POLL: Does Your 27 inch iMac Have a Screen Problem?

[Stingray454]

For the record, I have two 27" iMacs (girlfriend ordered base model, I got the i7), we both have the yellow tinge. Talked to a friend who also bought one, he has it too. Doesn't seem THAT isolated to me.

 

[fobfob]

For the record, I have two 27" iMacs (girlfriend ordered base model, I got the i7), we both have the yellow tinge. Talked to a friend who also bought one, he has it too. Doesn't seem THAT isolated to me.

Is everyone taking them back? I hope so!

 

[padthai]

My buddy Bryan

I know that this is from the older Macs in 2007, but it just goes to show you that they are still having the same problems.



Users of Apple's latest iMacs have been reporting issues related to the video card for some time now and the problem seems to only be getting worse. While Apple is aware of the issue, there is no reliable fix at this time.

Although it is easy to see that the issues are related to the video card, pinpointing the exact cause is not as easy. Many of the affected users report that their display simply freezes, leaving them essentially computer blind until they restart the machine. While the display will not update, the computer continues to work fine otherwise, programs continuing to run as before and interaction still being possible, as long as you can do it without actually having any visual feedback. Other users are experiencing more severe problems that often crash everything requiring a restart, but these appear far less common.
For some users, the problems are highly predictable and can be triggered simply by running visually intensive tasks such as iTunes visualizations or games. For others, they are less predictable, occurring only when the computer has been running for extended periods of time. In both these cases overheating seems the most likely culprit. A few of the users that use Boot Camp have also reported that they are experiencing the exact same issues in Windows.

While some people have been experiencing these problems from the get-go, others are reporting that their machines worked fine until they applied Apple's 1.1 iMac Software Update. A few users that have tried to manually rollback the drivers to pre-update versions are reporting that the problems are gone, however this fix is not universal.
Whatever the exact cause, it is certain that these problems are related to the video card or the drivers. The extent of the problems caused depends on each user's needs and the extent of the issue. Some users that don't use visually intensive programs may never even notice the problem, while those who work exclusively with graphics may have a practically unusable computer.

 

[DesignerOnMac]

I remember the issues with the screen on the first Aluminum

iMac. I read for weeks the issues with the gradated screens, lines on the screens. The list of issues seemed endless to me as I read post after post, and page after page of unhappy people who purchased the 20" & 24" iMacs. I also read that the iMac would NEVER be a computer for professional designers, etc.

I needed a machine, and could not afford a mac pro. I could only afford the 24" iMac Extreme.

I took a chance and ordered the 24" iMac 2.8 Extreme. I was 'sweating' when I unboxed it and booted it. I calibrated the monitor, and to be honest with everyone, I have had no issues with the monitor or this iMac. What I see on the screen is what I see in the web pages I design, and in all the print media I send to my printer. Colors are accurate, and I have not had any of the issues that a lot of people posted on MR. (So if I went by what was posted on MR, and other rumor sites, I would have not bought this iMac.)

I, of course, have no idea how many iMacs Apple ships are one time, nor do I know what the percentage of defective iMacs there truly are out there......
my experience is that people on forums post problems and issues they are having, and compared to people who have no issues with the same computer or monitor is a 'small' percentage of the total production. (My opinion only.)

I am happy to see that Apple is taking these new iMacs back and making good on their products. I can not begin to tell you that other computer companies do not handle similar situations in this way.

 

[padthai]

When will Apple face the music?

When will Apple address the public and say "hey, we have a hardware issue in some of our 27inch macs, please return for another one". They just wait for the customer to go into the shop, buy, keep their fingers crossed that nothing will go wrong. So its like the salesman is saying "Here you go buddy, the new27inch imac, that will be 2,000 bucks please, oh yeah, Hope it works! if not you can always return it and try again.

Apple will not state a recall because they don't want to pay the shipping costs. They are penny pinching.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Ok everyone, I'd like to clarify my position.

For starters, solman, I apologize for riding you so hard on this issue. I really am sorry and I do respect that each of us has our own personal opinions, and I will do a better job of showing respect in regards to my posts on this matter.

