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The iMac condensation problem is obviously quite real....

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gothiquegirrl

gothiquegirrl

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 6, 2006
239
4
Planet Earth
Ok... So just read about some really pissed off person having an " iMac condensation problem " with several new iMacs.

As I will be buying a new computer soon - can't make my mind up on a iMac or a macbook - What is this problem? What impact does it have on the machine.

Please: Only RATIONAL people anwser, LOL! Not the crazy person who can't hit "Enter". :rolleyes:

Thanks.
 
A number of users have reported condensation inside the shiny glass reflectomatic cover. There have been enough reports that this must be considered a real design fault, but the overwhelming majority surely have not had the problem. If you get one and it is a problem, Apple will surely take care of you. It is a hassle, however, to get a dog machine (never mind 4), so the OP to whom you refer must be at the end of his tether by now.
 
netdog said:
A It is a hassle, however, to get a dog machine (never mind 4), so the OP to whom you refer must be at the end of his tether by now.
Click to expand...

LOL. Well i can appreciate his frustrations.. However, you have to take a deep breath and remain calm or it just takes longer to solve your problems. Especially when you are dealing with people working in the service industry.

I agree that after spending that much money - I deserve a computer that works properly but getting so irate about it isn't good for anyone. They probably just kept giving him back the same computer out of spite! LOL

Is the condensation building up behind the glass? or in the screen? What causes this and does it have an impact on the function of the computer or is it just annoying? Afterall, the glass can be removed.. Just curious.

Thanks
 
Seeing condensation a few weeks after use IS a problem and I really dont see how condensdation is still building up at this point - the machine would have been running at sufficient temperature to clear any condendsation away by then.

However I have returned 2 iMac's due to condensation 10 mins after start up (these actually cleared after an hour and the condensation didn't return as far as I could tell) I still returned the machines as it spooked me a bit.

Due to the use of glass in the construction and temperature fluctuations on route, I was advised by another forum member to take the machine out of it's packaging and leave it in the room that it was to be used in for a couple of hours so that the ambient temperatures levelled off.

Did this and on initial use, no condensation whatsoever.

Hope this helps you.
 
Kuska said:
Due to the use of glass in the construction and temperature fluctuations on route, I was advised by another forum member to take the machine out of it's packaging and leave it in the room that it was to be used in for a couple of hours so that the ambient temperatures levelled off.

Did this and on initial use, no condensation whatsoever.

Hope this helps you.
Click to expand...

Yes, this was really helpful! I guess i'll just have to see what happens. :)

Ang
 
Well, how about some pictures for the people like me, that haven't seen it ?(The iMacs on display here do not have that issue).
(btw, I also haven't seen any pictures on the 1/3 of yellow screen on MPBs).
 
ale500 said:
Well, how about some pictures for the people like me, that haven't seen it ?(The iMacs on display here do not have that issue).
(btw, I also haven't seen any pictures on the 1/3 of yellow screen on MPBs).
Click to expand...

When I get back home from work tonight, I'll post a picture of one that I received back in September.
 
gothiquegirrl said:
Ok... So just read about some really pissed off person having an " iMac condensation problem " with several new iMacs.

As I will be buying a new computer soon - can't make my mind up on a iMac or a macbook - What is this problem? What impact does it have on the machine.

Please: Only RATIONAL people anwser, LOL! Not the crazy person who can't hit "Enter". :rolleyes:

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Senseless worry, I have one and love it. Just go get one and be happy.:)
 
Kuska said:
Seeing condensation a few weeks after use IS a problem and I really dont see how condensdation is still building up at this point - the machine would have been running at sufficient temperature to clear any condendsation away by then.

However I have returned 2 iMac's due to condensation 10 mins after start up (these actually cleared after an hour and the condensation didn't return as far as I could tell) I still returned the machines as it spooked me a bit.

Due to the use of glass in the construction and temperature fluctuations on route, I was advised by another forum member to take the machine out of it's packaging and leave it in the room that it was to be used in for a couple of hours so that the ambient temperatures levelled off.

Did this and on initial use, no condensation whatsoever.

Hope this helps you.
Click to expand...

This is a good idea for any piece of electronic equipment. When you bring something in from the cold to a warm house or office the temperature change can and will likely cause condensation. Since the glass is a very likely spot for the water vapor to condense on, you will see it there most often.

Fore example, if you have a laptop in your car all day in 20F weather and bring it into a 75F house, I would let it warm up before turning it on. It is not the condensation you see that should be the worry, it is the stuff you cannot see that condenses on items more sensitive than glass.

I doubt very seriously that this is a design flaw. It is probably users too excited about the new machine ripping it out of the box and plugging things in right away after UPS just delivered the computer after being on a truck in Minnesota all day.
 
I have one of the new 24" iMacs and have had none of the problems at all...most of the machines come out fine...that Apple Store might have simply had a bad batch of the 2.8.
 
mojohanna said:
I doubt very seriously that this is a design flaw. It is probably users too excited about the new machine ripping it out of the box and plugging things in right away after UPS just delivered the computer after being on a truck in Minnesota all day.
Click to expand...

I once tried to use an Apple computer that had been overnight at a train station on a winter day, at about minus 10 Celsius. No surprise, it didn't work. Suddenly, about five hours later, it would boot on its own with nobody touching it, and then it was fine :rolleyes:
 
I have a 24" iMac, no condensation.

