late 2012 (slim) imac dust behind screen

[Apple souce]

My late 2012 imac which is only a bit more than a year old has dust on the lower left and lower right corners. Its been there for a few months now and looks to be slowly getting worse. I thought that the slim imacs have the glass and the lcd panel laminated together so there isnt any gap between them, so how is this dust showing at all? It also seems to me that it has something to do with the fans and air flow since the dust has a pattern as you can see on the picture.
Not sure what to do. One of the reasons of getting the slimmed imac was that i thought the dust issue was solved. I cant seem to find any other threads about this issue specifically for the slimmed imac (maybe people havnt started noticing yet or is it just me?).

 

[Apple souce]

Here's another pic with flash on. Its hard to get a good photo of. Its most visible on white backgrounds and high brightness. Also this is a 21.5"

 

[thedeske]

One of the reasons of getting the slimmed imac was that i thought the dust issue was solved.

My impression as well. Possible you have a rare unit with gaps in the corners, or the laminated parts separating. If you don't have extended ApplCare, take it to an authorized 3rd party shop and ask what they can do. Sometimes Apple will fix things under a program they don't advertise (speaking from experience - once they replaced an entire 27 panel for me when I took the unit in for the HD replacement program - I joked about seeing what they could do about the dusty panel, not expecting anything and the next day the shop called and told me Apple was replacing it free - it was 2 years out of warranty) Apple stores normally don't abuse it. A 3rd party shop is interested in your repair business, so.. give it a shot.

 

[mixel]

Seriously? This is a HUGE disappointment just to see a single case of this.

My last iMac and my current one have the dark seeping in from the edges. I too thought the lamination made this impossible. I have the fatter 2011 model, and the grey in my top left corner makes a completely inexplicable pattern.. So frustrating.

Good luck. :/

 

[SaSaSushi]

I've recently discovered some very disappointing smudge marks that are definitely below the glass on the lower right side of the panel on my 6 month old Late 2013 iMac.

I'm going to be sending it back to Apple for a replacement panel.

 

[Seramir]

I saw these exact issues (dust and debris under the screen near the edges) of a few 27" iMacs displayed at my local Apple Store. It seems like this issue is definitely not too rare. I for one have a 2013 27" that is dust free for a few months, but maybe that's because I put it in a very clean, dust free enviornment.

Hope you guys can get those dust issues sorted.

 

[Johnf1285]

I guess I take the count up to 3, just found this very same issue on the bottom left and bottom right corners https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1737677/. Looks very similar to OPs. Taking my late 2013 27" in to Apple on Monday evening (need it for the weekend, was ready to drop everything and bring it this afternoon but figured there would be a few day wait).

 

[blanka]

It is a very common problem and appears since the first aluminium iMacs with IPS displays (24 inch model).
It has to do with the low heat dissipation since Apple does not want air venting slots and some coating getting loose inside the panel because of that.
It is SO common, I even dare to say I have to meet the first iMac that DOES NOT suffer from the problem in some degree.

Apple will replace it if you keep bitching long enough, and sometimes they do it spontaneously: Apple just swapped ours on a faulty HD callback for the 2011 iMac here.

Oh, it is happening INSIDE the panel. So even on old iMacs, removing the glass does not help.

 

[Johnf1285]

My late 2013 (purchased in October) just experienced this issue. The LCD panel was replaced by Apple.

This seems to still be an issue regardless of the outer glass being laminated to the LCD panel. It actually appears to be some sort of flaw with the different layers that comprise the LCD panel itself.

On the 2009-2011 models, there was a hefty amount of black tape that sealed the different layers of the LCD panel to the frame of the entire LCD unit. On this model, just like the previous ones, it still seems like there is a chance of the seal not being 100% - regardless of the new glass lamination technology. It may very well be a QC issue / design flaw and not heat related.

I suspect that somehow airflow is occurring between the LCD polarizer (first layer) and the glass substrate (second layer), resulting in these weird "wind swept" looking flaws

 

[SaSaSushi]

Just an update: I finally contacted AppleCare and they will be picking up the machine tomorrow. I expect they'll replace the LCD but I just hope this doesn't reoccur in another few months.

These marks did not appear until after a few months of use.

 

[Apple souce]

Just a late update: They changed the screen for free since it was still in warranty. The new screen is good and after three months there are no signs of dust. I hope it stays like that.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Glad to hear it. I can also report that the replacement panel I got back in June is still dust and smudge free 6 months later.

 

[Johnf1285]

I think the new adhesive kit that is used now remedies this issue.

The tape used in the bottom left and bottom right corners is now L shaped, allowing for overlap with the tape on the left and right sides. Previously, the design had left a possibility open for slight gap as the bottom stripes were not L shaped.

