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I am buying a 27" iMac tomorrow, anything I need to know.

BrunoMac

BrunoMac

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 6, 2008
153
0
I'm nervous about buying a 27" iMac tomorrow, is there anything I should look out for?

Is 27" too big? My GF thinks I'm going to go blind.
Can I work a deal for iLife?
What's up with the yellow tint thing?
Is the computer ready for release, or is it buggy?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!:)
 
BrunoMac said:
I'm nervous about buying a 27" iMac tomorrow, is there anything I should look out for?

Is 27" too big? My GF thinks I'm going to go blind.
Can I work a deal for iLife?
What's up with the yellow tint thing?
Is the computer ready for release, or is it buggy?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!:)
Click to expand...

I was worried about the size of this thing, too, but my 27" i7 seems absolutely perfect sitting on my desk. It does seem absurdly bright, coming from a 24" Gateway CCFL backlit display, but the options for setting the brightness to your particular level of comfort should offset that, if it is an issue.

iLife '09 will come with the machine, so you shouldn't need to work a deal, as you say.

The yellow issue seems to exist on some machines to varying degrees, but mine is perfect so I cannot give you much advice in this department. I guess if you get one that's yellow but you don't notice it unless really looking for it, you have to decide for yourself if you can live with it. My display seems to be perfect to my eye.

I have had zero issues with this machine in the ~4 days that I have had it, so I wouldn't say it's buggy. Time will tell, but I'm definitely content and impressed thus far.
 
27" sounds like a lot, but after a few days, you'll get used to it.
If you're buying it now, getting yellow tint is very unlikely. You can always test it out at the store though, so that's a plus.

Nope, not glitchy at all.
I got my 27" on December 23rd, and it's perfect. So I'm sure that if some problems are still there, they would have fixed them by now.

Enjoy your iMac OP :)
 
According to this guy, yes, a lot of things.


OldCorpse said:
Run it through this checklist, and report results :):

1)Screen - Stuck/Dead pixels
2)Screen - Flickering screen, with brief blackouts
3)Screen - Yellow smudge at the bottom/elsewhere
4)Screen - LED backlight bleeding through in corners when screen is dark/black
5)Screen - High pitch whine from screen at max brightness after 30 minutes; also after turning down brightness by 30%
6)Screen - Dust or fingerprints trapped behind the monitor glass
7)iSight - Dead pixels
8)iMac as external monitor function not working
9)Noisy HDD - clicking or whirring, rumbling and whining
10)Constantly running fans at high volume
11)Intermittent hiss from external speakers hooked up
12)Frequent beachballs, despite not many programs running
13)Slow boot up
14)Random self generated restarts while using Firefox
15)Airport problems
16)Bad USB ports
Click to expand...
 
BrunoMac said:
I'm nervous about buying a 27" iMac tomorrow, is there anything I should look out for?

Is 27" too big? My GF thinks I'm going to go blind.
Can I work a deal for iLife?
What's up with the yellow tint thing?
Is the computer ready for release, or is it buggy?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!:)
Click to expand...

Buy direct from Apple, this way, if you have an issue, it will be easier to have the problem fixed (worst case, the iMac exchanged). I was in doubt, just like you, but now I'm very happy I moved forward. I'm a first time ever Mac user and I'm delighted. The 27" screen is gorgeous. I haven't had any issue neither with yellow areas nor flickering.
 
Do you know what I'd recommend the most? Keeping a duster nearby.

I have an original 20" Alum iMac and the number of times I've used my finger to brush away dust on the screen and left a big streak is unbelievable. This whole glass panel thing looks amazing and all, but it's a bugger to keep clean.

So I'd keep a duster nearby incase you get dust on the screen, sneeze, cough or accidentally spray when you talk (hey, it all sounds quite gross but everyone does it every now and then; it's only normal).

Probably not the sort of advice you were looking for, but I hope it provides value of some sort! ;)
 
Awesome looking forward to Garageband. Thanks, feeling better about buying it.
If money wasn't the issue would you guys get a 21.5" or a 27"? I just don't want it to look over the top huge.:confused:
 
i bought the 27" , if i'd wanted smaller i would have just stayed with my pc...
once you get the 27" you'll never go back... i'm waiting on the rumored 36" thats supposed to be coming out ???
 
I had the 27" iMac and really wanted to love it. The issues with the flickering and blacking out screens became more than I wanted to deal with so I returned the machine. I would not run out and by a 27" until Apple have solved the QC problems.
 
