Should I be afraid!?

[IDanne]

Hi all

New to this forum.
I have some questions about the new 24"imac, I´ve ordered one(2,4ghz) that is expected to arrive next week.
After reading on this and other forums about dead pixels, gradient issues and freezing I´m starting to get really worried...
I study graphic design and I really need a computer and the 24 imac seems best suited for me.
Are these issues really as frequent as implied on this forum?
I mean the sales are sky high and of course some are bound to have issues but this many?
I bought a MBP when it just arrived with the infamous whine, I exchanged that three times and all had the same issue. To this day I don´t know if they ever solved that...
Maybe I should have learned from that experience not to buy anything 1st gen but I really need this computer like now, I even ordered it a week ago although I knew leopard would be released the same month(hoping for a free upgrade).
Should I worry or is it just a low number of imacs with these issues!?

 

[Sdashiki]

Hi all

New to this forum.
I have some questions about the new 24"imac, I´ve ordered one(2,4ghz) that is expected to arrive next week.
After reading on this and other forums about dead pixels, gradient issues and freezing I´m starting to get really worried...
I study graphic design and I really need a computer and the 24 imac seems best suited for me.
Are these issues really as frequent as implied on this forum?
I mean the sales are sky high and of course some are bound to have issues but this many?
I bought a MBP when it just arrived with the infamous whine, I exchanged that three times and all had the same issue. To this day I don´t know if they ever solved that...
Maybe I should have learned from that experience not to buy anything 1st gen but I really need this computer like now, I even ordered it a week ago although I knew leopard would be released the same month(hoping for a free upgrade).
Should I worry or is it just a low number of imacs with these issues!?

First thing you need to realize is that people typically post BAD experiences on these forums.

There are plenty of happy stories, but its like they always say "Bad service, tell 10 friends, great service tell no one".

 

[imac/cheese]

I don't think you should worry. People like to complain when they have a bad experience. That is just human nature. Most iMacs are going to be just fine.

 

[IDanne]

Ok, I thought so to but in this case it seems like alot of complaints...
I will be using my imac for graphic design and photo editing, I know that various users have posted difficulties with colors due to the glossy screen.
Any designers out there who own the imac and would like to comment?
I´d really appreciate it!

 

[ParanoidRobot18]

I'm studying Graphic Design and I use my new 20inch iMac for it.

If you are worried about colour then you should buy a pantone book. The screen isn't perfect for colour but it isn't off putting or anything. If you tilt your head the colour changes slightly but it doesn't bother me as I don't normally tilt my head that much when I'm at the computer

Compared to other screens on the market the colour is brilliant and it's a fantastic screen. I'm very happy with my purchase, people on these forums are far too picky.

Before I bought my computer I read lots of negative things here that weren't necessarily true.

I just realised you ordered a 24 inch, which is even better. Stop worrying and enjoy your iMac, it's definitely worth it

 

[threedaysatsea]

I am an amateur photographer, and own a new 24" iMac. It's an amazing machine, and the colors are deep and rich. Once you get it, though, be sure to set a color profile in your display settings that is not the default (it sucks butt, to say the least). I chose sRGB, because that is the colorspace I use for editing. It's no lie that the 20" displays are not nearly as good as their 24" counterparts, but a lot of the hoopla surrounding the glare issues is just that, hoopla. If you'd like to see some of my photography, just to show I know at least a little about color, http://flickr.com/photos/chloroplasty.

I do print my work frequently, and get it processed in c-41. Holding the prints side-by-side to the monitor, you can see a little difference. A little bit. Barely even a smidge. Color prints are a little tiny bit washed out in terms of saturation, but the blacks are as deep and rich as on the monitor. This entire 'fiasco' over the display quality depends on two things: 20" vs 24" monitor (the 24" is definitely better), and your amount of anal retention.

Cheers,
Christopher M.