I absolutely believe that there are defects in manufactured products. I also believe that from time-to-time, there can be larger-scale problems that, when verified, can be cause for concern. I assume solman's goal is to highlight or list any problems that people are having with their screens. I guess what's throwing me off is the wording -- it leads me (and other readers) to believe that there is a definitive wide-spread problems, when in fact, we are not at that point yet. I guess I'm sensitive to exaggerations because it can cause panic amongst readers and then develop a "sky is falling" approach. This panicked mentality then leads to a slew of posts in which "the fear" picks up momentum and then before too long, it's hard to decipher what is really going on in regards to a particular issue. Perhaps it's the scientist in me, but I much rather prefer a systematic approach, versus an assumptive role. At any rate, I'm starting to ramble, so I digress.

I feel bad that a few folks are experiencing issues with the screens on their beautiful new iMac. I do support discussion to get a better idea of what's going on. I would just caution other readers to not read too much into this initially because there is a good chance that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of good iMacs for every bad one.

And again solman, I apologize for being abrasive.

Bryan

 

[solman]

"lloyd said on Nov 21 2009, 07:27 AM:

Had mine for 12 days Started to black out and screen flicker..Took it back to Best Buy Did not exchange it Will wait until they fix the problem at Apple . Long time mac user for 20 years First Mac I ever took back"

This is an interesting comment because I also started with my first Mac The Mac Classic 11! and never had a faulty Mac until... the great Aluminum iMac release of 2007 and returned the FAMOUS SCREEN GRADIENT ISUUE on the 24 inch. After returning 3 machines, I gave up! Call it fear or perhaps right action. Why reward a business or company that fails you?

So, now we fast forward to Fall '09 and presto, same Aluminum iMac screen problem channel.

Sad thing is, I REALLY want one of these but without the:

a) Go to Apple Store
b) Hand over $2,000
c) Carry BIG box to car
d) Unload BIG box from car
e) Spend 1 hour to connect and set up
f) Discover well known 27 inch screen problem
g) Spend another hour with Apple Customer "Care"
h) Re-box computer
i) Carry BIG box back to car again
j) Unload BIG box from car again
k) Arrive at familiar Apple Store again
l) Spend another hour for available worker to check the return

And what, repeat a) through l) above all over again?

My advice based on ALL the well documented experiences/polls etc.:

I agree with Lloyd - keep your cash in your wallet until Apple has solved this obvious mess.

Most of us are experiencing some or all of the issues described here, but many of us are having them show up very intermittently, in varying proportions. For me, first 4 days were minor screen flickering only, almost imperceptible. Then there were 3 days when the machine gave no indication that anything was wrong at all - no flickering, nothing. On the 8th day not only did I experience the flickering again, and a lot more noticeably, but the screen went black for half a second too. I shut down the Mac, unplugged it for 30 seconds and rebooted. Haven't seen another issue for 2 days. I'm in no doubt they will appear again because there is a fault. How often the symptoms show up is not the issue here. They shouldn't appear at all - not once. Apple are well aware of this issue and are replacing any machine that exhibits problems. You have a brand new, expensive, top of the line Mac. It should work flawlessly. If you've experienced some faulty behaviour then isn't there only one conclusion you can draw from it?

Taken from the other huge 27 inch display problem thread.

Wow.

I just hope that those with problems will go back and and change their vote in the POLL

 

[fobfob]

I just hope that the NO voters in the POLL will go back after 8 days and change their vote

So, assuming you don't want people to lie, you are actually saying you hope that people who don't have faults yet DO develop faults and then come back and change their vote.

You're showing your true colours now buddy. Thanks a million. My 27" i7 iMac is fine and I'll thank you not to "hope" it develops a fault so I can change my vote.

After returning 3 machines, I gave up! Call it fear or perhaps right action. Why reward a business or company that fails you?

And yet you just put your money down for an i5 iMac. Can't take your own medicine?

I agree with you that all these problems must be fixed and it is not acceptable if there is a systematic problem with manufacturing or a design issue, especially from Apple. I also understand the hassle it is to have to return a broken machine.

But if you think the proportion of units with these problems is anywhere close to the results of this poll, I can tell you now, you are in a total dream world. If even 5% of machines had this problem it would be WORLDWIDE news, and not just in tech pages. Apple stock will plummet and they WOULD be forced to recall the units. Maybe all that is yet to come. We don't know.

