Screen Problems (24" iMac) From Which Production Plant?

[Darkroom]

This is a poll for those who have had / do have these problems with their 24" iMac (2008) screens:

1 - Backlight Bleed-out
2 - Color Gradient
3 - Uneven Backlighting

The object of this poll is to understand wether screen issues can be localized to production plants outside of North America (or at least inside China or Czech Republic).

If you don't know where your 24" iMac (2008) is from, you can find out by following THIS LINK and having your serial number deciphered.

Image 1 - Screen Bleed-out
Image 2 - Color Gradient (Cool Blue sides, Warm Yellow center)

 

[gehrbox]

Got one bad one from QP (stuck pixels, left to right uneven lighting, dead pixel).

Got one good one from QP. No notable flaws. Your serial number checker says source for QP is USA.

Both were CTO orders.

 

[Leon Kowalski]

IMO, you're chasing a ghost. Regardless of where it's assembled,
the 24" LCD panels all come from LG.Philips -- and I suspect they
all are manufactured at the same fab.

If it was an assembly problem, Apple would have fixed it by now;
more likely, it's a component design/technology problem -- which
they don't yet know how to fix.

LK

 

[Darkroom]

IMO, you're chasing a ghost. Regardless of where it's assembled,
the 24" LCD panels all come from LG.Philips -- and I suspect they
all are manufactured at the same fab.

If it was an assembly problem, Apple would have fixed it by now;
more likely, it's a component design/technology problem -- which
they don't yet know how to fix.

LK

you're probably right, but in the meantime, i really would like to land an iMac without screen issues, since they do exist.

 

[queshy]

We have 2 24" Alu iMacs at home and they both have a single dead black pixel. No noticeable gradients...

 

[Darkroom]

We have 2 24" Alu iMacs at home and they both have a single dead black pixel. No noticeable gradients...

are your iMacs aluminum from 2008? if so, from which production plant? i use to own a white iMac (2006) and it had an amazing screen. with all the screen problems being reported on alu iMacs, steve jobs flat out lied by stating that these new iMacs were "upgraded" and "more professional".

also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that reports of iMacs with no gradient or backlight bleed always have one dead pixel? strange...

 

[queshy]

are your iMacs aluminum from 2008? if so, from which production plant? i use to own a white iMac (2006) and it had an amazing screen. with all the screen problems being reported on alu iMacs, steve jobs flat out lied by stating that these new iMacs were "upgraded" and "more professional".

also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that reports of iMacs with no gradient or backlight bleed always have one dead pixel? strange...

I personally use a white 24" iMac purchased in January 07. The screen is the best I've ever used. Still working just as good as when I got it.

The 2nd 24" alu was purchased yesterday...what's the deal with the factory? How do I check this? Is it serial number dependent?

Glossy does not equal professional, imo.

 

[SaSaSushi]

IMO, you're chasing a ghost. Regardless of where it's assembled,
the 24" LCD panels all come from LG.Philips -- and I suspect they
all are manufactured at the same fab.

If it was an assembly problem, Apple would have fixed it by now;
more likely, it's a component design/technology problem -- which
they don't yet know how to fix.

LK

I couldn't agree more with this opinion. This problem exists in the panels before they are installed into the machines and is clearly not an assembly issue. They've had close to a year to fix it already and with all the fervor definitely would have done so prior to the latest revision.

 

[irontony]

I had a serial W8 China Week 10 with color and light gradients
Swapped for a serial YM China Week 16 and the same color and light gradients

I've gone through 6 24" iMac's now ranging from 2007 week 39-44 and now 2008 week 10-16

I was aware of these issues BEFORE all the reports and internet forums so please no one suggest it's in my head. Also I HAVE seen 1 perfectly acceptable 24" iMac so I do believe they're out there. Thats 1 out of 10 - I may get lucky

Other than some screen issues with some 24"ers the iMac is great. So quiet, and so much more powerful than my old dual G5.

