For the past 3+ years I've been using a very fine 20" flat-screen (superb display)G4 iMac (OS 10.3.9). I calibrate with the i1 colorimeter and print with top quality printers. No problem there! BUT I've just received a 24" white Intel iMac (2.16 Ghz, 10.4.x) and it has two serious display problems. The first is excessive brightness that cannot be lowered to a level acceptable for calibration. The second is uneven display illumination. I use a grey desktop color and I see a brighter illumination on the left-hand-side of the screen than the grey on the right-hand-side of the screen. The screen also shows a very slight yellowish tint in a large blotchy area between the left and right side. I know about the "Shades" software for the brightness problem. Apple seem to have no solution of their own. The new iMac is being returned for replacement, but I'm worried that all the recent 24" LCDs (whiite or silver) will fail to meet my expectations established by the older 20" G4 iMac display. Is there any reasonable expectation to get a good 24" display if I keep trying? There is no Apple Store nearby.
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Worried about 24" monitor
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Of course you can expect to get a satisfactory display. Sheesh, some of you folks act like every one that comes off the production line is defective.
I think it's reasonable to expect that yes. I will return mine because of the same tinting issue you have. I simply can't stand working with this for 2-3 years.
But the iMac is fantastic otherwise. Actually better than I expected. So I won't give up, even if I have to return it several times
Well, spending too much time on forums like these easily gets you that idea But this seems to be a widespread issue so I won't be surprised if I get another one like it back.
But the iMac is fantastic otherwise. Actually better than I expected. So I won't give up, even if I have to return it several times
Well, spending too much time on forums like these easily gets you that idea
But this seems to be a widespread issue so I won't be surprised if I get another one like it back.Well, Rainydays I see there are two of us with the same concerns. I do believe many don't notice the problem. With a blue desktop it's very hard to see; the grey however, makes it more obvious.
My fears have come true. Yesterday I received a replacement 24" white iMac and it has the same display problem! Perhaps a little less of the slight yellow area but the screen is still lighter on the left than on the right.
I'll give it one or two days before I decide what to do, but this is a major disappointment.
I'll give it one or two days before I decide what to do, but this is a major disappointment.
Do you know what type of lcd panel is used in your 24''. Supposedly the new 24'' iMacs use and H-IPS panel. Some of the last produced white 24'' also supposedly have an H-IPS panel. At the very least, if there are multiple panel types on the 24'', you can try and see a)what you have b)if the next model you get is different etc.
Is the yellowing a problem on the new 24'' iMacs, as well?
Good luck, in any case.
I'm trying to decide between getting an old-24 (white) or new-24 (aluminum) or waiting for a Rev B, and things are getting more complicated. I had planned to check old threads to see if recent problems (with bad pixels, uneven lighting,...) also occurred in the old-24, but now it seems that this information might be useless because recent old-24 displays are different than the original old-24 displays? Wow, this is confusing! (so in the new-24s did they just put glass in front of the H-IPS panels on the recent old-24s, to convert the matte into a glossy display?)
Just for the record, were the quality and quality control (i.e. consistency) of old-24 displays generally considered better than the new-24s, or worse, or similar?
Craig
P.S. I like the old-20s much better than the new-20s (with their narrow viewing angles and color changes, like the old-17s) and this decision by Apple, to decrease the quality of the new-20s, is disappointing.
Yes, as described in this thread: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1093045&tstart=0
Latest update. Today I talked with an Apple support person and on the positive side he did know what "calibration" was and the problem with uneven illumination for Photoshop/graphics people. On the negative side, he said that this was the first report he had received about this problem (there are several reports on a number of defferent forums and at least one on an Apple Support forum).
He was confident a third try would get me an acceptable 24" white Intel iMac via exchange, and he left HIS direct contact information, so I'll try one more time. I do not share this man's confidence, but "hope springs eternal", and my old iMac still gets the job done. I'll try again.
He was confident a third try would get me an acceptable 24" white Intel iMac via exchange, and he left HIS direct contact information, so I'll try one more time. I do not share this man's confidence, but "hope springs eternal", and my old iMac still gets the job done. I'll try again.
