Apple acknowledges PowerBook G4 15" (FireWire 800) "white spot" problem

After dozens of reports here on MacFixIt, countless reports in various discussion forums, and replacement screen shipments, Apple has finally acknowledged the PowerBook G4 15" (FireWire 800) "white spot" problem in the form of a Knowledge Base article (#86632).

The document states:

"Customers experiencing faint white spots on the PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW 800) computer's display should contact AppleCare.

"The PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW 800) computer is the 15-inch model of PowerBook G4 that was introduced in September 2003. For assistance identifying which model of computer you have, see technical document 88248, 'PowerBook G4 Computers: How to Identify Different Models'."

For more information on the white spot issue, see our special report: Troubleshooting the PowerBook G4 15" (FireWire 800).

Also, a recent reader report on the issue from Dan Boyle, which (along with other reports) seems to indicate that Apple is dealing with this issue more aggressively than when the problem was initially surfacing:

"My screen has the same "light spots" as everyone else... calling today (I've had them for 2-3 weeks or so) AppleCare said my 15" Aluminum Powerbook would be back to me within a week. The customer rep said that there was a specific procedure for this problem, so repair time is only a couple days, even though it's possibly a full LCD and screen replacement. Also, the rep claimed that whatever is causing the spots in the first place seems to be permanently fixed by this procedure."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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