 

[andyw2004]

are your iMacs aluminum from 2008? if so, from which production plant? i use to own a white iMac (2006) and it had an amazing screen. with all the screen problems being reported on alu iMacs, steve jobs flat out lied by stating that these new iMacs were "upgraded" and "more professional".

also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that reports of iMacs with no gradient or backlight bleed always have one dead pixel? strange...

It's just you. My screen has no backlight, bleed or dead pixel issues.

 

[dantay]

I had a serial W8 China Week 10 with color and light gradients
Swapped for a serial YM China Week 16 and the same color and light gradients

I've gone through 6 24" iMac's now ranging from 2007 week 39-44 and now 2008 week 10-16

I was aware of these issues BEFORE all the reports and internet forums so please no one suggest it's in my head. Also I HAVE seen 1 perfectly acceptable 24" iMac so I do believe they're out there. Thats 1 out of 10 - I may get lucky

Other than some screen issues with some 24"ers the iMac is great. So quiet, and so much more powerful than my old dual G5.

I went through 23 units and managed to get a VM820 with a screen thats as far as I can tell perfect so they are out there.....2 other units from that plants week 20 batch are also good....no bleed or noticable gradient

 

[mothman]

Hello,

My 24" 2.8ghz is a W8 week 15 from China.This is my second after returning the first for a couple dead pixels.
This one has the gradient and bleed to a slight degree that doesn't bother me.I had much more problem trying to get a decent 20" model and after several exchanges went with the 24".
Hey i'd like to know who let the gentleman with 23 returns do that.More power to you but I was practically banned from Best Buy for too many imac returns.

 

[dantay]

Hello,

My 24" 2.8ghz is a W8 week 15 from China.This is my second after returning the first for a couple dead pixels.
This one has the gradient and bleed to a slight degree that doesn't bother me.I had much more problem trying to get a decent 20" model and after several exchanges went with the 24".
Hey i'd like to know who let the gentleman with 23 returns do that.More power to you but I was practically banned from Best Buy for too many imac returns.

I had to use 5 different apple stores and alternate who returned them.....in amongst that lot I had 4 or 5 refunds and started again......most shops will only exchange 2 or 3 and then get funny so you get the refund and start at a new store. Got there in the end and proved that there are good ones out there....this screen is night and day compared to the poop that I went through

 

[DoFoT9]

i have a old 2.8ghz (pre-penryn) imac and personally i dont notice any issues.

i dont know if this is of any help but the screen is immaculate, im not aware where it is from as im not near the computer right now.

 

[gehrbox]

I had to use 5 different apple stores and alternate who returned them...

I am guessing you live some place like New York, San Fran or LA to have that many Apple stores to choose from.

We have to drive 200 miles to Charlotte to see an Apple store. I guess the plan is for Apple to open a store in my town next year.

Good thing I got a good display the second time around

 

[dantay]

I am guessing you live some place like New York, San Fran or LA to have that many Apple stores to choose from.

We have to drive 200 miles to Charlotte to see an Apple store. I guess the plan is for Apple to open a store in my town next year.

Good thing I got a good display the second time around

I'm in the UK....used Cambridge/Bluewater/Lakeside/Kingston Upon Thames/Southampton! I'm on the road a lot with my job so just meant lugging boxes about. It might seem mad.....but I ended up with an iMac i'm happy with so it was (to me) worth the hassle.

 

[Darkroom]

just received my 3rd replacement: they didn't have anything other than W8810 (which were the same as my previous 2) and there was little surprise when i realized that this screen also has the same issues. i'm pretty sure the bleed-out noticed on black screen is much much better on this - very minimal bleed out, but there is defiantly still a cool blue color cast on the left side of the screen.

the "genius" was cool, she was quite helpful and said she'd exchange it no problem. but then i had to speak to the manager... he was a total douche... it was clear he didn't want to accept a machine back to add to his list of refurbs... but whatever on him. i had to insist 3 times that he allow an exchange, while he kept insisting that i send it in for repairs.

i argued:

1. i need my computer 24/7 for work.
2. i rented a car to come here after being told by apple support that i could exchange it, again, for a 2nd time.
3. if the exchange is still bad i can send that in for repair at a local apple repair shop at a later date.

to which he contined to reply:

1. have it repaired now and you won't have to worry about it anymore
(to which i replied: that takes 24-48 hours and i'd have to rent a car again to come pick it up)
2. if you exchange it now there is no guarentee the new one will be any better
(to which i replied: are you saying that the majority of the 24" iMac screens have bleed-out and color casts? [he didn't answer but continued to look smug])

then finally:

3. this is the last time you can exchange it, the next time you will have to send it in for repairs.
(to which i replied: right, that's the plan.)

