Reading This Forum Damages Your Enjoyment Of Your New iMac?

[spcdust]

Took delivery of my Core i7 iMac on Friday and it's a fine machine, gorgeous display, fast as lightening, no dead pixels etc. etc.

However, being an avid reader of this forum kind of damages my enjoyment of my new toy as reading every thread makes you sort of paranoid that your machine may not be correct. For instance the HD noise "issue".....well yep, I can hear my HD but is it in-correct? Would I have even questioned it if I hadn't read the threads regarding apparent HD noise? Now we have the yellow tinge screen "issue" - same thing applies as the HD.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty as the next Macrumours forum poster in contributing to this critical phenomena and this is an open forum which is a truly valuable resource. However sometimes I wonder if by reading these threads (and once you see a thread title you just have to read it) I allow myself to detect faults that might not really be there or that I would usually consider a non issue.

Anyway, for the time being I'm loving this iMac.

 

[Huddy]

+1

It is quite funny to watch the paranoia that has set in on these forums regarding the new iMacs, but then it's been the same with every computer release from .

Whilst some will have legitimate issues with their hardware which they highlight here that is fully understandable, but a fair amount of these issues are based around one persons opinion spreading around the forums as gospel.

Enjoy your i7 iMac!

 

[Hellhammer]

100 000 iMacs are sold
100 of them are somehow defective
1 comes to MR to tell about his problem

People comes here to ask help for their problem so that means most of the threads are about defects. Macs still have great build quality so enjoy your Mac!

 

[chrono1081]

I agree 100%. People get rediculous on this forum.

"OMG I have a harddrive noise issue!" (Um, no you dont. Harddrives spin, they make noise)

"OMG I have heat issues!" (No you dont, computers get hot. Yes, it will feel like its burning cause the outside is aluminum)

"OMG MY FANS TURNED ON!!! MY COMPUTERS GONNA MELT!"

A lot of it is people who are clueless about computers inventing stuff in their head.

Very few people probably actually have a problem.

 

[SaSaSushi]

If it doesn't occur to you (e.g. bother you) and you don't notice anything wrong on your own then you don't have any problems.

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new i7. I hope mine gets here by Christmas.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I agree 100%. People get rediculous on this forum.

"OMG I have a harddrive noise issue!" (Um, no you dont. Harddrives spin, they make noise)

"OMG I have heat issues!" (No you dont, computers get hot. Yes, it will feel like its burning cause the outside is aluminum)


A lot of it is people who are clueless about computers inventing stuff in their head.

Very few people probably actually have a problem.

Oh I'm not so sure about that. There are real, documented problems on a lot of the new 27 inch iMacs for example. Not everyone has experienced it but for those who have it is a very real problem.

I've also heard of some HD noise issues where it is not just normal HD clicking but crunching noise from folks who know the difference.

Like I said, if you don't detect any problems on your own then you don't have any. That doesn't mean those who do report them don't actually have them.

 

[Kronie]

I'm sure it does for some. I'm sure the majority of the new iMacs are fine.

But those of you posting that consumers shouldn't have concerns about heat, yellow tinge or HD noise or whatever that don't even own the machine should pipe down. Because you really bring nothing to the table.

Reading this forum didn't make me exchange my i7 because of the HD noise, I did it because I don't think the noise it makes is normal. I have been building and working on PC and Macs for years and the HD noise isn't right. The rest of my machine was perfect though.

 

[spcdust]

+1

....but a fair amount of these issues are based around one persons opinion spreading around the forums as gospel.

I definitely think this can be the case in a lot of instances, although there are genuine issues for some, which makes this forum invaluable. As far as heat issues - yes the back gets hot but I would say the aluminum back is acting as a secondary heat sink so it's to be expected (really cannot imagine Apple designers didn't consider this)

IGlad to hear you're enjoying your new i7. I hope mine gets here by Christmas.

