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Yellow iMac Problems Due to Shipping Damage to LED Diffuser?
- Thread starter Kavik
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I think that the iMack is not longer seen as the core business by Apple. They became phone manufacturer, they trade music, make money on apps, and ringtones and movie rentals, they still do laptops, they want to do tablets to deliver "an incredible web surfing experience" on the 10" screen.
But I honestly hope they'll be back...
Tom B.
Don't get it...
Where do we need all this guessing?
Personally I think the continuum transfunctioner is busted.
iMac build quality is really really bad. Exactly same problems with 24" models earlier, except there are even more problems with the 27" line.
Mine has noisy screen & HDD, yellow tinge, hair + wiping marks behind the glass, dead pixels on iSight. Hilarious.
Where do we need all this guessing?
Personally I think the continuum transfunctioner is busted.
iMac build quality is really really bad. Exactly same problems with 24" models earlier, except there are even more problems with the 27" line.
Mine has noisy screen & HDD, yellow tinge, hair + wiping marks behind the glass, dead pixels on iSight. Hilarious.
with all that remember made in China just has nothing to do with it,nothing at all and neither does all the banging it goes through to get from one side of the planet to the other.
Yep, I remember, and I know. Wherever they might be made, Apple is responsible for assuring production quality. I wouldn't blame a whole country for delivering b-class products. That is just plain childish and arrogant. Or blaming distance, geez. Then they should've designed a fixed computer that you have to pick up from delivery with a fork-lift and needs to be welded to your desk.
In addition, I don't think an iSight would go bust in delivery, neither getting piece of hair or some wiping marks behind the glass. You are in denial.
Note: I've been using Macs for a long time.
I have a week 47 i7 (supposed to be the most problematic week) that's been through more journeys than most of the folks' 27" here. I bought it on eBay.
1) Shanghai -> dealer in Alabama
2) Alabama -> Gurnee, IL via UPS ground
3) Gurnee, IL -> Chicago in the back of a Honda Pilot
4) Chicago -> O'Hare airport via taxi
5) O'Hare -> Bangkok Suvanabhumi airport via ANA as check in luggage, no fragile stickers so it came out with all the luggage. Connection in Tokyo
6 Suvanabhumi airport into the city in a Honda CR-V
7) Bangkok to Suvanabhumi airport in a taxi
8) Suvanabhumi airport -> Tokyo Narita via UAL as check in oversized luggage, but still came out with all the other luggage.
9) Tokyo Narita -> Utsunomiya via 3 hour bus ride
10) Another 1/2 hour city bus ride to my apartment
So as you can see, the chances of my i7 getting damaged was pretty high. All these transit were in its original box and yes, before I even heard of the various issues. My i7 is perfect. No flickering, no yellow, no loud HD or fan, no scratched CDs, no crashes.
So I don't know about this theory of LED backlighting diffuser getting damaged in shipment.
1) Shanghai -> dealer in Alabama
2) Alabama -> Gurnee, IL via UPS ground
3) Gurnee, IL -> Chicago in the back of a Honda Pilot
4) Chicago -> O'Hare airport via taxi
5) O'Hare -> Bangkok Suvanabhumi airport via ANA as check in luggage, no fragile stickers so it came out with all the luggage. Connection in Tokyo
6 Suvanabhumi airport into the city in a Honda CR-V
7) Bangkok to Suvanabhumi airport in a taxi
8) Suvanabhumi airport -> Tokyo Narita via UAL as check in oversized luggage, but still came out with all the other luggage.
9) Tokyo Narita -> Utsunomiya via 3 hour bus ride
10) Another 1/2 hour city bus ride to my apartment
So as you can see, the chances of my i7 getting damaged was pretty high. All these transit were in its original box and yes, before I even heard of the various issues. My i7 is perfect. No flickering, no yellow, no loud HD or fan, no scratched CDs, no crashes.
So I don't know about this theory of LED backlighting diffuser getting damaged in shipment.
Smaller packaging means more on a pallet, and thus shrinking the shipping by loading more into a cargo bay or cargo container and dropping their bulk rate shipping.
One of those V curve charts where dropping shipping costs by increasing units per pallet, and increasing damage costs for smaller packages were carefully calculated by Apple.
The theory is not that rough handling = absolute diffuser damage but rather that it increases the likelihood of diffuser damage and thus could be a factor in some cases.
Maybe against all odds your iMac was actually treated relatively gently.
Yeah, this theory is just speculation--none of us have any idea what these screens look like when they leave the factory floor. I'm pretty sure there are at least a few bad apples (sorry couldn't resist) that both LG and Apple consider "within specs" that they let through QA. However, the yellow tint problems with the 27" iMacs (and to a lesser extent the 22" model) seem to be far worse than older systems and so the thought is that something is happening after they are built.
I finally received my (week 6) system yesterday and, unfortunately, it has a slight yellow tinge in the lower right corner and a top-to-bottom vertical bar near the left hand side. There is also a subtle horizonal shadow running along the bottom of the display. I might be able to live with it in the long run, however I just wanted to note that I do not have anything like this on either my 15" MacBook Pro screen or 24" LED Display that I am getting ready to sell.