I can tell you this however. This site is a honeypot for people with complaints with Apple products. I'm not saying they are wrong. The stories I have read on these pages regarding iMac 27" are sad. I wish they didn't have any problems and I hope they are resolved speedily.

All I am saying is that you and I have no way to tell what the proportion of bad units are, and therefore it is impossible to "recommend" that people wait, especially if they need a computer now. If they don't need an iMac right now, then fair enough, wait. But they probably should be waiting until they need it anyway.

 

[HLdan]

Taken from the other huge 27 inch display problem thread.

Wow.

I just hope that the NO voters in the POLL will go back after 8 days and change their vote

Why would you hope something like that? I was with you for a while, but now I'm with Bryan that you are now making this personal and you're just trying to wreak havoc and spread FUD. You're actually hoping the people with no problems with their new iMac to end up having problems so they can come back and change their vote?

Taken from the other huge 27 inch display problem thread.

Wow.

I just hope that the NO voters in the POLL won't have to go back after 8 days and change their vote

Fixed that.

 

[fobfob]

Fixed that.

To be fair, I do hope solman made a mistake, either a typo or that he was just lazy and meant "those with problems change their vote". Otherwise there are very few expletives that are not applicable here.

 

[solman]

Why would you hope something like that? I was with you for a while, but now I'm with Bryan that you are now making this personal and you're just trying to wreak havoc and spread FUD. You're actually hoping the people with no problems with their new iMac to end up having problems so they can come back and change their vote?

Wrong.

I'm simply saying that "if" you voted NO because you "had" no problem when you got your machine, but NOW you do have a problem, be fair to the POLL and vote YES.

ONLY IF YOU TRULY HAVE A PROBLEM.

So, PLEASE, get this vendatta sydrome out of your head. This thread is meant to help all or any of us who are victims to this obvious problem.

I hope the post has now been clarified.

 

[fobfob]

I hope the post has now been clarified.

It has, but you could have been more gracious about it. After all, it was you who made the mistake.

 

[solman]

And yet you just put your money down for an i5 iMac. Can't take your own medicine?
.

Such a shameful comment yet I will stoop so low as to answer it.

That was 2 years ago. And by NOW, 2 years and a whole new generation of iMacs later, I would have thought that a company as respectable as Apple would have thoroughly engineered their new design and manufacturing so that the 2007 iMac screen fiascos were not repeated.

Usually companies/products progress for the better don't they?

Based on your needlessly insinuating one liner, you obviously don't think so.

 

[HLdan]

Wrong.

I'm simply saying that "if" you voted NO because you "had" no problem when you got your machine, but NOW you do have a problem, be fair to the POLL and vote YES.

ONLY IF YOU TRULY HAVE A PROBLEM.

So, PLEASE, get this vendatta sydrome out of your head. This thread is meant to help all or any of us who are victims to this obvious problem.

I hope the post has now been clarified.

Honestly man, you need to drop this attitude. It's been going on quite a bit now. What vendetta do I have? That was my first post to you and IF YOU READ everything I said, my first line to you was that "I WAS WITH YOU" in terms of your OP, until you said and I quote:
I just hope that the NO voters in the POLL go back after 8 days and change their vote.Those were YOUR exact words which don't mimic anything you said above. Sorry, but your spellchecker doesn't determine what you "meant" and make corrections so you don't appear as a FUD spreader.

 

[solman]

Why would you hope something like that? I was with you for a while, but now I'm with Bryan that you are now making this personal and you're just trying to wreak havoc and spread FUD. You're actually hoping the people with no problems with their new iMac to end up having problems so they can come back and change their vote?

Hi HLdan,

Absolutely nothing against you Based on your above words, which insinuated that I had some vendetta, when in fact there is no such thought. That is what prompted the nature of my reply.

you said and I quote:
I just hope that the NO voters in the POLL go back after 8 days and change their vote.Those were YOUR exact words which don't mimic anything you said above. .

As for this quote, really it's simple. If you got your machine and voted "NO" 8 days ago and suddenly today, 8 days later, should you have a screen problem, it makes perfect sense that you should/can change your vote. Doesn't it? And you call this "personal and wreaking havoc"?

