A week ago just after Christmas, I noticed a tiny dark splotch at the bottom center of my Pro Display XDR. No matter what is being displayed, the screen blemish is constant. Probably a malfunctioning LED, one out of the 576 in the backlight array. I’ve had the monitor for about six weeks before I even caught this defect, likely one of those things where you don’t see it, but once you do, you can never unsee it.
I likely would have let it go if the display had cost $500. But since the Pro Display XDR famously starts at $5,000, the screen had better be as close to perfect as possible! The panel has a one year warranty, so off to the Apple store I went. Carrying a display worth that much from the mall parking lot to the store was rather stressful. The box indicated exactly what’s inside, ripe for enterprising robbers to have an easy payday.
My local Apple store did not even have the requisite power and data cables (nor the $1,000 Pro Stand to prop up the monitor) on hand to test at the Genius Bar. All they could do is check for exterior damage, then intake the display for further testing. I figured once the tech verify the splotch, Apple would simply ship an entire replacement unit. The Pro Display XDR doesn’t look to be a product that can be serviced readily. Take off the front glass to repair a single LED? No way.
A replacement display is exactly what Apple sent to the store some five days later. Quite a quick turnaround, given the globe chip shortage still ongoing. The staff there was curiously surprised Apple didn’t send parts instead, though I’m not sure I would want a display that’s been fettled with internally by a store-level tech. No offense: not for a $5,000 monitor.
After suffering another stressful journey from the Apple store to the parking lot, carrying an effectively brand-new Pro Display XDR, I’m happy to report the replacement screen is as clean as can be. Hopefully I won’t have to do this again.
Can you see it?