BrunoMac said:
I'm nervous about buying a 27" iMac tomorrow, is there anything I should look out for?

Is 27" too big? My GF thinks I'm going to go blind.
Can I work a deal for iLife?
What's up with the yellow tint thing?
Is the computer ready for release, or is it buggy?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!!:)
Click to expand...

Go ahead and quit worrying. iLife comes with the computer. You could work a deal out with iWork.
 
JimKirk said:
For over $2000 you can get a big yellow one.
Click to expand...

LOL for sure. :)

Only took me 3 swap outs to get a good one! In the end it was worth every minute I took to drive it back to the store. LOVE the 27" screen, with the high resolution I am able to do away with my 2nd screen I was using before and have all my work on one screen.
 
Good advice on the duster, especially if you have kids. My kids love the 27'' screen, and keep poking fingers right at it showing stuff to one another. I have to clean it daily.

I've had mine since November; noisy 2 TB hard drive is my only issue. But I live with it, having placed the unit on a desk strategically to reduce the noise.
 
Personally, I'd wait until Apple fixes all of the screen problems. Buying now will most likely result in multiple returns and there is no guarantee that the problems will be fixed. Many have received inferior replacements. Why hassle yourself with return after return? The number of people on the sidelines waiting for Apple to fix these issues before buying is growing.
 
IndustrialSpace said:
Personally, I'd wait until Apple fixes all of the screen problems. Buying now will most likely result in multiple returns and there is no guarantee that the problems will be fixed. Many have received inferior replacements. Why hassle yourself with return after return? The number of people on the sidelines waiting for Apple to fix these issues before buying is growing.
Click to expand...

Gotta wait to buy the i7......unfortunately :-(
 
aznguyen316 said:
are these issues mostly with the 27" or does the 21" have them too? Yellow tint, HDD noise etc.
Click to expand...

Badger^2 said:
STF?
Click to expand...

You might have asked this to the OP of the thread as well.

I mean, come on, this subject isn't too beaten to death at this point. There are only about 2000 threads to choose from.

Anyway, I'd say you have fairly decent odds at getting an iMac with no problems at all. I took delivery of my week 47 machine in November and it has no issues to speak of: no yellow tint, no excessive HD noise, no flickering, no blackouts. I still haven't run the 27" graphics firmware update from Apple released a few weeks back since there is nothing to "fix" and I don't want to break it.

However, if you do get one and it has issues you return it. To not even try one because some other guy on a forum had problems with his and told you not to seems a little ridiculous to me, but OK, to each their own.

Even here, in a user forum inhabitated primarily by those seeking help for problems you find many satisfied 27" iMac owners. See one for yourself and then decide.
 
I just placed my order about an hour ago with a scheduled delivery date of the 29th. I spoke to them about the yellow/flickering/blackout and the salesman said most people are getting these problems were getting them because they were in VERY cold climates. Either way I got the 3 year extended plan so I should be all right. Excited to edit some HD Video !
 
Well I just got home, they gave me the student discount so I bought it. Pretty damn exciting!!
 
Bruno I gotta say: if you don't notice anything at all with the naked eye then don't jeapordize your mental health by trying any of the color uniformity tests. Any imperfection, however slight, will be extremely noticeable if you do the tests. To quote Futurama: "You watched it, you can't un-watch it!"

I really hope you get a good screen, because the 27" is a ton of fun to play with. Love mine to bits, I'm just crushed that the yellow tint issue got worse over time and now I'm in for a bunch of headaches in the coming weeks.

Anyway good luck and have fun! Enjoy the thrill of the shiny new toy :D
 
Wang Foolio said:
Bruno I gotta say: if you don't notice anything at all with the naked eye then don't jeapordize your mental health by trying any of the color uniformity tests. Any imperfection, however slight, will be extremely noticeable if you do the tests. To quote Futurama: "You watched it, you can't un-watch it!"

I really hope you get a good screen, because the 27" is a ton of fun to play with. Love mine to bits, I'm just crushed that the yellow tint issue got worse over time and now I'm in for a bunch of headaches in the coming weeks.

Anyway good luck and have fun! Enjoy the thrill of the shiny new toy :D
Click to expand...

Looks great to me, I don't plan on running any tests yet. It looks great and I want to enjoy it. I'll keep you updated.
 
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