However, this raises the question as to how and why any sort of dust or debris is able to enter the bottom left and bottom right corners on the LCD display as it appears to be pretty well sealed with tape around the corners.

Oh well. If this is as bad as it gets, this is a huge improvement over the dust/smudge effect seen on 2009-2011 models

 

[minimalism]

Both my 2010 and 2013 iMacs suffered this type of flaw. Like what others have stated, it seems that the LCD left some sort of gap and since the ventilating fan is located below, along with the speaker, the LCD gets to "eat" the first batch of fresh air. This of course will include tiny dusts sucked in between the process.

Unless you live in a lab wearing, lab coats, anti static gloves and masks, most iMac users will experience such a problem. For now, I've decided not to have mine fixed as it isn't as bothersome as bringing it back and forth to a service center. I have purchased AppleCare and will probably wait it out until its third year to have it cleaned. By then, I should be on my way for a new iMac.

 

[Roy G Biv]

After my second LCD replacement on my 2009 iMac I stopped burning candles in the same room, and I've not experienced the problem since.

 

[tedthebear2]

Both my 2010 and 2013 iMacs suffered this type of flaw. Like what others have stated, it seems that the LCD left some sort of gap and since the ventilating fan is located below, along with the speaker, the LCD gets to "eat" the first batch of fresh air. This of course will include tiny dusts sucked in between the process.

Unless you live in a lab wearing, lab coats, anti static gloves and masks, most iMac users will experience such a problem. For now, I've decided not to have mine fixed as it isn't as bothersome as bringing it back and forth to a service center. I have purchased AppleCare and will probably wait it out until its third year to have it cleaned. By then, I should be on my way for a new iMac.

[doublepost=1455562430][/doublepost]oops. so just an update, imac 27 2-113 model, bought it in june 14, by feb15 had this issue, replaced the panel, 1 year later same issue is back, can apple just "clean" this vs replacing the panel ($600 invoice)

 

[minimalism]

[doublepost=1455562430][/doublepost]oops. so just an update, imac 27 2-113 model, bought it in june 14, by feb15 had this issue, replaced the panel, 1 year later same issue is back, can apple just "clean" this vs replacing the panel ($600 invoice)

I just had mine replaced in Feb 2016 still using AppleCare. So far, there's a tiny bit of spec on the lower right, but negligible. *Fingers-crossed.

 

[johngordon]

I had this issue with an 09 iMac bought in May 2010 - to be fair they picked up the cost of the replacement in the summer of 2012, well out of warranty. Disappointing its still an issue as recently as 2013 - touchwood for my new two day old machine.

 

[yellowscreen]

think i'm gonna try this. anybody here knows what kind of screwdrivers im gonna need?

 

[waliwalow]

Hi everybody,

I have an issue to this problem.
It's pretty easy for old iMac before 2012. But more difficult since late 2012, this is due to the display stickers in this ones.
I will make a tutorial to show you the steps to do it safely.
So please subscribe or visit my youtube page.
If you have any question, i'm here

this is my first tuto :

 

[duane31]

i had the same problem with my 2012 imac and can confirm it is dust between the lcd and backlight i took mine apart today after watching a few youtube tutorials its a fairly easy job if you take your time the new tape to put screen back on is fairly cheap off amazon aswell

 

[Princess Cake]

i had the same problem with my 2012 imac and can confirm it is dust between the lcd and backlight i took mine apart today after watching a few youtube tutorials its a fairly easy job if you take your time the new tape to put screen back on is fairly cheap off amazon aswell

Its possible to take the entire display off from the aluminum section of the iMac, but its not possible to separate the glass from the display, they're laminated together… you'd cause serious damage to the bezel and possibly break the glass trying to separate them >.>

 

[duane31]

Its possible to take the entire display off from the aluminum section of the iMac, but its not possible to separate the glass from the display, they're laminated together… you'd cause serious damage to the bezel and possibly break the glass trying to separate them >.>

the lcd is indeed laminated to the glass but you can take the led backlight from the back of the display the dust isnt between the glass and display it self as you can see from the pics there is no smudges or dust ;-)

 

[vddobrev]

the lcd is indeed laminated to the glass but you can take the led backlight from the back of the display the dust isnt between the glass and display it self as you can see from the pics there is no smudges or dust ;-)

Are you saying it is possible to repair (clean the dust) the 5K 27" iMac (2015)? If yes, I am very interested to hear about it, and how exactly it is done.

 

[duane31]

Are you saying it is possible to repair (clean the dust) the 5K 27" iMac (2015)? If yes, I am very interested to hear about it, and how exactly it is done.

i cant say for sure with yours as mine is a 2012 model but would say the process is the same, if you take your time the screen is actually pretty easy to get off no heat gun is needed