Apple rushed with the iMac?

[mtnDewFTW]

Hey guys, this isn't really a iMac problem thread, we have way too many of those, so I just wanted to switch some things up a little bit.

Is it just me or does it sorta look like Apple rushed a little bit with the new iMacs? Since Windows 7 was coming out and everything, it would make sense for them to put something new out, and they did.

However, after doing a bit of research on it, I see that lots and lots of people seem to be having problems with the new iMacs, most are screen related, or just DOA. Some even came in with cracked screens.. which is a little odd.

I don't know about you guys, but from my experience with Apple, they usually make the best quality stuff. I was a PC before, and pretty much all my PCs sucked and broke, so I said screw it, time for a change.
And ever since I've been using Apple stuff, I've been pretty happy with it.

And yeah I do realize that stuff on the internet really makes it look like a bigger problem than it actually is, but when almost half of the people in the polls have had some kind of defects with their iMacs, that really makes me think about it.

I sorta feel like they rushed it a little bit?

What do you guys think? Did they? Or maybe not?

All I know is that since day one, people have been having problems with them.
I mean, I'm still definitely getting it, but I just wanted to know what your opinions are.

 

[Shawnstra]

Well, I guess that the failure rates are higher than the previous generation, but I have a feeling it's not a significant amount. A lot of people who are happy with their iMacs don't really post online with problems. Most of the people who post online have problems and would wish to have support from the community.

That said, you are right in the sense that they should definately pick quieter HDD drives for the 1TB model. Obviously they didn't really test the machine enough. The whole machine is dead quiet, yet this grumbling sound is really a pain.

 

[mtnDewFTW]

Well, I guess that the failure rates are higher than the previous generation, but I have a feeling it's not a significant amount. A lot of people who are happy with their iMacs don't really post online with problems. Most of the people who post online have problems and would wish to have support from the community.

That said, you are right in the sense that they should definately pick quieter HDD drives for the 1TB model. Obviously they didn't really test the machine enough. The whole machine is dead quiet, yet this grumbling sound is really a pain.

Yes, I agree with you. I mean, no one can expect every single computer to work right. All companies have those few that are defected. And yeah, you're also right about the part where people only usually post stuff about something not working right.
So as far as that goes, you're absolutely right.

However, I don't understand why the MacBook worked out pretty well, when the iMac that came out the same day, sorta failed a little bit.

 

[Shawnstra]

Yes, I agree with you. I mean, no one can expect every single computer to work right. All companies have those few that are defected. And yeah, you're also right about the part where people only usually post stuff about something not working right.
So as far as that goes, you're absolutely right.

However, I don't understand why the MacBook worked out pretty well, when the iMac that came out the same day, sorta failed a little bit.

Yeah, and this is kinda a first generation product in this new form factor, which means they still haven't got it just right. I guess it's the price to pay for being an early adopter.

I find that what Apple designs is really amazing, with a really amazing concept on paper, however, it would help if they be more consistent in producing every machine. I know there's no 100% but there is definately room for improvement.

The DOAs and cracked screens are quite rare, the most prevalent being the yellow-tint and noisy HDD, with other issues like flickering already fixed. Hopefully, a software update from apple could give us a new calibrate setting for the screen and a quieter HDD.

 

[SilenceBe]

I don't understand how you can talk about rarity when different people reports that they have multiple swaps where the problems still occur. Sometimes even worse. That isn't even statistically possible when you speak about rarity or 1% - 5% fail ratio. You can have bad luck but... .

That also undermines the "only people with problem post here" explanation which would make sense if people who have swapped their faulty machine received a good one. That would be the case when you speak about a normal fail ratio.

 

[Shawnstra]

I don't understand how you can talk about rarity when different people reports that they have multiple swaps where the problems still occur. Sometimes even worse. That isn't even statistically possible when you speak about rarity or 1% - 5% fail ratio. You can have bad luck but... .

That also undermines the "only people with problem post here" explanation which would make sense if people who have swapped their faulty machine received a good one. That would be the case when you speak about a normal fail ratio.

these are usually those with the noisy hdd or yellow tinge, which I stated is mostly a design flaw rather than a defect. Those with DOAs/cracked screens/flickering had their problems fixed with one single exchange.

 

[yourashero]

I'd say something wasn't done correctly. The fact that some people have had a problem two or even three times is bad. Maybe it was a short batch but statistically it's just bad. The chances of that being a coincidence are slim. Very slim.

 

[TMRaven]

Nah I don't think apple rushed these new iMacs at all.
For one, these are the newest model iMacs to be released for 3 years or so. All other updates have just been speed upgrades to their ram/cpu's.

Secondly, apple has probably been eying intel's nehalem technology even before it became mainstream on the market.
Just as apple secretly coded their operating system to fit intel processors years ahead of their announcement of macs with core duo's, they just as well probably were working on their desktop computers to use true desktop components.

Also, every new line of technology has higher degree of faults than their later brethren. When a certain technology matures, it becomes both cheaper and more reliable. Once LCD screens were plagued with all-too common dead pixels or clouded screens, now those problems are mostly gone.

Lastly, the new iMac problems are most likely way less spread than what the online community publicly notes. Experience tells us that a good part of online communities regarding products are usually complaints. Group a whole bunch of them together and you create one huge biased environment.
A good example of this can be the tech product reviews on amazon: While there's a good number of honest reviews on their tech products, there's also an even number of reviews giving one star purely because of bad shipping/ doa problems etc.

