Apple Sued Over ‘Grainy’ MacBook LCD Screens
Apple has apparently been dragged to court thanks to a class-action lawsuit by Apple MacBook owners, who are accusing the company of wrongly advertising (read elevating) the quality of displays used in notebooks.
The two Californians fighting against the Cupertino, California- based company are Fred Greaves and Dave Gatley, who filed the suit on May 3 2007, in the San Diego County Superior Court. The irate customers stated that they were promised displays that had the ability to display ‘millions of colors’. However in stead of that they were sold displays of lesser quality that looked ‘grainy’ and ‘sparkly’.
The Californian men pointed out that Apple mislead them with MacBook and MacBook Pro advertising that stated that the displays are capable of 8 bits per channel, which successfully means as many as 16 million colors. But in reality, the displays support only 6 bits per channel, offering about 262,144 colors. This is what Greaves and Gatley allege in the suit.
So Apple’s now loaded with lawsuits against it. Apart from false advertising and misrepresentation, Apple is charged with violating the Unfair Competition Law and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act thanks to its failure to address and rectify the situation.
The lawsuit is being handled by attorney Peter M. Polischuk on behalf of the plaintiffs.
An Apple spokesperson has declined to comment on the issue stating that its company policy not to comment on pending lawsuits. However you can have a look at a copy of the suit here.
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May 23rd, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Every notebook manufacturer uses 6-bit screens. There are no 8-bit screens available for notebook manufacturers. They use too much power.
Through the flashing of the four most adjacent pixels the software makes the pixel in question look like a different color. This software trick makes the brain ’see’ over 16 million colors just like an 8-bit screen.
Every computer monitor uses only 3 colors, red, blue and green. The software regulates the relative brightness of those 3 colors to produce the various colors the brain perceives.
If the combo of a 6-bit screen and innovative software produces the perception of 16 million colors where only three colors exist, then there is no deceptive advertising.
The question that should be asked is “Why is it that only Apple notebooks have a problem when all other manufacturers are doing the same thing?” The specks on all of the suppliers screens read 6-bit, 256k colors. That is where the lawsuit is coming from. Without the proper software that is all the colors the displays will produce. With the right software, the brain perceives millions more.
Would you sue MGM for not showing a movie but showing 30 still pictures per second instead? You see moving pictures, not 30 stills per second. The brain is fooled so it works.
The lawsuit is invalid.