Pink tinting on Apple LCD displays (#3): PowerBook displays also affected

We continue to cover an issue where Apple Cinema Displays, and now some PowerBook screens, display pink/magenta tinting on the edges of the screen.

PowerBooks also affected MacFixIt reader Michael Jacobs describes a distinct pink tint on his PowerBook G4 15" display -- which has a recently replaced screen unit, indicating that this may be a problem primarily affecting recently manufactured units.

"I recently sent my 15" PowerBook G4 1.25 Ghz to have the screen repaired (white spot problem that appeared in December 2003, but that I did not get around to having fixed until now). The new LCD has a distinct pink tinting."

Bruce Stevens is also experiencing pink tinting on his PowerBook, and says the issue is more prevalent when the machine is first awoken from sleep or first turned on:

"I have been experiencing the same pink tint on my 800 MHz Titanium Powerbook for a very long time. It?s very noticeable when it is first turned on or awakes from sleep. It?s also worse sometimes than others and I?m not sure what the variables are."

Older displays Though most of the reports we have received so far identify newer Apple Cinema Displays as problematic, at least a handful of readers are noting distinct pink tinting with older models:

One reader writes: "I have experienced similar problems as described by others seeing pink coloring on a 23 inch cinema display and a new dual G5. I hooked up a new dual 2.5 G5 power Mac to an old 22 inch cinema display and see pink color throughout the screen. Originally I could restore the correct colors by changing the screen settings (i.e. resolution or number of colors and then select the original settings again). Now the color alteration seems fixed."

Testing for the problem Michael Scaramozzino has a three-step process helpful for determining whether or not your display is currently (based on reader reports, it appears the issue may develop over time in some cases) affected by a pink hue influence:

• Set the desktop to solid color white and hide all windows. Look at the far right and left sides of the screen. Do you see a slight yellowing on the sides? Look at all four corners, do you see any dimming of the corners?
• Now set the desktop to solid color medium gray and hide all windows. Look at the gray color all the way across the screen from the left to the right. Do you see a slightly bluer wide vertical band just left of the center of the screen? Do you see any color variations across the screen? Do the far right and left sides appear slightly brownish? On my newly replaced screen I see subtle color shifts across the screen when viewing solid gray, from left to right that go through this sequence: Left -- Brownish-pinkish-blueish; Center -- gray; Right -- brownish.
• Open a grayscale photo full screen in Photoshop. Do you see any pinkish tones?

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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