GOD!!! he was such an idiot...

but on the bright side i got to hang out with a hip lesbian chick who just started working there as a "concierge" (greeter / random helper) for about an hour while she was transferring data from my old computer to this one. she tole me a bunch of fun stories about the Apple Store in Laval. like how in Canada the iPhone isn't yet official and somewhat illegal to own, but at least 5 times a day people will take their jailbroken iPhones into the Apple Store to have them services or to ask questions about them, which of course they can't answer because they haven't been trained for the iPhone.

 

[dantay]

just received my 3rd replacement: they didn't have anything other than W8810 (which were the same as my previous 2) and there was little surprise when i realized that this screen also has the same issues. i'm pretty sure the bleed-out noticed on black screen is much much better on this - very minimal bleed out, but there is defiantly still a cool blue color cast on the left side of the screen.

the "genius" was cool, she was quite helpful and said she'd exchange it no problem. but then i had to speak to the manager... he was a total douche... it was clear he didn't want to accept a machine back to add to his list of refurbs... but whatever on him. i had to insist 3 times that he allow an exchange, while he kept insisting that i send it in for repairs.

i argued:

1. i need my computer 24/7 for work.
2. i rented a car to come here after being told by apple support that i could exchange it, again, for a 2nd time.
3. if the exchange is still bad i can send that in for repair at a local apple repair shop at a later date.

to which he contined to reply:

1. have it repaired now and you won't have to worry about it anymore
(to which i replied: that takes 24-48 hours and i'd have to rent a car again to come pick it up)
2. if you exchange it now there is no guarentee the new one will be any better
(to which i replied: are you saying that the majority of the 24" iMac screens have bleed-out and color casts? [he didn't answer but continued to look smug])

then finally:

3. this is the last time you can exchange it, the next time you will have to send it in for repairs.
(to which i replied: right, that's the plan.)

GOD!!! he was such an idiot...

but on the bright side i got to hang out with a hip lesbian chick who just started working there as a "concierge" (greeter / random helper) for about an hour while she was transferring data from my old computer to this one. she tole me a bunch of fun stories about the Apple Store in Laval. like how in Canada the iPhone isn't yet official and somewhat illegal to own, but at least 5 times a day people will take their jailbroken iPhones into the Apple Store to have them services or to ask questions about them, which of course they can't answer because they haven't been trained for the iPhone.

Hey Darkroom......its amazing that they can have 13-14 week old units in stock! Sorry you had no luck on this unit.....maybe you dont get VM units in the states or canada and they are only available to the european market? Its hard to swallow a screen with clearly visible defects at this price point and just fob yourself off. I know there are defect free screens out there as I have up close and personal experience of 3 from the same plant of the same week. What is your next plan of attack? I really do feel for all the people out there that have accepted a screen with issues after giving up on getting a good unit.......apple seems to (in my experience with a number of products) have lost the plot QC wise these days. I have had a variety of apple products with basic QC issues ranging from a macbook with random shutdown to a macbook pro with a clump of Chinese man/lady hair trapped under the keyboard assembly during assembly and a selection of macbook air's with fit/finish/screen issues......dust under ipod touch screens etc etc etc. It seems apple are great at marketing and design but pass production onto the cheapest plant available. They seem not to care about the quality of the product bearing there name.....but just how many units they can shift with a returns per sale built into there business plan. Apple sell there products at a premium price (for the specification) and I dont think its unreasonable to expect premium quality. I'm glad I returned so many units and to be honest am surprised that 9 macbook air's and 23 iMacs all registered to the same postal and e-mail address have not flagged something up on there system! look forward to the calls I shall get when the 90 days of apple care are up! Its sad you have to try sooo very hard to find a good apple

 

[gehrbox]

but on the bright side i got to hang out with a hip lesbian chick who just started working there as a "concierge" (greeter / random helper) for about an hour while she was transferring data from my old computer to this one.