As noted above, condensation is almost undoubtedly due to a cold iMac being turned on in a warm (relatively humid) environment. Warm Macs turned on in warm environments won't have condensation. Physics just works that way. :)
 
I've seen no condensation at all on mine or any of the 30 odd we have here at work. I'd guess it's a very rare problem, or some people have them set up in an odd environment that causes it (you'd expect a bit of condensation say if it's in a cold room but right next to a sauna door ;) )
 
Kuska said:
Seeing condensation a few weeks after use IS a problem and I really dont see how condensdation is still building up at this point - the machine would have been running at sufficient temperature to clear any condendsation away by then.

However I have returned 2 iMac's due to condensation 10 mins after start up (these actually cleared after an hour and the condensation didn't return as far as I could tell) I still returned the machines as it spooked me a bit.

Due to the use of glass in the construction and temperature fluctuations on route, I was advised by another forum member to take the machine out of it's packaging and leave it in the room that it was to be used in for a couple of hours so that the ambient temperatures levelled off.

Did this and on initial use, no condensation whatsoever.

Hope this helps you.
Click to expand...


i did exactly this when my new iMac turned up on the 28th Dec last year , it was very cold outside, and the pack must have been in the UPS van for at least twelve hours , so the first thing i did was take it out the packaging and left it in my living room for several hours while we went shopping..... for peripherals, lol

when i took the iMac out of its box it too was very cold, and i thought ' i'm not turning that on till it gets warmer '

when we got back from shopping, everything had evened out and on it went:D

no condensation:cool:

BB
 
I was thinking of getting a 20" iMac tomorrow but this has put me off.

Is it a very widespread issue and have Apple fixed it yet?
 
Kuska said:
When I get back home from work tonight, I'll post a picture of one that I received back in September.
Click to expand...

Not a great photo but you get the idea
 

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gothiquegirrl said:
Ok... So just read about some really pissed off person having an " iMac condensation problem " with several new iMacs.

As I will be buying a new computer soon - can't make my mind up on a iMac or a macbook - What is this problem? What impact does it have on the machine.
Click to expand...

After looking at the post you referred to (couldn't bring myself to read it), I wouldn't quite agree with "obviously quite real".

That said, if you let anything with glass (like an LCD monitor, or an iMac) get really, really could then you might get condensation. That condensation should go away after a while. So if you buy an iMac at a store, then drive 500 miles home through ice and snow, you might put the iMac on the back seat, not in the boot of your car. Or leave it a few hours to warm up before you turn it on. And don't panic if there is condensation, but wait a bit (personally I've never seen it happening).
 
Caris said:
I was thinking of getting a 20" iMac tomorrow but this has put me off.

Is it a very widespread issue and have Apple fixed it yet?
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Given that Apple can't change the laws of physics, no, they haven't fixed it yet.

As others have said, let it acclimate to room temperature first, and don't put a humidifier right under it, and you'll be fine.

All the new glass front shows is what is going on inside, when previously it wasn't visible. Never turn on very cold electronics in a warm room.
 
I assume these people aren't keeping their iMacs in the refrigerator. For goodness sakes, it should work in a normally heated house, whether it is on the warm or cool side, and it should work as well in Hawaii as it does in Santa Fe.

There have been numerous reports, so the original poster is right, there is a real problem. For goodness sakes, put down the kool-aid. Even Apple has some design issues, particularly when they trot a Rev. A product out of the lab and into the real world. Please don't bother citing recommended temperature and humidity guidelines. Nobody looks at that when buying a computer. It's just crap put in by lawyers to cover the company's ass. These things should work, within reason, in the real world, and Apple has a problem here that they have to get sorted. I am sure they know that. Why don't you?
 
netdog said:
These things should work, within reason, in the real world, and Apple has a problem here that they have to get sorted. I am sure they know that. Why don't you?
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I know how condensation works. There's no way the iMac just spontaneously creates moisture or somehow separates the moisture from the air and moves it to the screen.

Condensation is occurring because the computer is not being treated like it should be, and the glass is merely showing what would be happening inside the system anyway.
 
jsw said:
I know how condensation works. There's no way the iMac just spontaneously creates moisture or somehow separates the moisture from the air and moves it to the screen.

Condensation is occurring because the computer is not being treated like it should be, and the glass is merely showing what would be happening inside the system anyway.
Click to expand...

I agree that it's not likely to be a design flaw, and also that it's just physics.

However, it is possible that it is a flaw. If the condensation is occurring in a completely sealed part of the display then it is possible that it was manufactured in a highly humid environment dooming it to forever have condensation issues.

The above is highly unlikely and not very plausible, but it is possible.

I do have to point out that the OP of the other thread has many inconsistencies in his story. I wouldn't make him a poster boy for this "problem" personally. There is plenty of evidence to show that things are not as they seem.
 
saltyzoo said:
However, it is possible that it is a flaw. If the condensation is occurring in a completely sealed part of the display then it is possible that it was manufactured in a highly humid environment dooming it to forever have condensation issues.
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I agree that it could be a manufacturing issue due to where it was manufactured, but the fact that the glass cover isn't sealed on the inside strongly suggests to me that it's due to air which circulates inside, not due to air from where it was made - and it'd surprise me if these were made in highly humid environments.

Still, yes, it might be a defect - and I've seen plenty of other Apple design defects over the years - but this strikes me as more likely being user error.
 
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