Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Any "yellowing" or "discoloration" on new iMacs?

S

sissified84

macrumors member
Original poster
I am just curious... I know that people argue it was a "non-issue" with the previous generation, however, I saw a number of them with non-uniform coloring. I understand it is an entry-level monitor and it will never be perfect, but any insight to the new model would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
I have new 21.5" iMac

The display looks absolutely perfect to me. Crystal clear and white all around. Looks incredible.

Bought first 2011 iMac in Cincinnati yesterday.

Duffy
 
My brand new 2011 27' iMac suffers a bit from yellow discoloration towards the bottom of the screen, but it isn't nearly as bad as the second iMac I owned back in 2009. I hardly even notice it, but it is still prevalent.
 
I think any possible 'discolouration' may continue as it seems like these are the same exact screens used in the previous iMacs.

Oh well. I cannot wait until my iMac arrives...🙂
 
2011 27" iMac

I just bought my 27" iMac yesterday from a retail store in NYC and am experiencing some yellow discoloration towards the bottom of the screen as well.

This being my first iMac, I am not quite sure how severe it is in comparison to past models. I will probably wait a week or so and see how much i notice it on a day-to-day basis, then take it back and try to get a new one through AppleCare. Waiting to see how the "yellow" issue develops with the new line of iMacs.

Anyone with experience exchanging iMacs with this problem have any input? Thanks!
 
I purchased a new iMac yesterday from the Novi, MI Apple store and mine too has yellow hue to it along the bottom. This is my first iMac and I had no idea of the problem but when I saw it was yellow I came here and found this thread.

Its not enough to bother me and I am blown away by the power of my new desktop!! Bye Bye PC!! 😀
 
My iMac is still in the warehouse, i really hope it does not have the yellow screen issue, due for dispatch no later than Friday...
 
As I have stated before, this it TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. The issue has existed for years now and Apple will not address it.

I will probably be purchasing an iMac anyways but it still worries me. I almost don't even want to give Apple my money for the iMac.

I will be playing the return game until I am satisfied....that is guaranteed.
 
I got the 27-inch 3.1 GHz model yesterday, display looked great but had a dead pixel or two.

I exchanged it for a 3.4 i7 27-inch today and while no dead pixels, it has a yellow hue at the bottom... what a disappointment.
 
I simply cannot believe the yellow screen is still an issue. I understand that percentage wise it is an infinitely small number of people and the vast majority get perfect iMacs, but still there are some that suffer from this.
It will not affect me purchasing a new iMac but I have to admit it was the main reason for me not getting one in 2010 along with the grumbling HDD's. I haven't seen any posts on the HDD noise so I'm guessing that issue has been dealt with effectively.
 
there is no way i would accept paying 1-2g and have some yellow along the bottom of the screen.

i would exchange exchange exchange until i got one i liked...
 
sissified84 said:
I am just curious... I know that people argue it was a "non-issue" with the previous generation, however, I saw a number of them with non-uniform coloring. I understand it is an entry-level monitor and it will never be perfect, but any insight to the new model would be appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Do you really consider the monitor to be entry-level? The 27 inch is equivalent to the Cinema Display, which sells separately for 1000 dollars. 😕

And I also really hope that the yellow tinge/etc is not a prevalent issue in this new generation!
 
techhead42 said:
I simply cannot believe the yellow screen is still an issue. I understand that percentage wise it is an infinitely small number of people and the vast majority get perfect iMacs, but still there are some that suffer from this.
It will not affect me purchasing a new iMac but I have to admit it was the main reason for me not getting one in 2010 along with the grumbling HDD's. I haven't seen any posts on the HDD noise so I'm guessing that issue has been dealt with effectively.
Click to expand...

Hi techhead42!