You are going to love this machine when you get it- in my opinion the display is superb and such a lot of desk top real estate. I've just upgraded my home Mac from an 800MHz PPC 17" iMac (Geek bench Score=369 / iMac i7 Geek Bench Score 8800) so quite a difference in performance and outperforms some of our work Mac Pro's.

 

[chrono1081]

I'm not talking about the 27inch iMac specifically I'm talking about people on this forum in general.

I work in IT and have for a very long time, and I see the same stuff on this forum that I see in real life where people think there is an issue but its normal operation of the computer.

I just had a lady bang on my office door for the 34824022304829 time because shes convinced there is a problem in her laptop because "her screen goes black when the lids closed but her office mates doesn't".


Threads saying things like "My fans turned on so I think I have a problem" thats the type of imaginary issues I'm talking about.

 

[MacHamster68]

its like with everything , if you read a forum you find two things , people who praise the product as the best a company has build in the last 2 decades , and others who fine one probem after the other ,and it does not matter if its a computer or a car or perhaps there are even forums for toasters who knows , but you will find this issue in all forums ,
you bought something and you want to find people who bought the same thing too,
so you join a forum and
someone found a big fault (big for him )and suddenly after reading that,as you never would have realized that is a fault .
you find this fault too on your thing and you feel the urge to reply
"yes i have this fault too"
and then a forum gets its own life as you also start to look closer at your thing and start to think now ,

" it takes longer then i expected to do whatever it does ,could that be a fault too "
so you start a thread about it and suddenly you find out,
not only is that a small niggle a real fault, it is even serious ,
some people start to panic if not everything is perfect , ,
and they need help and whats easier then to join a forum and ask there , lots of people hesitate to bring a new product straight back to the dealer if they are unhappy with something ,
as some dealers are not very nice and might find that big issue you got with the product is not a issue for them and send you home to live with it
and
just for example if its a car and is serious the manufaturer is forced to do a recall if there is a defect as it could cost life`s but
a computer manufacturer does not have to do a recall as it wont cost life`s
if for example a processor fails , they just change it if you turn up complaining and only then ,
bad thing for the one who has the defect after the warranty runs out


we live in a real world with real people so nothing can be absolute perfect, apart from my iMac G3

 

[bobob]

+1000!!!!!

Until I read this forum, I didn't realize that my iMac didn't power up. Now I look at the blank screen and only feel anger and frustration. Before MacRumors, I looked at the blank screen and let my imagination take me to lands of wonder!

Reality sucks.

 

[jvalente]

When I actually GET my iMac, I'm going to try to avoid this forum and the apple website altogether for at least a year, so as to lessen the pain when I find out there's a 30" iMac with 3.2Ghz i7 and a 5870 with a 512Gb SSD and 2 TB HDD standard for less than I paid for my iMac.

 

[tunerX]

everytime I have seen someone post a problem, I immediately start to worry then have to check everything.

 

[NATO]

It amazes the amount of people that claim 'heat issues' because the outside of their computers get warm/hot to the touch. Aluminium is a heat conductive material and if they were made from plastic instead then all that heat would still be INSIDE the computer. Personally I'd rather have the heat conducted into the case than trapped inside or blown out with a big noisy fan.

Some people just want everything though - they want a large storage but don't want the noise of a hard disk, they want top performance but don't want any heat.

I think my main point really is that there are people out there that have to be more realistic about certain things. One thing that comes to mind was with the old MacBook Pro keyboards (the pre-unibody keyboard design). People were getting spirit levels etc to check that the top row of keys were perfectly straight, or getting a magnifying glass to check the speaker grille holes were right. That's the kinda mentality this forum breeds at times which needs to stop.

 

[Paulyboy]

Let's not forget it's not just about the problems people encounter (or think they encounter). These forums also have a tendency to make you think you have to buy the best of everything. Chances are the base 21.5" or base 27" iMacs (or even a previous generation 24" iMac at a greatly reduced price) would be sufficient for most people for 3-4 years (or more).