Sorry for the outburst, but I need to get this said.
...the stockholm syndrome...
There is no mission to solve the mystery of lemons. The whole display issue is up to Apple. Now people speculate like it's not Apple's fault, but some UPS, DHL, whatever... And still no public statement from Apple. "The demand is so overwhelming etc." BS!
This is exactly why the build quality deteriorates. People act like a cult and keep on searching reasons elsewhere, instead of demanding quality products and admitting to themselves that Apple is not a sign for quality.
Sorry and goodbye.
...the stockholm syndrome...
There is no mission to solve the mystery of lemons. The whole display issue is up to Apple. Now people speculate like it's not Apple's fault, but some UPS, DHL, whatever... And still no public statement from Apple. "The demand is so overwhelming etc." BS!
This is exactly why the build quality deteriorates. People act like a cult and keep on searching reasons elsewhere, instead of demanding quality products and admitting to themselves that Apple is not a sign for quality.
Sorry and goodbye.
I hear ya. But as far as I can tell, this thread is merely to point out the 'physical possibilities', not entirely point out who's to blame.
You are absolutely right in saying this is still Apple's fault at the end. I mean, they should have thought of this and done more testing before deciding to release the product. Who knows what went wrong with Apple's process.
Don't get me wrong, Apple to me is one of the most innovative designers in the market. They produce some of the most elegant products. I have had about 7 Apple products in my lifetime, all of them without defects and are still working as they should. Apple just needs to resolve this as quickly as possible to retain customer satisfaction and diffuse doubts.
Personally, I am speculating for the lemons of others since my own machine is not affected. But that said, even if it is a result of damage in shipping it is of course 100% Apple's fault. They chose to use those couriers and are responsible to repair/replace every single lemon.
Bye.
After trying to ignore the color variations and yellow stains in my browser window and other apps for more than a week, I decided I couldn't live with it. Sorry, but a $2400 system shouldn't require you to compromise and accept a flaw that you notice every time you use it.
I contacted Apple for a replacement and shipped the week 6 system back yesterday. Not holding my breath that the replacement will be better--particularly if shipping damage is the problem, but here's hoping.
Kavik - How was the replacement?
I think your analysis makes sense, but then again I read another thread with a theory just as plausible. This person claims that it has more to do with the patented technology than the assembly interacting with the packaging.
See here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/872918/
Anyway, even after an ambiguous admittance by Apple claiming they "addressed" the issues, we STILL have reports of defective screens up to week 11.
Will this problem EVER be fixed?
So many are waiting patiently to switch from PC to iMac, yet there are so many complaints still being lodged against the iMac. Now that it appears some are seeing less yellow, a new problem has cropped up. Namely, grey bands appearing along the length of the screeen.
I think your analysis makes sense, but then again I read another thread with a theory just as plausible. This person claims that it has more to do with the patented technology than the assembly interacting with the packaging.
See here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/872918/
Anyway, even after an ambiguous admittance by Apple claiming they "addressed" the issues, we STILL have reports of defective screens up to week 11.
Will this problem EVER be fixed?
So many are waiting patiently to switch from PC to iMac, yet there are so many complaints still being lodged against the iMac. Now that it appears some are seeing less yellow, a new problem has cropped up. Namely, grey bands appearing along the length of the screeen.
The replacement week 8 was *better* but not perfect by any stretch. There were still alternating columns and patches of different tint/color temperature which were clearly noticable. It also had some body damage and worse backlight bleed than my first iMac. Needless to say I sent it back.
btw, I started that thread as well
As I said in that post, I'm not confident that Apple is going to resolve this easily or at all without a redesign of the iMac. The fault is not with LG's LCD but Apple's LED backlight design for the LCD display which is an integral structural component of the unit. If it were an easy manufacturing or procedural fix, they would have implemented it months ago.
For myself, I'm personally less concerned over a minor top to bottom gradient then I am about blotches and patches of different color temperature all over the display, which was the case with the two iMacs I had. To me, it mars the whole experience of a premium product when you notice "stains" every time you open a window.
Just received my 27" iMac i7 yesterday. It came with the white apple box with handle, packaged inside of a brown box via fed ex express. the brown box showed no signs of stess, no tears, no dents and almost looked like a new brown box. Screen looks great, passed yellow tinge test and gray bar test.....also quite as a mouse......
I receive alot of packages from both UPS and Fed-Ex at my work and this box looked good.....
I receive alot of packages from both UPS and Fed-Ex at my work and this box looked good.....
btw, I started that thread as well
Yikes!
My bad for not noticing.
Both good threads nonetheless. I do believe you're genuinely onto something here. Unfortunately, I do believe its true that Apple can't do much to resolve this problem in the short-term and ALL iMacs will tend to have some degree of yellow tint.
Apple has basically given consumers an ulitmatum. To placate you, they will honor a one time screen repalcement. If you don';t like it, return it for a refund or live with it. That seems to be their stance asto how they "addressed" it.
Very unfortunate. If they went with a better quality screen and bumped up the rpice a tad, they would still have had plenty of takers. Plenty. And they wouldn't be plauged with this defective screen nonsense.
Changing the production line would be like turning a massive sea vessel 180 degrees.