I wanted to ask about this part of your post, but just don't know where to start

 

[Darkroom]

Hey Darkroom......its amazing that they can have 13-14 week old units in stock! Sorry you had no luck on this unit.....maybe you dont get VM units in the states or canada and they are only available to the european market? Its hard to swallow a screen with clearly visible defects at this price point and just fob yourself off. I know there are defect free screens out there as I have up close and personal experience of 3 from the same plant of the same week. What is your next plan of attack? I really do feel for all the people out there that have accepted a screen with issues after giving up on getting a good unit.......apple seems to (in my experience with a number of products) have lost the plot QC wise these days. I have had a variety of apple products with basic QC issues ranging from a macbook with random shutdown to a macbook pro with a clump of Chinese man/lady hair trapped under the keyboard assembly during assembly and a selection of macbook air's with fit/finish/screen issues......dust under ipod touch screens etc etc etc. It seems apple are great at marketing and design but pass production onto the cheapest plant available. They seem not to care about the quality of the product bearing there name.....but just how many units they can shift with a returns per sale built into there business plan. Apple sell there products at a premium price (for the specification) and I dont think its unreasonable to expect premium quality. I'm glad I returned so many units and to be honest am surprised that 9 macbook air's and 23 iMacs all registered to the same postal and e-mail address have not flagged something up on there system! look forward to the calls I shall get when the 90 days of apple care are up! Its sad you have to try sooo very hard to find a good apple

tell me about it. i've been using macs since the 90s, and have never had any problems with all of my previous macs.

i guess it's good that the bleed out on the screen is very minimal ("acceptable" ) but color casts that cause dirty whites are really REALLY ghetto.

i need my computer every day for work, so i'll have to wait until i go on vacation, or leave the city, to send my Mac in to have the screen replaced to a more local repair shop. there is a new flagship Apple Store open up downtown here in montreal this summer, so i might go there - since they would probably be a better/faster repair service than other resellers.

 

[Leon Kowalski]

That poll tells you NOTHING -- because you forgot to ask which
production plant the problem-free iMacs came from.

LK

 

[Darkroom]

I wanted to ask about this part of your post, but just don't know where to start

she was awesome... way more awesome than the loser manager... i hope she works her way up to (the pretentious) "Genius" status or manager...

That poll tells you NOTHING -- because you forgot to ask which
production plant the problem-free iMacs came from.

LK

i though it would be best to write "Without Screen Problems, My iMac is From X (Please Explain In Forum)." as option 4, instead of listing all the possible production plants... not many people explained in the forum though

 

[SaSaSushi]

I know there are defect free screens out there as I have up close and personal experience of 3 from the same plant of the same week.

I still contend that the manufacturing plant is entirely irrelevant to the quality of the panels. Every plant gets the same panels from the same maker. Maybe the plant where yours was made just got a particularly good batch. Since you said the three good ones you saw were all made in the same week that seems even more likely.

 

[Darkroom]

i can't remember reading any posts where someone had any problems with screen manufactured in the states either - it seems that the W8 is the ghetto plant that sends out most of the junk.

i mean, this is my 3rd iMac from the same week of production (10) of the same plant (china) and they all varied. my first had a bit of bleedout and a color cast, the 2nd one had lots of bleedout and color cast, and this one basically has very very little bleedout, but has a color cast. so i'm not sure if the production plant isn't 100% fault free and that it's just a bad batch of panels from LJ Phillips.

 

[hadleydb]

Does the Apple Store let you look at them turned on before you leave the store? I am about to buy one and Dead/Stuck Pixels are my worst nightmare.