The lady I spoke to said that too. That she hadn't heard about the issue before.
Might be that it was reported differently, or that she's been told to say that to keep down the buzz or that she simply hadn't heard about it. But there's obviously many units that has this problem.
And no, I'm not so confident in getting a flawless screen. In fact I've more or less prepared myself for returning it again. At least I don't get my hopes up that way.
And I've borrowed a display for my MB so I can at least get some work done in the mean time.
I think I've got this issue too, but sometimes I think maybe I'm tricking myself. It looks to me like the bottom-center portion of my screen and right 1/4 of the screen is a little more brownish/yellow than everything else. Easy to notice when I'm looking at Google or one of these forum pages with solid colors. Nothing looks like a huge blotch or anything but almost like a gradation in color. I'm assuming this would qualify for a defect.
I've never returned a computer, much less a Mac, to the store so it sounds like you're supposed to clear the hard drive. Can anybody clue me in on that since I've never even wiped a Mac hard drive before?
I also just called the apple store where I bought the computer and the guy said he hadn't heard of this issue before. He said that they have a 14 day exchange from time of purchase (I'm on day 11). It was strange though because he said he wanted me to sign up with the genius bar to have them check it out first... run tests, etc.
I've never returned a computer, much less a Mac, to the store so it sounds like you're supposed to clear the hard drive. Can anybody clue me in on that since I've never even wiped a Mac hard drive before?
I also just called the apple store where I bought the computer and the guy said he hadn't heard of this issue before. He said that they have a 14 day exchange from time of purchase (I'm on day 11). It was strange though because he said he wanted me to sign up with the genius bar to have them check it out first... run tests, etc.
It's crazy that it could be that subtle to the point where you wonder if it's just your imagination. I don't think it is though. It's going to make me mad if the mac geniuses say they don't see anything wrong because I know what I'm seeing and my roommate saw it too... plus I'm within the 14 day exchange so it seems like I should be able to at least exchange it. Just about done with the OSX reinstall so it's time to pack 'er up. At least I've got my trusty MBP in the meantime.
I have a 24" iMac and have some slight backlight bleed, but I honestly don't notice it. My display is in perfect condition other than that. No dead pixels, no color issues that I know of. The only problem I really have had was I got a headache when I first used it... but that was because I was to close and the brightness was WAY to high. I do wish it could go down a little bit more though. Oh well I'm a happy iMac..er
It was the first thing I noticed when I turned my iMac on for the first time, so I'm sure that they will see it. If not, then show them this thread and the one at the apple forum.
Well, I just installed a fresh copy of OSX, changed the background to solid gray... the middle to right was nearly a light brown color vs. gray. It's in the box and going in tomorrow. We'll see what happens.
Here's the update.
After reinstalling OSX last night and boxing up my iMac I headed in to see these "geniuses" at the Apple store today. The employee who was looking at my screen seemed to be having a hard time believing me about this issue. I explained that I wouldn't bother boxing it up and driving 40 minutes each way if I didn't think it was a problem. Why waste everybody's time? He then gave me a spiel about how a screen with this issue would be similar to those who may have dead pixels and how they won't do a thing about it unless it's outside of Apple's specs. He then goes to get another employee for a second opinion.
The second employee comes and takes a look. I have to show him using a solid gray background and he claims to be seeing it as well after I point it out a bit. He proceeds to ask if I'd seen this on any of the display models. I mentioned I hadn't because it's not like I've sat in front of their display models for a significant amount of time. We then went to an open 24" station and I was able to see the same problem and he was as well. He's now convinced that ALL of the new iMacs exhibit the same problem and that's just how they are. He then proceeds to tell me that even if they allow me an exchange (I'm within the 14 day period mind you) that I'd probably be subject to a restocking fee because then Apple has to pay to refurb, repackage and resell the computer at a loss. He then goes to get the manager.