 

[TheJGene]

My girlfriend is a professional photographer/photoshopper, once she tweaked screen settings on our 24" to her liking she is just loving it, it hasn't skipped a beat at all.

 

[HLdan]

To the OP, congrats on your new baby on the way, I'm sure you will love it.

Now keep these things in mind:
The negatives you have read obviously didn't bother you enough because you still ordered the iMac so don't worry about it.
Secondly, my new iMac has no issues with freezing and no dead pixels so here's a positive post for you.
Thirdly, your best experience will be your own. Asking the pro photographers and graphic designers to tell you if the glossy screen is suitable for them helps you none at all. Be honest with yourself, you know you will never be satisfied even if they say all positive things as you will always wonder how the screen will affect you.

The whining in the Macbook Pros was not dedicated to Apple's Macintosh computers. Thinkpads, Sony's and Dells all had it. It's Intel's processor that was whining, not Apple's computer. I'm saying because Apple's computers are made of common components like the rest of the industry. Apple doesn't use Bentley style hard drives and Mercedes quality CPU's.

Lastly, dead or stuck pixels are the norm for LCD displays so it's not going to help at all asking anyone if they got a perfect display because if they did you may not.

 

[Leon Kowalski]

Yes, be afraid.

1) I have personally inspected nine 24" iMacs (and about a dozen of the 20" models). Every 24" sample had a serious left-to-right brightness gradient. Every 20" sample had serious top-to-bottom brightness and color gradients.

2) Both problems have been well-documented in several web forums -- with dozens of photos, and even a few YouTube videos. In Every case, the symptoms are identical. There is nothing random about it -- it's systemic.

3) Although the gradient-deniers repeatedly insist that it's "normal LCD behavior" or that "only a few" are affected, I have yet to see EVEN ONE photographic example of a "good" ALU iMac display -- on any Mac forum. AFAIK, there is ZERO tangible evidence that any "good" displays exist.

4) Apple has not admitted, publicly, that a problem exists, but they are doing so, tacitly. They didn't argue with my claim that both my 20" iMac and its 24" replacement were DOA, based (only) on the display gradients. Full refund, NO restocking fee -- and more than 25 days after purchase in each case. I reported each one DOA within a few days of purchase -- but then wasted weeks, and countless hours on the phone with tech-support, trying to get a straight answer on whether there was any chance of obtaining a "good" replacement -- now, or in the future. The question was consistently (and expertly!) dodged. The phone-droids have been very well-trained in "handling" this issue.

5) Many other owners have reported making two or three exchanges -- and finding the same display defects in every unit. Offering/allowing multiple "DOA display" exchanges is yet another tacit admission that a problem exists.

...be very afraid,

LK

 

[headhammer]

for the benefit of leon (and others who complain)

see the attached image. this is the 24" in the store that i work in, not 6 feet from where i currently stand. i also have one of these at home, similarly without fault.

the vague blueish hue you see on the left is not the screen, but the sign behind me. i am also wearing a white shirt, which is why it appears to fade out and back in again on the right.

this same screen initially had a yellow tint, but then i calibrated it, and it is as you see it now. my 24" at home intially had a blue-green tint, again, calibration fixed the issue.

i sell at least 1 of these computers daily (my record so far is 4), and not one of the new Al imacs has come back for any reason. i'm not saying that they will never or do not have issues, but i sell a lot of these machines to a wide range of people (about 1 in 5 of my sales is to a creative professional), and there have been no complaints from any of my customers.

IDanne, fear not!

 

[Sdashiki]

I second the notion of buying a Pantone book, you wont get true color matching any other way, even with a great screen.

Problems with the Alu iMacs? I cant personally say.

What I can say is that graphics on a CRT vs LCD are night and day, glass being alot closer to a final print's color. But still, neither is really "spot" on (pun intended) unless you are spending alot of money on a good screen.

Gradients on LCDs never look right, but if you know what the gradient is going to look like just by experience, that shouldnt be a problem.