrators have been using censorship and censuring since Nov 06 to try to stamp out public discussion of this defect, Apple Inc have failed to acknowledge the problem, and AppleCare centres claim this problem is unheard of – and direct callers to an Apple Store for an expensive and prolonged out-of-warranty repair. Meanwhile Dell have a three year free repair program in place for similarly afflicted 17inch displays on their PC notebooks.

In reaction to Apple’s censorship, censuring and silence regarding this obvious manufacturing defect, an end-user defect database initiative has proven that the defective PowerBooks were actually manufactured in the W8 Shanghai factory around Mar-Apr 05:


 * 17inch “Bridget Riley” Powerbooks (archived 2007-02-04)

For more info and five ACTION pages, please see:


 * Free Repair Campaign for Apple 17inch PowerBooks mini Wiki (archived 2007-06-07)

Warm regards,


 * --Dalinian 14:05, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Other user options
“I think the best thing in cases of censorship or things like this is to get as much media as possible.”


 * --Kathy Acker


 * --For more ideas of what to do (by the way, even if you pay to have it fixed, I've heard if the repair isn't done right the problem re-appears):
 * Visit the "Vertical Lines" Resource Center (archived 2008-08-28)
 * Register your PowerBook at www.crosspond.com/apple/welcome (archived 2008-09-13)
 * Sign this petition: www.petitiononline.com/maclines/petition.html (archived 2007-10-27)
 * Post in Apple Discussions. Something non-inflammatory like "I have this problem too, is there any new suggestions on what to do about it?" Here's a relevant thread that's been there for a while: discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=967815&tstart=0 (archived 2008-09-07)
 * Call AppleCare, get a case #, and ask them how to file a formal complaint (so Apple has a record of the extent of the problem and is pressured to react).
 * Leave "Management Comments" here: http://www.apple.com/contact/feedback.html
 * Write to high-profile Mac news & blog sites and ask them to cover this story. Sites such as blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/ www.tuaw.com/ etc
 * There are some other suggestions here: www.crosspond.com/apple/links (archived 2007-07-13)
 * Call and write Apple corporate HQ and Public Relations: www.apple.com/contact/
 * Note that when people complain to AppleCare in non-U.S. countries, that info is not forwarded to any central location, so Apple never finds out about worldwide complaint patterns that indicate a defect. Ideally non-U.S. residents should be sure to call U.S. HQ and PR so all the complaints hopefully also get to a central location.
 * Take some of the steps documented in various pages at this site: scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Free_Repair_Campaign_for_Apple_17inch_PowerBooks (archived 2007-06-05)
 * Contact your state Department of Consumer Protection.
 * Contact the


 * --Jason C.K. 04:31, 21 August 2008 (UTC)