 

[fobfob]

That was 2 years ago.

Wow, you missed the point entirely. Forgetting what happened two years ago, your hypocrisy can be deduced just from your posts over the past few days. You are recommending people not to buy the iMac and yet you bought one yourself!!! Oh, and does it have screen problems? Don't know because you haven't got it yet. So why don't you cancel your order?

 

[Bryan Bowler]

This thread is meant to help all or any of us who are victims to this obvious problem.

solman, respectfully, it does sound like you have a vendetta.

It seems like you barge into other threads with your poll and then you've also pull posts from other threads into this one to further your agenda. It's also convenient when you do this to get your thread back to the top of the forum. You should let discussion about screen problems simply take place instead of prompting or cheering them on.

Bryan

 

[MacinDoc]

The POLL has a very specific title "Does Your 27 inch Imac have "a" screen problem. So, if yours has b,c,d,e,f, all of which are commonly documented so far, then indeed they qualify as an answer to the POLL question. In reality, anything which is not to the satisfaction of an good paying Apple Customer is fair game for requesting action from Apple.

As for the argument, that the POLL is "meaningless" for reasons of "bias" etc etc., it's a rather mute point. Yes we won't have an accuracy like Gallup, but for heavens sakes, we will get a pretty good idea of:

1. That there is a problem

2. What the likelihood of a new purchaser getting a machine with "a" screen problem could be.

Hardly meaningless.

Actually, regarding your second point, the probability of a new purchaser getting a machine with "a" screen problem would be very poorly estimated by this sort of poll, because this sort of poll is, as others have pointed out, inherently biased because those with no screen problems and who are not trolls are much less likely to respond. In fact, if the rate of defective screens was anywhere near what this poll would suggest, Apple would be out of business because of the exorbitant cost of replacing displays. In large-scale post-consumer polls, the proportion of Mac desktop owners experiencing ANY hardware problem in the first year after purchase has always been less than 10%, and usually less than 5%.

 

[sparkie7]

Sad thing is, I REALLY want one of these but without the:

a) Go to Apple Store
b) Hand over $2,000
c) Carry BIG box to car
d) Unload BIG box from car
e) Spend 1 hour to connect and set up
f) Discover well known 27 inch screen problem
g) Spend another hour with Apple Customer "Care"
h) Re-box computer
i) Carry BIG box back to car again
j) Unload BIG box from car again
k) Arrive at familiar Apple Store again
l) Spend another hour for available worker to check the return

And what, repeat a) through l) above all over again?

Simple. just do a).

and before you go onto b). -- ask to inspect the machine in-store. if you are happy walk out. done deal.

If not, ask another iMac fresh out of the box.

Continue till you are happy.

I did that at my local Apple Store when I bought 2x30" ACD's. I went through about 8 brand new ACD's before walking out with 2 I found were acceptable. I'll admit that the Apple Store I dealt with, the sales guy and the store manager went the extra mile. And so they should b/c it meant I, the customer left the store happy. And they got to isolate the bad ACD's and return them to Apple to get fixed or sold on as refurbs to people who had lesser expectations than myself.

 

[solman]

Simple. just do a).

and before you go onto b). -- ask to inspect the machine in-store. if you are happy walk out. done deal.

If not, ask another iMac fresh out of the box.

Continue till you are happy.

I did that at my local Apple Store when I bought 2x30" ACD's. I went through about 8 brand new ACD's before walking out with 2 I found were acceptable. I'll admit that the Apple Store I dealt with, the sales guy and the store manager went the extra mile. And so they should b/c it meant I, the customer left the store happy. And they got to isolate the bad ACD's and return them to Apple to get fixed or sold on as refurbs to people who had lesser expectations than myself.

Thanks Sparkie7. Now I like your idea It would take some time and I guess a very co-operative salesperson. But better than driving hours back and forth, packing/unpacking etc. Maybe the only disadvantage I see is if your screen display is perfect for those 5 minutes but the problem comes later.

I believe a previous reply had someone purchase the display which appeared OK and worsened to a real problem 8 days later. So far it seems to be a mix of display problems immediately and display problems shortly after purchase.