However, reading these forums probably forces some people to over-analyze the decision on what Mac to get, resulting in them getting something they will most likely never even approach the limits of what it can do. I guarantee there's plenty of people dropping $2,200+ on an I7 when there's no good reason now (and probably even three years from now) for them to have that much power. All because they got swept up by the endless chatter here.

These forums can be a great resource but sometimes they can do more harm than good.

-PN

 

[Little HZ]

r sometimes I wonder if by reading these threads (and once you see a thread title you just have to read it) I allow myself to detect faults that might not really be there or that I would usually consider a non issue.

So you're saying MR is turning you into a hypochondri-mac ... ?

 

[SaSaSushi]

However, reading these forums probably forces some people to over-analyze the decision on what Mac to get, resulting in them getting something they will most likely never even approach the limits of what it can do. I guarantee there's plenty of people dropping $2,200+ on an I7 when there's no good reason now (and probably even three years from now) for them to have that much power. All because they got swept up by the endless chatter here.

If you're impressionable enough to be persuaded to buy a $2000+ computer based solely on what you read in a forum like this then it's not the forum's fault.

As for the quad core Macs there are plenty of folks who can really use the level of power they provide and for that they are a terrific bargain. They rival in power some Mac Pros that costs the same or more without a display. Oh, and I decided to buy mine before I ever read a single post about it in here, believe it or not.

Please don't project your personal values onto everyone else.

These forums can be a great resource but sometimes they can do more harm than good.

Nonsense. Like I said, if you can't think for yourself and are forced to buy things based on posts to user forums then you're the one with problems, not the forums.

 

[macswitcha2]

Took delivery of my Core i7 iMac on Friday and it's a fine machine, gorgeous display, fast as lightening, no dead pixels etc. etc.

However, being an avid reader of this forum kind of damages my enjoyment of my new toy as reading every thread makes you sort of paranoid that your machine may not be correct. For instance the HD noise "issue".....well yep, I can hear my HD but is it in-correct? Would I have even questioned it if I hadn't read the threads regarding apparent HD noise? Now we have the yellow tinge screen "issue" - same thing applies as the HD.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty as the next Macrumours forum poster in contributing to this critical phenomena and this is an open forum which is a truly valuable resource. However sometimes I wonder if by reading these threads (and once you see a thread title you just have to read it) I allow myself to detect faults that might not really be there or that I would usually consider a non issue.

Anyway, for the time being I'm loving this iMac.

If so, same with PCs....

 

[Paulyboy]

If you're impressionable enough to be persuaded to buy a $2000+ computer based solely on what you read in a forum like this then it's not the forum's fault.

As for the quad core Macs there are plenty of folks who can really use the level of power they provide and for that they are a terrific bargain. They rival in power some Mac Pros that costs the same or more without a display. Oh, and I decided to buy mine before I ever read a single post about it in here, believe it or not.

Please don't project your personal values onto everyone else.



Nonsense. Like I said, if you can't think for yourself and are forced to buy things based on posts to user forums then you're the one with problems, not the forums.

Never said anybody was "forced". Influenced? Certainly. Doesn't make these forums a bad thing. I just meant exactly what you're saying - people need to make up their own minds rather than get caught up with the discussions on these forums. You can spend hours and hours reading threads in an attempt to justify the decision you're going to make. In the end it still comes down to what YOU actually need.

-PN

 

[SaSaSushi]

You can spend hours and hours reading threads in an attempt to justify the decision you're going to make. In the end it still comes down to what YOU actually need.

I don't think anyone should be using these forums to justify anything. People can share their opinions and experiences and then ultimately, like you said and I agree with completely, it's all down to what your own personal budget and needs are.

What I took issue with was your premise that forums like these somehow do their readers harm.

Other than that we agree completely, Pauly.

 

[Paulyboy]

I don't think anyone should be using these forums to justify anything. People can share their opinions and experiences and then ultimately, like you said and I agree with completely, it's all down to what your own personal budget and needs are.