While I do have a yellow discoloration, as I posted earlier, it really isn't bad enough to affect my overall enjoyment of the system, especially because I only really notice it when I'm on this site. 🙂 As far as the grumbling HDD goes, I'm happy to inform you that all of my previous iMacs had this issue, but this one is absolutely silent!
 
sgfernandez said:
Do you really consider the monitor to be entry-level? The 27 inch is equivalent to the Cinema Display, which sells separately for 1000 dollars. 😕

And I also really hope that the yellow tinge/etc is not a prevalent issue in this new generation!
Click to expand...

Hi sgfernandez,

Eh, there's already several reports of yellow tinting even on these new iMacs, so the issue is still here to stay, unfortunately. I think a reason it doesn't bother me so much is because I noticed my old 21' LCD monitor has the same issues, except the yellow tinting is on both the left and right sides of it.
 
They are exactly the same screen as used previously.

You'll be waiting for a redesign before they rectify the issue, if they bother to at all.

A few people complaining on a forum wont convince Apple to change something that most people dont notice.
 
There are probably several hundred thousand people out there with the 27" model who haven't found problems with it. It's a shame there is the problem, but it's a problem many LG panels supposedly have.

Apple likely got the best price/supply/overall quality from them, so they will continue using them - exchanging the ones that users bring to their attention.
 
I was just at the Apple store, the 21.5 inch I saw looked fine, the 27 inch clearly had yellowing.

Also, it's not the actual panels (Dell uses the same panel on their 27" and its fine), it's the way it's lit apparently.
 
This is the reason I'm sitting here right now, rather than sitting in the car on my way to buy a new iMac.

I bought a Macbook Pro a couple of years ago and love it, it's by far the best laptop I've ever used.

The time is now here when I want to upgrade my aging desktop PC and based on how much I like the Macbook, an iMac is the obvious choice, but reading these forums I'm having doubts.

I'm currently on a 24" Dell Ultrasharp display and when doing tests, I can see very subtle inconsistancies in colour through the screen which I never notice in day to day use. I think the thing that is frustrating here is that there obviously are perfect displays out there, but there seem to be a lot of people making do because the yellowing on their particular screen "isn't that bad". I don't expect the same kind of quality you'd get with a £5000 Eizo monitor, but I do expect the same kind of quality you'd get with another identical iMac!

If I were looking at stand alone monitors and there were reports of one screen with so many problems, I'd stay well clear, but obviously the iMac has other attractions. I like the OS and I like the way everything works so nicely together, I hate myself for saying this, but it also looks far nicer than any other computer on the market! 🙂 That said, I'm not bothered about an all in one device as such, but the MacMini is underpowered for my needs and the MacPro is overkill. I almost wish they had a model inbetween the two so I could just buy that with another display and the issue would go away!

I realise I could return a dodgy screen, but it's pretty awkward having to carry it all back to the Apple store, especially if I find (as some people do) that the replacement is just as bad (or worse!)

So, I suppose I'd love to know if this issue is as widespread as it seems from these forums? I realise people are far more likely to leave comments online when they have a problem with something than if they're happy with it. Are bad screens relatively rare, or are lots of people just 'making do'?

I'd very much like an iMac, but I hate the thought that one of the most expensive things in my house isn't working as it's supposed to.
 
simon567 said:
This is the reason I'm sitting here right now, rather than sitting in the car on my way to buy a new iMac.

I bought a Macbook Pro a couple of years ago and love it, it's by far the best laptop I've ever used.

The time is now here when I want to upgrade my aging desktop PC and based on how much I like the Macbook, an iMac is the obvious choice, but reading these forums I'm having doubts.

I'm currently on a 24" Dell Ultrasharp display and when doing tests, I can see very subtle inconsistancies in colour through the screen which I never notice in day to day use. I think the thing that is frustrating here is that there obviously are perfect displays out there, but there seem to be a lot of people making do because the yellowing on their particular screen "isn't that bad". I don't expect the same kind of quality you'd get with a £5000 Eizo monitor, but I do expect the same kind of quality you'd get with another identical iMac!

