iMac has a bug, literally

[KrazyKanuck]

OP, really sorry to hear about the insect in your display. I've heard of this happening (rarely), and I've actually experienced this myself with my 2013 iMac. In that case it was also a fruit fly or a gnat, or some such creature. This happened after years of ownership, so I was baffled at first at how the insect could have gotten in to what I thought was a fully laminated and sealed assembly.

Although it is common practice to talk about the screens on the slim iMacs as being bonded together, this is not entirely true. The glass is bonded to a polarizer, which is bonded to the lcd, but the backlight assembly is not bonded together or bonded to the reverse of the lcd in the same way that the lcd is glued to the glass. Rather, the backlight assembly is layered together and taped to the bonded lcd assembly around the edges of the inside of the display assembly. At least on the 2013 model that I had (and this may be true on subsequent models), there were small openings in the tape in the corners and around the display cables. It was therefore possible for a small insect to enter the iMac through the intake vents or a speaker grille, be drawn to the light at the corners of the panel, get into the panel, and then get stuck between the lcd and the backlight assembly. I've also seen a number of complaints on here and elsewhere about dust or particles appearing in the bottom corners of iMac displays, and the gap in the sealing tape might also explain this as well.

The bad news is obviously that you have a fly in your new iMac. If you aren't able to resolve this through Apple or a repair centre, then it might be possible to remove the display and carefully pull back the sealing tape enough so that you can separate the backlight layers to remove the insect. I don't know, I've never tried this.

I think it extremely unlikely that the insect (in whatever life-stage) was present at the time of assembly, and very likely that it got into your display though the scenario described above. I agree with you and some of the other posters here that this is an unacceptable design characteristic. I do not see how one can reasonably police their personal space to be free of gnats.

 

[ignatius345]

There are openings though. There are vents. It’s possible to get in the vents and get between the screen and the glass from the inside.

I think you’d have a hard time proving that it was there from purchase.

It looks to be a small fruit fly. And considering that they only have a lifespan of 40-50 days. I don’t think that was there when you bought it 3/4 months ago.

I have to say, I took my iMac apart last year to replace the drive, and there's definitely space for a bug to get in between the display and the glass. There are adhesive strips all round but they have spaces between them easily big enough for that little guy.

It'll surely die in there before long, and maybe if you're lucky it'll fall downward toward the bezel where you won't see it.

 

[arn]

It's an epidemic

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/ohrdsh

 

[MarcusArb]

Ex-genius here. Not sure why everybody is making this so difficult. I always covered this under warranty. It’s not common but it happens. It’s a full screen replacement though. Geniuses don’t take the screen apart.

As for vroom talking about biohazards, yes under the strictest rules an insect is a biohazard but that was more for infestations. I’ve only ever once refused service for insects, and that was for a machine that you couldn’t plug in USB devices because of the dead cockroaches in the ports.

 

[Sphaeromac]

I had a tiny spider that

appeared when my iMac was about a year old, so it must have got in recently. It went away after a day or so, so either it died or got out the way it got in.

 

[Serban55]

The 2010-2020 imacs has flaw Design sealing at micro level
A lot of displays has even dust in it around the bottom corners because the sealing is not done right
The m1 imacs doesn’t have this issue
Its the first thing i e checked

 

[GadgetBen]

Ah the Thunderbug. Yep, had a few of these in my time. They typically get trapped and die in there, then they drop to the bottom.

I agree they are annoying, but Apple is not responsible for the environment you keep your Mac in.

 

[Serban55]

Apple is responsible for not making a good sealing between the case and the display. The m1 imac is secured and the vents and airflow is done fully on the chin segment
Here in my country we already won in 2017 in court and we get every 6 months the display replaced for all of our imacs for free until the models become obsolete

 

[Scoot65]

The exact same thing happened with me many years ago. Is that a small corn fly?

I had a G4 iMac that a small corn fly insect had somehow got inside the screen and was moving around. I had bought the 3 year AppleCare and I contacted the Apple reseller where I originally bought the iMac from and they replaced the screen under the AppleCare Plan no problem. ..... I'm in UK

 

[velocityg4]

I'm not sure why so many assume this is a fruit fly. Even if it is. There's more than one species. Drosophila suzukii for example has a life cycle of 300 days. Which is also a species native to southeast asia.

It also may not be a fruit fly. There's a huge range of gnat species this can belong to. Along with many other types of tiny flying insects.

There's also insects whose eggs may remain dormant for many years. Some species of insects won't hatch until something triggers them. Such as time of year or temperature.

In short. There is no reason to state unequivocally that this insect was not there from the factory. An egg could have been laid before final assembly. Finally showing up now.

There is only one person with an opinion on this matter and it’s not me, what I am saying is an actual fact. And who said the machine was brought down? It got a bug in it, because it was exposed to bugs, it’s not air tight, it has to have vents. There are exterminators that can remedy bugs in a home. This is an unlucky situation, the bug will most likely die and fall out of sight. But if you go to apple for help with the matter, well I have outlined how it is handled, wether you choose to accept this factual information, that’s up to you.