What I took issue with was your premise that forums like these somehow do their readers harm.

Other than that we agree completely, Pauly.

Fair enough.

-PN

 

[Far North]

I just had a lady bang on my office door for the 34824022304829 time because shes convinced there is a problem in her laptop because "her screen goes black when the lids closed but her office mates doesn't".

Her fridge must drive her crazy.Ask her if she is sure the light goes out when she closes the door.
That should give you a break ! Poor Maytag repairman.

 

[Bluegiz90]

I have to say, the forum is definitley putting me off buying one, not because of problems but because of some VERY slight minor things which stop it from being perfect. Why cant apple just adopt HDMI in this thing so we wouldnt have all the "Using it as a display" problems for PS3 blu-ray etc .

This thing is so close to being perfect, yet so far!

 

[panzer06]

Rose is my favorite color...

Ok not really, dark conquest gray actually... but I digress. It's just that rose must be the tint on my glasses since I read this and other forums regularly and for some strange reason I still am very fond of my Apple computers. Even more amazing I regularly enjoy my ASUS gaming laptop regardless of all the complaints about the lack of Quad Core bios functionality and less than stellar 720p display.

My uMBP 2.8 (no SD slot) works wonderfully with SL and Vista (bootcamp). My early 2009 Mini 2.0 was perfect until I bought this refurb iMac 24 3.06 8800GS system and retired it.

The iMac is without a doubt the best Mac I've owned in the past 8 years (13 systems, mostly various laptops). The screen is very bright and plays movies, including Bluray (Windows w/external $89 BR Combo USB drive) perfectly. Didn't even bother to use the internal drive for OS X at all. Just used Superduper to copy the complete Mini config to an external FW800 1.5TB drive and powered it up, held down option and selected the FW drive. Worked without any difficulty. Just needed to install the Cisco AnyConnect HTTP client since SL doesn't work with the old Cisco VPN client.

Windows 7 installed perfectly on the internal 500GB drive as if this was a regular PC. Win7 loaded almost all the drivers and what it didn't load, bootcamp on the included SL DVD handled. (Had to browse to the bootcamp directory and right click on the setup64 icon and specify compatibility for prior versions of Windows before it would install). Downloaded the latest nvidia mobile Win7 64bit drivers from Aug 2009 (186.something) and got Windows Experience rating of 6.6 on every item except the internal disk which scored 5.9

All my RTS games run on high or ultra (Company of Heroes with both expansions (COH DX10 support for nvidia chipsets is still bugged so DX9), AOEIII, Supreme Commander, Titan's Quest Immortal Throne, Warhammer 40K Dark Crusade, etc...) and are very fluid. No pauses or graphical artifacts.

I can truly say it just works.

Compare this to the two reboots it takes if I forget to hibernate my 6 month old ASUS laptop ever since I installed Windows 7 (probably my fault for installing untested Windows 7 drivers). Even so I enjoy the dedicated gaming laptop as well.

When I do run into issues (like I did when setting up the external BR drive) I just search around or experiment until I find a solution. On the rare occasion I have a true hardware problem, I use the local authorized Apple Service Center. They are nowhere near as picky as the Apple store (especially as it pertains to mods and the occasional bumps and bruises associated with regular use) and have very knowledgeable technicians that actually use Macs themselves.

The very real problems experienced by posters on this and other forums do not lessen my enjoyment. Quite the opposite. I consider it a true blessing to have received so many high quality, reliable systems over so many years. And while I don't generally keep my systems for more than a couple of years, I attribute this to the fact that each move to a better system has brought greater performance, ease of use, style and satisfaction to my work and play.

So complain away I say. I'll chime in when I can to help and smile with joy and thankfulness every time I see an angry post about computers gone horribly wrong because mine works very well and I know it could have been very different indeed.

Have a great day and enjoy that which makes you happy, even if it's only a collection of hardware and software that glows in the dark!

Cheers,