 

[Mars478]

Hey guys, this isn't really a iMac problem thread, we have way too many of those, so I just wanted to switch some things up a little bit.

Is it just me or does it sorta look like Apple rushed a little bit with the new iMacs? Since Windows 7 was coming out and everything, it would make sense for them to put something new out, and they did.

However, after doing a bit of research on it, I see that lots and lots of people seem to be having problems with the new iMacs, most are screen related, or just DOA. Some even came in with cracked screens.. which is a little odd.

I don't know about you guys, but from my experience with Apple, they usually make the best quality stuff. I was a PC before, and pretty much all my PCs sucked and broke, so I said screw it, time for a change.
And ever since I've been using Apple stuff, I've been pretty happy with it.

And yeah I do realize that stuff on the internet really makes it look like a bigger problem than it actually is, but when almost half of the people in the polls have had some kind of defects with their iMacs, that really makes me think about it.

I sorta feel like they rushed it a little bit?

What do you guys think? Did they? Or maybe not?

All I know is that since day one, people have been having problems with them.
I mean, I'm still definitely getting it, but I just wanted to know what your opinions are.

People do not come on forums to be like "MY IMAC WORKS 100%! ROFLCOPTER!" They come and whine about how they are broken. It's just how the internets works.

 

[Btom]

......
Those with DOAs/cracked screens/flickering had their problems fixed with one single exchange.

Many people reported two, and some even three exchanges before they got a flicker free machine.

Tom B.

 

[Btom]

I don't understand how you can talk about rarity when different people reports that they have multiple swaps where the problems still occur. Sometimes even worse. That isn't even statistically possible when you speak about rarity or 1% - 5% fail ratio. You can have bad luck but... .

.......

Agree,

At 1% failure rate the chance get three bad computers in a row is 1:1,000,000;
At 5% failure rate the chance get three bad computers in a row is 1:8,000;

Tom B.

 

[Jackintosh]

Best solution is go with Mac Mini instead, and buy your own screen.

 

[quagmire]

Best solution is go with Mac Mini instead, and buy your own screen.

Best solution is buying a Mac Pro. Only way you'll make up for the performance loss by deciding to buy something other then the iMac.

 

[Jackintosh]

Best solution is buying a Mac Pro. Only way you'll make up for the performance loss by deciding to buy something other then the iMac.

Performance difference is so minimal, 95% of users wouldn't miss or notice. And the price point of the Mac Pro doesn't make it a justifiable comparison.

 

[quagmire]

Performance difference is so minimal, 95% of users wouldn't miss or notice. And the price point of the Mac Pro doesn't make it a justifiable comparison.

True, but there is a reason why we are buying the i5 and i7's. We want that performance. It may work for the C2D buyers, but for us i5 and i7 buyers, Mac Pro is our only replacement. Despite it being more expensive( which says that our iMac's are good deals ).

 

[Jackintosh]

True, but there is a reason why we are buying the i5 and i7's. We want that performance. It may work for the C2D buyers, but for us i5 and i7 buyers, Mac Pro is our only replacement. Despite it being more expensive( which says that our iMac's are good deals ).

Yes, I can see that. So if you're not a power user, the Mini would be a good alternative. Else the Pro for more heft. Seeing so many iMac complaints and dissatisfaction here with the screen held hostage by the CPU, either choice works well in solving that.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

I think we have to remember there are a lot of components that go into a iMac made by many folks. Its a complex machine and when everything is perfect its terrific but also with todays global market etc the devil is in the details. Apple doesnt make the the hard drive or graphics or ...but since they charge premium prices we should demand a perfect product as consumers. So its up to Apple to find these imperfections from these part suppliers before they get into a new iMac.

 

[bearcatrp]

apple screwed the pooch on the new 27 inch iMac. PERIOD. Could be the cheap labor from china causing this or bouncing around in shipping. You didn't hear hardly any problems when apple came out with the 1st 24 inch iMac. Mine is still working flawlessly running tiger. Its a shame that its happening as I finally saw the 27 inch a couple days ago and it looks gorgeous. I will wait a year when the next generation comes out and they go back to laptop processors. The desktop processors are way to hot. I put my hand on the to left on a core 2 duo 27 inch and its really hot. Can't imagine what the i7 will feel like when all cores are running. Guess we will see when folks get them and report about the heat.

 

[quagmire]

apple screwed the pooch on the new 27 inch iMac. PERIOD. Could be the cheap labor from china causing this or bouncing around in shipping. You didn't hear hardly any problems when apple came out with the 1st 24 inch iMac. Mine is still working flawlessly running tiger. Its a shame that its happening as I finally saw the 27 inch a couple days ago and it looks gorgeous. I will wait a year when the next generation comes out and they go back to laptop processors. The desktop processors are way to hot. I put my hand on the to left on a core 2 duo 27 inch and its really hot. Can't imagine what the i7 will feel like when all cores are running. Guess we will see when folks get them and report about the heat.

24" iMac's I remember had a freezing issue which was fixed with a software/firmware update.

And the reason why the top corner is hot is because aluminum absorbs heat while your 24" iMac has a plastic backing. All that should matter is the CPU, HD, and GPU temps and I have seen people having their i5's hover between 34-41 C and the GPU at 55 C. Which is cooler then my MBP's C2D and 8600M.

Also of note, I remember my Powerbook G4 bottom got hot and G4's were regarded as cool running chips.