The manager comes out and tells me he sees the problem too and is familiar with it. He tells me another customer (who hadn't purchased one yet) had discussed the issue with him last week. The manager then claims that ALL of the iMacs in the store have this issue. He says it's not a defect worthy of replacement or repair and within Apple's acceptable tolerances. He basically said that I'm stuck with it unless Apple decides it truly is some sort of defect and issues a recall or repair at some point, but he was highly skeptical about that.
So there's my experience. I do have to say I'm pretty disappointed with how that store handled the issue. It seems to me I should've at least had the option to try a new one since I bought the thing there and was within the exchange time frame. I'm not necessarily PO'd at Apple, but just a little shocked at the customer service at this store. For a company that tries to set itself apart from the rest so much, you'd think they would bend over backwards a little more. As much as I hate to say it, you know if it were a "big box" store they'd take it back without question for an exchange. Oh well. Looks like I'm going to just have to live with it.
After reinstalling OSX last night and boxing up my iMac I headed in to see these "geniuses" at the Apple store today. The employee who was looking at my screen seemed to be having a hard time believing me about this issue. I explained that I wouldn't bother boxing it up and driving 40 minutes each way if I didn't think it was a problem. Why waste everybody's time? He then gave me a spiel about how a screen with this issue would be similar to those who may have dead pixels and how they won't do a thing about it unless it's outside of Apple's specs. He then goes to get another employee for a second opinion.
The second employee comes and takes a look. I have to show him using a solid gray background and he claims to be seeing it as well after I point it out a bit. He proceeds to ask if I'd seen this on any of the display models. I mentioned I hadn't because it's not like I've sat in front of their display models for a significant amount of time. We then went to an open 24" station and I was able to see the same problem and he was as well. He's now convinced that ALL of the new iMacs exhibit the same problem and that's just how they are. He then proceeds to tell me that even if they allow me an exchange (I'm within the 14 day period mind you) that I'd probably be subject to a restocking fee because then Apple has to pay to refurb, repackage and resell the computer at a loss. He then goes to get the manager.
The manager comes out and tells me he sees the problem too and is familiar with it. He tells me another customer (who hadn't purchased one yet) had discussed the issue with him last week. The manager then claims that ALL of the iMacs in the store have this issue. He says it's not a defect worthy of replacement or repair and within Apple's acceptable tolerances. He basically said that I'm stuck with it unless Apple decides it truly is some sort of defect and issues a recall or repair at some point, but he was highly skeptical about that.
So there's my experience. I do have to say I'm pretty disappointed with how that store handled the issue. It seems to me I should've at least had the option to try a new one since I bought the thing there and was within the exchange time frame. I'm not necessarily PO'd at Apple, but just a little shocked at the customer service at this store. For a company that tries to set itself apart from the rest so much, you'd think they would bend over backwards a little more. As much as I hate to say it, you know if it were a "big box" store they'd take it back without question for an exchange. Oh well. Looks like I'm going to just have to live with it.
ndriver182 don't give up so easily. I'm about to receive my THIRD 24" white iMac, trying to find one without the display problem (and that's the previous edition iMac!). It seems that today customer service often acts as if they want a customer to just accept it and go away. Don't just accept an inferior display and go away. Keep after them for a replacement and another replacement until YOU are convinced that all their displays are defective and you must find another option. WE ARE THE ONES WHO DETERMINE WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE!
I'm not sure what calibration software you're using, but you might have better luck getting the brightness down using Coloreyes.
A demo version is available.
atari1356, I've tried Shades and it does work for the extreme brightness problem, but it doesn't solve the uneven illumination or very slight yellow cast problem. Do you accept an Apple display that cannot have the brightness reduced to a level that is used world-wide for monitor calibration? I don't, and Apple does not have a fix of their own for the brightness problem. I think this problem is the result of trying to keep the iMac price down for better sales.
Problem is where are you supposed to turn when the manager himself won't do anything about it? It's not like I can take it to the other Apple store in the area to exchange. When they say they want to charge me a restocking fee that's just more than I want to deal with. The coloration is not horrible. It's mostly only slightly visible on gray and white colors. I just don't think any amount of complaining will get me anywhere at that particular store. They are CONVINCED it's just how these units are and is not a problem.