If I were looking at stand alone monitors and there were reports of one screen with so many problems, I'd stay well clear, but obviously the iMac has other attractions. I like the OS and I like the way everything works so nicely together, I hate myself for saying this, but it also looks far nicer than any other computer on the market! 🙂 That said, I'm not bothered about an all in one device as such, but the MacMini is underpowered for my needs and the MacPro is overkill. I almost wish they had a model inbetween the two so I could just buy that with another display and the issue would go away!

I realise I could return a dodgy screen, but it's pretty awkward having to carry it all back to the Apple store, especially if I find (as some people do) that the replacement is just as bad (or worse!)

So, I suppose I'd love to know if this issue is as widespread as it seems from these forums? I realise people are far more likely to leave comments online when they have a problem with something than if they're happy with it. Are bad screens relatively rare, or are lots of people just 'making do'?

I'd very much like an iMac, but I hate the thought that one of the most expensive things in my house isn't working as it's supposed to.
Click to expand...

I think in my case, the reason why it doesn't bother me is because the LCD monitor I owned previously had a tint issue, as well, so I'm sort of used to owning monitors with inconsistencies in color. Another reason is because my newly-wed wife (just got married on Wednesday!) said "Well, why don't you just use this one for now, and give this one to me when the new models come out next year?"

How could I refuse the opportunity to buy the 2012 model without any issues? 🙂

I'll be honest though, I think yellow tinting is a pretty common occurrence, and most people that purchase their iMacs never really notice it. If I had never heard about the issue before, or did the screen test myself two years ago, I would probably never notice or care about the slightly "warmer" tone at the bottom of my screen. I think you'd really love an iMac, but my advice is, if you do purchase one from an Apple store, have them open it up for you so you can look at the screen yourself from all angles. While you may not be able to pull up the screen test from right there in the store, you can still load up Finder, and see if you notice a difference yourself. 🙂

Best of luck to you!
 
sissified84 said:
I am just curious... I know that people argue it was a "non-issue" with the previous generation, however, I saw a number of them with non-uniform coloring. I understand it is an entry-level monitor and it will never be perfect, but any insight to the new model would be appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...

I would not call the iMac's display 'entry-level'. The Dell monitor that I use at work on a daily basis would be 'entry-level'. The iMac's display is really way beyond that.
 
I think some discoloration is going to happen with any screen in an all-in-one. I wonder if it is due to the heat of the computer. I've noticed a little yellowing on the left and right sides of my 24" screen. It is not noticeable in day to day use primarily because I'm generally looking at the center of the screen and it is a very slight discoloration in general.

I'm trying to decide between either a $3,000 BTO or the $2,000 basic high end. Screen discoloration issues is definitely a point in favor of not dropping so much money into an all-in-one model.
 
TallManNY said:
I think some discoloration is going to happen with any screen in an all-in-one. I wonder if it is due to the heat of the computer. I've noticed a little yellowing on the left and right sides of my 24" screen. It is not noticeable in day to day use primarily because I'm generally looking at the center of the screen and it is a very slight discoloration in general.

I'm trying to decide between either a $3,000 BTO or the $2,000 basic high end. Screen discoloration issues is definitely a point in favor of not dropping so much money into an all-in-one model.
Click to expand...

I have the same issue with my 24" screen.
 
It's just a phenomenon of a large screen. If I tilt the screen up to far, it looks slightly purple at the top. If I tilt it down, it looks slightly yellow at the bottom. If I look at it absolutely straight on from a distance, it looks (nearly) uniform. The fact that the screen is so large means that it's impossible to look at close up without a perspective shift from one end to the other. If you notice in the threads about yellow tinting, the photographs of the "good" screens are usually angled higher (photographed from a lower perspective) than the "bad" screens.

If you get a chance to test this, when you are looking at a yellow tinted screen, physically move your head down to the tinted section and look at it straight on. The tint disappears.

It's similar to the colour shift of TN panels, but a much more subtle change.

There are also some obviously faulty dim backlight, yellowish screens, but this is a rarer and separate issue. The trouble is, many people are confusing the two factors.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back