My iMac is going back to the shop on Tuesday

[fluidedge]

I've got the dreaded gradient problem. It's taken me a week to realise i have it.

so when i return my imac will Apple have to send it away and test it or anything or will i be able to get a new one straight away. I need the machine daily so can't afford to be without it.

Will they also just replace it no questions asked? I've heard one story of someone saying Apple couldn't replace it quick enough as they wanted to keep him quiet and not put other customers in the store off buying the 24"!

Do i need to uninstall all my apps/settings, delete all my documents/emails etc before i take it over there?

Also I got the 2.4GHz but wish i had the 2.8Ghz now, do you think i can upgrade it when i return it, or even push apple to upgrade it to the 2.8 for free for all the hassle i've had

Advice appreciated

 

[mkrishnan]

With respect to deleting documents, you probably do not need to do that, but you should have a backup of all your documents. You should expect the possibility that you get your Mac back with a wiped hard drive, either as part of their testing process or because they end up replacing more than just the screen.

As for all the various schemes to extract freebies from the store, I have no idea. Good luck.

 

[marykay9507]

I've got the dreaded gradient problem. It's taken me a week to realise i have it.

so when i return my imac will Apple have to send it away and test it or anything or will i be able to get a new one straight away. I need the machine daily so can't afford to be without it.

Will they also just replace it no questions asked? I've heard one story of someone saying Apple couldn't replace it quick enough as they wanted to keep him quiet and not put other customers in the store off buying the 24"!

Do i need to uninstall all my apps/settings, delete all my documents/emails etc before i take it over there?

Also I got the 2.4GHz but wish i had the 2.8Ghz now, do you think i can upgrade it when i return it, or even push apple to upgrade it to the 2.8 for free for all the hassle i've had

Advice appreciated

well that stinks!

are you a procare member? from what i understand, they have a fast track service which you can use to get your machine attention first when doing repairs-- this would help getting it back to you asap-- length of time the store has it would depend on parts availability also.

talk to the manager when you are there and see what they can do for you-- if you have only had it for a week, i don't see why they couldn't replace the machine, but it depends on the store-- remember, you get more out of people when you are nice (ie: don't go in there with your guns blazing demanding stuff!)-- good luck!

 

[fluidedge]

oink oink me again,

I actually couldn't wait so i took it in today. The girl i dealt with was really nice and spotted the problem with the screen straight away. Unfortunately they couldn't change it for me then and there as i'd bought it from the online store and it's apparently quite different to the retail stores.

So i'm going to have to send it back to the online store. Really annoyed with this as i NEED this machine to be working.

I'm also wondering now if i shouldn't have gone for a mac pro. I was trying the 8core in the store today and it just flew. Everything i threw at it, it coped with.

I wondered if i could pickup a refurb mac pro (the old 4 core/dual 'dual core' xeons) for the same price as my iMac. I'd have to buy a screen for it.

The other problem is i've got 4GB of RAM (£50) and an external HDD case (that cost £78) What to do with them? I've thrown away the packaging on the RAM and probably voided the warranty on the external enclosure (i did 'things' to the noisy fan.)

Feeling really let down by Apple at the moment. I've had 4 macs and 7 iPods in my family and just feel disappointed with Apple atm. They're releasing toys (MB Air, TV etc) rather than quality products. Shame.

What shall i do?

 

[johny5]

I wasnt aware that Apple have acknowledged the gradient issue and were exchanging them, is this correct?

 

[Rychy]

Last week was pure hell for me...

I ordered a 24" iMac online that arrived at my home Monday. I booted it up that night and immediately noticed the gradient problem. Tuesday morning I called AppleCare and they wanted me to take it into the Apple Store to verify the problem. So I took it in, they saw the problem, and switched it out for a new computer even though I customized mine with a wireless Mighty Mouse. Took the second computer home, booted it up.... same problem. Thursday night I go back to the Apple Store and check out the 24" iMacs on display, and most of them had this problem. I go to the Genius Bar and luckily the same guy is there and helps me. He suggest we open it before I take it home this time, I agree, and he sets it up. I'm looking at it in the store and I notice the gradient but it doesn't look as bad as my other computers, so I take it. Well I get it home, boot it up and the problem is just as bad, and to top it off theirs a lot of backlight bleeding and a piece of dust under the glass.

So I've had it at this point. I returned it for a full refund on Saturday and won't touch these iMacs with a hundred foot pole.

And if that wasn't enough I also ordered 4GB of RAM (Crucial) and a printer that came with a rebate if bought with a computer. So I have to return the RAM and eat the shipping costs. And Apple tried making me eat the shipping on the printer, but I told them I would've kept it if my iMac wasn't defective, so they went ahead and took care of the shipping.

Now like you I'm left trying to decide if I should get a Mac Pro, because a mini certainly isn't going to get the job done for me. I feel really let down by Apple. I'm constantly recommending Macs to my friends and co-workers, but I don't feel like I can now, especially since a lot of them know what I went through trying to get a properly working iMac.

 

[fluidedge]

It's very embarrassing for us loyal customers isn't it! I won't be able to go down the pub and look down my nose at my super loyal PC/windows friend anymore!

I'm probably going to go for the absolute base spec MP, i've already bought extra HDDs so that's one thing. I will probably just get an acer 20" screen or something which coming down from a 24" is going to be hard. Might go for a 22".

i'm wondering if we looked at all the iMacs that people are saying are fine, we would notice the problem? Is it psychological with us now or can they just not see it because they don't want to?

 

[Rychy]

I'm thinking about going with the stripped down Mac Pro as well... it'll be a bit more than I wanted to spend, but there are a lot of pluses going with a Mac Pro. The biggest thing being the ability to upgrade stuff. It be really nice to have a few internal drives. I probably won't be able to get a nice screen at the start though.

I don't know... the Mac Genius' I talked to said they hadn't seen the problem before (find that hard to believe), yet most of the 24" iMacs on their own store floor had the problem. And they certainly saw what I talking about when I told them the screen had a gradient problem. In fact with the first one I brought in the Mac Genius had a bunch of people come take a look at it because they thought it was "neat".

So I guess if you're not looking for anything you might not notice, but I don't see how you wouldn't notice it at some point, disregard it sure. Just seems obvious to me... I know I've fine tuned my eye for catching flaws in a screens after this experience.