It needs vents for the heatsink fans. The display panel is glued directly to the glass. There's no reason the monitor could not be properly sealed. With minimal time, effort and cost.

Basically, if Apple wants to design a display with an air gap between the display and glass. They should either make it removable for cleaning or it should be hermetically sealed.

Looking at the M1 iMac Teardown. I believe the intent was to achieve a total seal. Either the seal is faulty, design is flawed or an egg was present before it was sealed.

 

[Luis Ortega]

I had a tiny spider that
View attachment 1804751
appeared when my iMac was about a year old, so it must have got in recently. It went away after a day or so, so either it died or got out the way it got in.

I wonder if it laid eggs.

 

[hg.wells]

I'm not sure why so many assume this is a fruit fly. Even if it is. There's more than one species. Drosophila suzukii for example has a life cycle of 300 days. Which is also a species native to southeast asia.

It also may not be a fruit fly. There's a huge range of gnat species this can belong to. Along with many other types of tiny flying insects.

There's also insects whose eggs may remain dormant for many years. Some species of insects won't hatch until something triggers them. Such as time of year or temperature.

In short. There is no reason to state unequivocally that this insect was not there from the factory. An egg could have been laid before final assembly. Finally showing up now.



It needs vents for the heatsink fans. The display panel is glued directly to the glass. There's no reason the monitor could not be properly sealed. With minimal time, effort and cost.

Basically, if Apple wants to design a display with an air gap between the display and glass. They should either make it removable for cleaning or it should be hermetically sealed.

Looking at the M1 iMac Teardown. I believe the intent was to achieve a total seal. Either the seal is faulty, design is flawed or an egg was present before it was sealed.

The iMac the OP mentioned is not a M1 iMac.

 

[iApplereviews]

Just been reading and the law changed in 2015. I can only ask for a refund if they repair it and it doesn’t fix it or that they can’t repair it. Going call Apple tomorrow and ask them to put it in an email that there is no way that I have caused this due to the screen being bonded from the factory. Can’t see how they can refuse then.

I don't see this as a defect in the computer itself so I can't see how the place you got it from could prove or disprove the "defect" the bug could have gotten in anytime anywhere.

 

[kesenwangs]

If I get no joy with Apple or the shop I bought it from, I’ll try that for a few days and see what happens. I’ll also get a good hoover and hold it by the vents for a bit too. Thanks for the non snarky reply. Seems some people just love adding their ultimate wisdom to other peoples issues.

Actually the problem is some wisdom is required in order to understand why some people are snarky.

 

[Frustratedperson]

Got the little **** out by shining a bright lamp by the vent for a whole day. Was on my light after.

 

[Populus]

Got the little **** out by shining a bright lamp by the vent for a whole day. Was on my light after.

Wow, you’re a hero now. Does the animal still live? Hopefully you opened the door/windows to let it fly away from that Human Alien Spaceship that abducted it!

On a serious note: Thanks for the tip, as this can happen again to any of us. It happened to me years ago, and I’d have liked to know this. Now the poor bug lies on my TV forever.

 

[Frustratedperson]

Wow, you’re a hero now. Does the animal still live? Hopefully you opened the door/windows to let it fly away from that Human Alien Spaceship that abducted it!

On a serious note: Thanks for the tip, as this can happen again to any of us. It happened to me years ago, and I’d have liked to know this. Now the poor bug lies on my TV forever.

Yeah I opened my window and waved it off.

 

[poked]

Yeah I opened my window and waved it off.

You’re a respectful human being of a crappy situation. I admire your tenacity and respect in the face of a difficult situation.
Apple still doesn’t honor it under warranty tho.

 

[ZebedeeG]

Got the little **** out by shining a bright lamp by the vent for a whole day. Was on my light after.

Well done for the successful debugging of your iMac!

...I hope it goes on to give you many good years of reliable service and lots of pleasure... 😌

 

[Frustratedperson]

You’re a respectful human being of a crappy situation. I admire your tenacity and respect in the face of a difficult situation.
Apple still doesn’t honor it under warranty tho.

Actually incorrect. I went onto Apple Support and they said that they would swap the screen. Took a little moaning to get them to commit but they did. Not needed now. I’ll keep an eye on it to see if any more crop up.

 

[Ethosik]

I've always had good customer service experiences with Apple too. You can certainly speak to your own experiences, but not for everyone else.

Heck Apple “paid” ME for a mistake I made. I got free iTunes credit towards 5 purchases.

 

[poked]

Actually incorrect. I went onto Apple Support and they said that they would swap the screen. Took a little moaning to get them to commit but they did. Not needed now. I’ll keep an eye on it to see if any more crop up.

Oh of course they did AFTER it was already resolved. Or did you not ask?