 

[BenLava]

I'm not buying the results of that poll. There's no way almost HALF the new iMacs have screen issues. LOL Come on.

Right. There are two sets of data that would produce meaningful results. The first is the complete set of information about all new 27" iMacs, which Apple possesses and presumably uses. The second would be obtained by polling a randomly selected sample of new owners, which again only Apple (or I suppose a reseller) could obtain since no one else has any means of knowing all the recent iMac purchasers from which to select a subset to poll.

Instead, we could just collect a record of people with screen problems. We can't say it would be a representative sample, but we could say (with reasonably good confidence) that X number of new iMac owners have problems with their screens.

And, as I posted in the "Waiting for..." thread, the screen of my new i7 was DOA (no image, even though the computer started and said, ominously, "English!").

 

[sparkie7]

Thanks Sparkie7. Now I like your idea It would take some time and I guess a very co-operative salesperson. But better than driving hours back and forth, packing/unpacking etc. Maybe the only disadvantage I see is if your screen display is perfect for those 5 minutes but the problem comes later.

I believe a previous reply had someone purchase the display which appeared OK and worsened to a real problem 8 days later. So far it seems to be a mix of display problems immediately and display problems shortly after purchase.

well at least it greatly reduces your chances of a dud machine. b/c if you dont test an iMac whilst instore then its like playing lottery. You feel lucky punk? LOL had to put that in. couldn't resist

at least you walk out with a machine thats good at the time of testing. if it develops a problem afterwards you have 2 levels of recourse.

1. the 14 day right of return
2. 12 months warranty cover as standard

and 3. if you get care -another 2yrs of cover.

Don't stand for anything less than perfection. Well, ok.. near perfection

 

[solman]

Don't stand for anything less than perfection. Well, ok.. near perfection

Well said sparkie7!

Actually we had this conversation yesterday and why there's so many unhappy customers returning defective 27 inch iMac displays. I think 2 reasons:

1. Apple themselves have set the bar for quality and design excellence so high that people expect the very best.

2. At the prices Apple charge (relative to PC's), why shouldn't they be perfect?

Wow, you missed the point entirely. Forgetting what happened two years ago, your hypocrisy can be deduced just from your posts over the past few days. You are recommending people not to buy the iMac and yet you bought one yourself!!! Oh, and does it have screen problems? Don't know because you haven't got it yet. So why don't you cancel your order?

Missed the point? fobfob read your words carefully. So let's see, based on your quote you're saying that because i bought an iMac(s) WITH screen problems that I should just remain silent and let others to fall in the same trap?

Or as a kind gesture to the Apple community, it would be helpful to spare other potential users/buyers of the same fate.

Hmmm. That's a hard one.

 

[Btom]

I believe a previous reply had someone purchase the display which appeared OK and worsened to a real problem 8 days later. So far it seems to be a mix of display problems immediately and display problems shortly after purchase.

solman,

I admire your zeal and thick skin, taking all the abuse (and appreciate time you spend).

You are not alone in suspecting, that THERE IS a problem. Granted, our poll doesn't give real statistics, but this is the only one we have and Apple ain't talkin'. I just asked (~2h ago) our local Apple Man (Apple rep) about this issue. He didn't hear about it at all, and basically told me "don't worry, be happy, if anything happens we'll fix it" (I certainly hope so).

Also, our statistics is not necessary that much off. Let's just assume that 10% of all iMac buyers is on this forum and they report 40% failure rate (for now). Chances are that the failure ratio for the remaining 90% buyers (who are not here) is not that much off. The fact, that the problem was reported repeating itself on the replacement iMacs would confirm high failure ratio as well.

I suspect that for now Apple is stonewalling the problem to avoid bad PR and not to affect Christmas sales (and stock price).

An another topic, viciousness and really bad manners of some of the members here comes as kind of a shock to me (whatever happen to the smart guy from the "Come to Apple" ads??). If you guys are happy with YOUR purchases - good for you and I really wish you and your computers well (and what are you doing here, watching the lowlifes??).

 

[MT0227]

I have no issues with my display, performed a dead pixel test...there are none. Voted as such in the poll.

what are you doing here, watching the lowlifes?

No...just answering the poll as suggested by the OP