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Just received 2011 27" iMac - dead pixels...

imaginex20

imaginex20

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 17, 2009
1,513
721
Was totally anticipating my iMac for the past week and today I finally received it. Powered it on and right away noticed two areas with dead pixels, one looks like 2-3mm of dust; not sure if its dead pixels. The other area looks like 2-3 dead pixels in a row very apparent also.

I purchased it from Macconnection and already emailed them. This sucks...Now I can't really set it up to how I want it knowing that I would probably have to exchange for a new one.
 
On a 22-30" display one of the following conditions must be met to merit replacement for dead pixels.
  • 9 or more pixels stuck on (bright)
  • 11 or more pixels stuck off (dark)
  • 16 or more pixels are stuck on or off (combination)
 
GGJstudios said:
We're not. Apple is.
Click to expand...
Ding.

Also, consider that each pixel has 3 sub-pixels, any of which could fail in either state. 2560x1440x3 = 11,059,200. The "best case" failure for a replacement is 1 pixel out of every 1,128,800 failing, whereas the worst case is 1 pixel out of every 691,200 failing.

Pixel issues on LCDs are reasonably common. In the case of the LG displays used for the 27" iMac, there are over 11 million chances per display for something to have gone wrong in manufacturing. The fact that a lot of pristine displays ship is a testament to how rigorous manufacturing processes have become*.


*Until, of course, you compare to semiconductors, but the pricetag of fabrication facilities absolutely dwarves that of panel plants.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Exchange it.m, since it's brand new. Apple will swap the panels and sell it as a refurb. The defective one will go to LG to get swapped for a good one.

If you're not 100% happy, don't keep it. It's not going to cost you anything to exchange/return it.
 
tsugaru said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Exchange it.m, since it's brand new. Apple will swap the panels and sell it as a refurb. The defective one will go to LG to get swapped for a good one.

If you're not 100% happy, don't keep it. It's not going to cost you anything to exchange/return it.
Click to expand...
Apple accepting an exchange for dead pixels fewer than the numbers in their policy will always be an exception. It's worth a shot, but it's not to be expected.

Additionally, if this was a custom order (CTO), returns (mostly refunds) being allowed would also be an exception.

Since it was ordered through a reseller, it's worth trying all the available channels to see if you can get anywhere. MC might be willing to do an exchange since removing foreign material from underneath the glass already requires authorized service.
 
Yeah, I emailed MC about it already. I am more concerned with the dust/particle under the screen. It stands out like a freaken sore thumb. Attached is a pic of what I mean..
 

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My 2007 24" iMac arrived with 3 dead/stuck pixels. They were not adjacent, but near each other and near the center of the screen a little below half way up. In other words, right in my field of view. I spoke to Apple (and this was before all the 9,11,or16 stuff was coming out because of so many pixel related replacements, so it was quite easy to get a replacement sent out. My replacement had 1 stuck pixel, that is permanently red, just under half way up, and less then half an inch in from the right side of the screen. It is difficult for me to find it unless I put a solid white or light color desktop picture up and most of the time my desktop rotates through a folder of about 20 images. It wasn't worth making a stink over, however, when I get my 27" this summer, I will probably buy a stock model from a B&M Apple Store. If there are pixel problems I will most likely return it immediately and try my luck on another one.
 
imaginex20 said:
Yeah, I emailed MC about it already. I am more concerned with the dust/particle under the screen. It stands out like a freaken sore thumb. Attached is a pic of what I mean..
Click to expand...

Best thing to do with this is get a balloon -- blow it up and rub it off your clothes. Then, take it to where the dust particle is and slowly rub the balloon downward, this causes the particle to follow the balloon because of the static charge -- you should be able to get it so that it's completely under the visible area of the screen. It worked wonders for me when I had the same problem!
 
NutsNGum said:
Best thing to do with this is get a balloon -- blow it up and rub it off your clothes. Then, take it to where the dust particle is and slowly rub the balloon downward, this causes the particle to follow the balloon because of the static charge -- you should be able to get it so that it's completely under the visible area of the screen. It worked wonders for me when I had the same problem!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to give this a try because I can see the dust particle when the screen is off.
 
NutsNGum said:
Best thing to do with this is get a balloon -- blow it up and rub it off your clothes. Then, take it to where the dust particle is and slowly rub the balloon downward, this causes the particle to follow the balloon because of the static charge -- you should be able to get it so that it's completely under the visible area of the screen. It worked wonders for me when I had the same problem!
Click to expand...

Now that's something! :D
 
NutsNGum said:
Best thing to do with this is get a balloon -- blow it up and rub it off your clothes. Then, take it to where the dust particle is and slowly rub the balloon downward, this causes the particle to follow the balloon because of the static charge -- you should be able to get it so that it's completely under the visible area of the screen. It worked wonders for me when I had the same problem!
Click to expand...

Haha, how is awesome is that, respect dude. did u come up with that yourself?? your a genius man
 
NutsNGum said:
Best thing to do with this is get a balloon -- blow it up and rub it off your clothes. Then, take it to where the dust particle is and slowly rub the balloon downward, this causes the particle to follow the balloon because of the static charge -- you should be able to get it so that it's completely under the visible area of the screen. It worked wonders for me when I had the same problem!
Click to expand...

That actually might be the most useful , unique info I've ever got from this forum.
 
i just waiting for my imac 27 to be delivered and just stole a balloon form my 6 year old justin case:D
GREAT IDEA:)
 
just tried the balloon thing and it didn't work. I guess I gotta bring it to Apple to have them take a look..:(
 
Some online retailers will not accept returns or exchanges. These conditions along with dead pixels and some yellow/tinted screens are the reason I am buying through an Apple retail store. You can return, no problems within two weeks. It's worth the extra money to have that option.

Also, sometimes pixels get stuck on new LCDs, but many times they work fine after some use. In the past, I used a QuickTime movie that flashed many different colors on the screen in a particular order and this solved the problem, bringing life back to stuck or dead pixels.

If I recall the mov file was called:
pixelmurder.mov
Google it and run the movie full screen for an hour, see if that helps.
 
If I recall the mov file was called:
pixelmurder.mov
Google it and run the movie full screen for an hour, see if that helps.
Click to expand...

Searched and seems all links are down, can you up it please ?
 
IeU said:
Searched and seems all links are down, can you up it please ?
Click to expand...

I don't know if it can be uploaded to the MacRumors forum so I put it on my Dropbox.

I don't take credit for the creation of this video, but recommend it since it has worked for me in the past.

The creator of this version is nicktoolhill, I'm not sure who is the original creator.


It is not guaranteed to work but it may help and is worth trying.

Disclaimer: If you are Epileptic or are bothered by fast flashing video or TV, do not watch the video while playing.

Play in Quicktime, use the "Loop" option in the "View" menu. You might want to play in full screen mode to "exercise your LCD" ;)

Here's the link:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1049425/pixelmurder.zip
 
Last edited:
I talked to MacConnection today and they agreed to send me a new one and ship back the old one. Issue resolved!
 
I will be ordering my iMac in the next week or two and I am pretty nervous about having dead pixels or yellowing on my screen. I better keep my fingers crossed.
 
just got my new replacement iMac shipped to me today and this one is much better, no dead pixels that I can see and no dust particles under the screen! :D
 
imaginex20 said:
just got my new replacement iMac shipped to me today and this one is much better, no dead pixels that I can see and no dust particles under the screen! :D
Click to expand...

CONGRATULATIONS!! but IMHO next time buy through Apple online or an Apple Store. I for one when making a major purchase I prefer to deal with he manufacturer directly if possible. And thanks to Stevo I can!
 
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