Did not realize what a poor display I had till after that calibration on my 20" iMac, what a difference!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Depressed, disgruntled, & dissatisfied new iMac owner...
- Thread starter brinstar
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Did not realize what a poor display I had till after that calibration on my 20" iMac, what a difference!
And, for every one of you who are having problems,I respectfully suggest that there are many of us who are having no problems at all. I have a very new Alu iMac with a 20" screen, 500 gig HD, and 4 GB of memory. No problems whatsoever.
Except for the crap screens. There's no escaping it. They're a downgrade from the previous model.
Yeah, but...
Really? The iMac is one of the lightest non laptops I've ever, EVER picked up. I know you're trying to be funny, but come on...
Really? The iMac is one of the lightest non laptops I've ever, EVER picked up. I know you're trying to be funny, but come on...
Which with a new CPU & GPU would make it...
...another Rev. A
Actually, that should be the iMac Model 4 Version 2 Rev A.
Actually, I wasn't trying to be all that funny, I just used a funny word or two. I think perhaps you under estimate how truly weak I am! When I returned home I decided to have a glass of juice, and my arm/hand was trembling as I lifted the glass to my mouth to take a sip. But to my defense, my local Apple store is located within a fairly large mall. On a busy day there's no decent parking, nor is there an easy entrance to the store. But I truly do find it to be heavy - which is no strike against it. I like that it's heavy, as it seems more solid and sturdy. It's just no fun to lug around. That's all I meant by my comment.
Well, I checked and it seems that most of the used mini's, and even used iMac's, are selling near their current retail value. I say near, as there is a slight difference, but not great enough to buy used over new. Thanks for suggesting this though. I'll keep checking in hopes of a better deal.
I wonder though, is this new iMac really more than just a cosmetic change? Sure it's a great one, one that gave me cause to make "the switch," but I wonder if the next revision will do much more. As someone else recently made mention of, this new aluminum iMac is really a revision of a revision, isn't it? Can we really then expect the next to be all that it should be? A boost in processing power and graphics would be great, sure, but I wonder if they'd upgrade the displays? That's my major strike against it. I'd be nice if they'd offer a matte version too, as I'm no fan of the glossy screens. But Apple seems to like the this new look. But even if the glossy screens remained, the display's definitely need to be updated. I don't know if I can fully wait until the next model is released, though. Nor am I confident it'll address my concerns. If only we were in the know!
Thanks again for all your comments. It's nice to hear from current mac users who are fair, critical, and seemingly enthusiastic. I hope the iMac of your dreams is released as you expect. It sounds like it would be a great update all around.
I never even made it past the first screen when I turned it on
1. So how do you know the imac is defective?
2. You need to calibrate the Monitor....
3. I read a lot of issues with the 20" & 24" and was nervous about ordering mine.
4. Mine arrived last Thursday afternoon.
5. No freezing...
6. No yellow screen...
7. The screen is a little lighter at the top middle than the bottom. A little darker on the left and right side. Guess what? My expensive ADC is the SAME!
8. No dead pixels on the monitor....
If your going to look for problems your going to find them.
I am a photographer and a graphic designer, see no issues with this 24" Aluminum iMac.
The keyboard works great.
The transparent menu bar at the top is visible regardless of what others say, and the iMac is very fast!
But is sounds like you already made up your mind as to what a piece o'crap the iMac is.....good luck mate on whatever you decide...
1. So how do you know the imac is defective?
2. You need to calibrate the Monitor....
3. I read a lot of issues with the 20" & 24" and was nervous about ordering mine.
4. Mine arrived last Thursday afternoon.
5. No freezing...
6. No yellow screen...
7. The screen is a little lighter at the top middle than the bottom. A little darker on the left and right side. Guess what? My expensive ADC is the SAME!
8. No dead pixels on the monitor....
If your going to look for problems your going to find them.
I am a photographer and a graphic designer, see no issues with this 24" Aluminum iMac.
The keyboard works great.
The transparent menu bar at the top is visible regardless of what others say, and the iMac is very fast!
But is sounds like you already made up your mind as to what a piece o'crap the iMac is.....good luck mate on whatever you decide...
too heavy!
24" iMac shipping weight is 38 Ibs! Would think a 20" iMac would be less mate!
24" iMac shipping weight is 38 Ibs! Would think a 20" iMac would be less mate!
No... the ACDs are more similar if not the same as the previous white iMacs, not the new ones. My ACDs aren't lighter at the top or the side, and colors don't invert when I move my head two inches to the left. They are not even close.
EDIT: Just noticed you have the 24". That panel is good. It's the 20s that are cheap.
brinstar: it's probably worth giving the imac another go. I know that when I got mine (a 24") the first thing I noticed was a dirty patch inside the screen in one corner. I decided to have a mess with it before returning it, then went to check it again a day or two later and it was gone. I guess what ever it was burned off or loosened and fell away when the computer warmed up, but there's no trace of anything at all now.
Also, the 20" screens are renowned for looking crap until they've been calibrated (they look washed out). I've not used one, but I have a similar screen as a second monitor, and the colour shifting when you move your head will never go but it doesn't look nearly so bad when it's been properly calibrated. Actually calibrating the screen will make ANY mac look better from my experience.
Also, the 20" screens are renowned for looking crap until they've been calibrated (they look washed out). I've not used one, but I have a similar screen as a second monitor, and the colour shifting when you move your head will never go but it doesn't look nearly so bad when it's been properly calibrated. Actually calibrating the screen will make ANY mac look better from my experience.
check out refurb iMac
I had a mini a couple of months ago and it was a great machine, but was too underpowered for what I used it for (iPhoto was dog slow, everything else was average; it was a 1.66GHz CD) but overall a very decent machine. I just sold it to help pay for another Mac: iMac or MacBook. I've already got a PC laptop which works just fine, and the iMac's are gorgeous. The screen issues don't bother me. I definitely saw them in the Apple Store and yeah they do have shifty colors but that isn't something that would scare me away.
If you really want an iMac right now, what about a refurbished model from the Apple Store? I saw a 20" 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo (last generation) for $1099. Sure it isn't Santa Rosa, but will definitely be faster than any of the mini's that you look at. Hope that helps.
I had a mini a couple of months ago and it was a great machine, but was too underpowered for what I used it for (iPhoto was dog slow, everything else was average; it was a 1.66GHz CD) but overall a very decent machine. I just sold it to help pay for another Mac: iMac or MacBook. I've already got a PC laptop which works just fine, and the iMac's are gorgeous. The screen issues don't bother me. I definitely saw them in the Apple Store and yeah they do have shifty colors but that isn't something that would scare me away.
If you really want an iMac right now, what about a refurbished model from the Apple Store? I saw a 20" 2.16GHz Core 2 Duo (last generation) for $1099. Sure it isn't Santa Rosa, but will definitely be faster than any of the mini's that you look at. Hope that helps.
Sorry, but this just is NOT true and I have years of experience to back up that point of view.
And here you basically agree with me anyway.
The 20" iMac screen is a crappy budget screen. You can calibrate it til the cows come home, but the only way to make it even look half-ass good is to turn up the saturation to a ridiculous amount or use a (gasp!) VGA profile.
It is also a BIG departure in that respect from the type of screens Apple usually ships with their products. Design professionals that require good screens will notice this immediately (as you say), but that doesn't mean that you have to be one to hate this screen.
It's not about one's profession, it's about one's ability to detect visual differences. You don't have to be Mozart to detect a foul note in a piece of music and you don't have to be an artist to see that the icons at the top of your screen are multiple shades darker than the ones at the bottom.
The 20" aluminum iMac is slightly cheaper than the plastic ones that preceded it, but only slightly. The screen on the other hand, went from "one of the best" to roughly the same quality as the worst WallMart computers.