Screen Problems (24" iMac) From Which Production Plant?

[Darkroom]

This is a poll for those who have had / do have these problems with their 24" iMac (2008) screens:

1 - Backlight Bleed-out
2 - Color Gradient
3 - Uneven Backlighting

The object of this poll is to understand wether screen issues can be localized to production plants outside of North America (or at least inside China or Czech Republic).

If you don't know where your 24" iMac (2008) is from, you can find out by following THIS LINK (http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html) and having your serial number deciphered.

Image 1 - Screen Bleed-out
Image 2 - Color Gradient (Cool Blue sides, Warm Yellow center)

[gehrbox]

Got one bad one from QP (stuck pixels, left to right uneven lighting, dead pixel).

Got one good one from QP. No notable flaws. Your serial number checker says source for QP is USA.

Both were CTO orders.

[Leon Kowalski]

IMO, you're chasing a ghost. Regardless of where it's assembled,
the 24" LCD panels all come from LG.Philips -- and I suspect they
all are manufactured at the same fab.

If it was an assembly problem, Apple would have fixed it by now;
more likely, it's a component design/technology problem -- which
they don't yet know how to fix.

LK

[Darkroom]

IMO, you're chasing a ghost. Regardless of where it's assembled,
the 24" LCD panels all come from LG.Philips -- and I suspect they
all are manufactured at the same fab.

If it was an assembly problem, Apple would have fixed it by now;
more likely, it's a component design/technology problem -- which
they don't yet know how to fix.

LK

you're probably right, but in the meantime, i really would like to land an iMac without screen issues, since they do exist.

[queshy]

We have 2 24" Alu iMacs at home and they both have a single dead black pixel. No noticeable gradients...

[Darkroom]

We have 2 24" Alu iMacs at home and they both have a single dead black pixel. No noticeable gradients...

are your iMacs aluminum from 2008? if so, from which production plant? i use to own a white iMac (2006) and it had an amazing screen. with all the screen problems being reported on alu iMacs, steve jobs flat out lied by stating that these new iMacs were "upgraded" and "more professional".

also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that reports of iMacs with no gradient or backlight bleed always have one dead pixel? strange...

[queshy]

are your iMacs aluminum from 2008? if so, from which production plant? i use to own a white iMac (2006) and it had an amazing screen. with all the screen problems being reported on alu iMacs, steve jobs flat out lied by stating that these new iMacs were "upgraded" and "more professional".

also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that reports of iMacs with no gradient or backlight bleed always have one dead pixel? strange...

I personally use a white 24" iMac purchased in January 07. The screen is the best I've ever used. Still working just as good as when I got it.

The 2nd 24" alu was purchased yesterday...what's the deal with the factory? How do I check this? Is it serial number dependent?

Glossy does not equal professional, imo.

[SaSaSushi]

IMO, you're chasing a ghost. Regardless of where it's assembled,
the 24" LCD panels all come from LG.Philips -- and I suspect they
all are manufactured at the same fab.

If it was an assembly problem, Apple would have fixed it by now;
more likely, it's a component design/technology problem -- which
they don't yet know how to fix.

LK

I couldn't agree more with this opinion. This problem exists in the panels before they are installed into the machines and is clearly not an assembly issue. They've had close to a year to fix it already and with all the fervor definitely would have done so prior to the latest revision.

[irontony]

I had a serial W8 China Week 10 with color and light gradients
Swapped for a serial YM China Week 16 and the same color and light gradients

I've gone through 6 24" iMac's now ranging from 2007 week 39-44 and now 2008 week 10-16

I was aware of these issues BEFORE all the reports and internet forums so please no one suggest it's in my head. Also I HAVE seen 1 perfectly acceptable 24" iMac so I do believe they're out there. Thats 1 out of 10 - I may get lucky :p

Other than some screen issues with some 24"ers the iMac is great. So quiet, and so much more powerful than my old dual G5.

[andyw2004]

are your iMacs aluminum from 2008? if so, from which production plant? i use to own a white iMac (2006) and it had an amazing screen. with all the screen problems being reported on alu iMacs, steve jobs flat out lied by stating that these new iMacs were "upgraded" and "more professional".

also, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that reports of iMacs with no gradient or backlight bleed always have one dead pixel? strange...

It's just you. My screen has no backlight, bleed or dead pixel issues.

[dantay]

I had a serial W8 China Week 10 with color and light gradients
Swapped for a serial YM China Week 16 and the same color and light gradients

I've gone through 6 24" iMac's now ranging from 2007 week 39-44 and now 2008 week 10-16

I was aware of these issues BEFORE all the reports and internet forums so please no one suggest it's in my head. Also I HAVE seen 1 perfectly acceptable 24" iMac so I do believe they're out there. Thats 1 out of 10 - I may get lucky :p

Other than some screen issues with some 24"ers the iMac is great. So quiet, and so much more powerful than my old dual G5.

I went through 23 units and managed to get a VM820 with a screen thats as far as I can tell perfect so they are out there.....2 other units from that plants week 20 batch are also good....no bleed or noticable gradient :D

[mothman]

Hello,

My 24" 2.8ghz is a W8 week 15 from China.This is my second after returning the first for a couple dead pixels.
This one has the gradient and bleed to a slight degree that doesn't bother me.I had much more problem trying to get a decent 20" model and after several exchanges went with the 24".
Hey i'd like to know who let the gentleman with 23 returns do that.More power to you but I was practically banned from Best Buy for too many imac returns.

[dantay]

Hello,

My 24" 2.8ghz is a W8 week 15 from China.This is my second after returning the first for a couple dead pixels.
This one has the gradient and bleed to a slight degree that doesn't bother me.I had much more problem trying to get a decent 20" model and after several exchanges went with the 24".
Hey i'd like to know who let the gentleman with 23 returns do that.More power to you but I was practically banned from Best Buy for too many imac returns.

I had to use 5 different apple stores and alternate who returned them.....in amongst that lot I had 4 or 5 refunds and started again......most shops will only exchange 2 or 3 and then get funny so you get the refund and start at a new store. Got there in the end and proved that there are good ones out there....this screen is night and day compared to the poop that I went through :D

[DoFoT9]

i have a old 2.8ghz (pre-penryn) imac and personally i dont notice any issues.

i dont know if this is of any help but the screen is immaculate, im not aware where it is from as im not near the computer right now.

[gehrbox]

I had to use 5 different apple stores and alternate who returned them...

I am guessing you live some place like New York, San Fran or LA to have that many Apple stores to choose from.

We have to drive 200 miles to Charlotte to see an Apple store. I guess the plan is for Apple to open a store in my town next year.

Good thing I got a good display the second time around :)

[dantay]

I am guessing you live some place like New York, San Fran or LA to have that many Apple stores to choose from.

We have to drive 200 miles to Charlotte to see an Apple store. I guess the plan is for Apple to open a store in my town next year.

Good thing I got a good display the second time around :)

I'm in the UK....used Cambridge/Bluewater/Lakeside/Kingston Upon Thames/Southampton! I'm on the road a lot with my job so just meant lugging boxes about. It might seem mad.....but I ended up with an iMac i'm happy with so it was (to me) worth the hassle.:D

[Darkroom]

just received my 3rd replacement: they didn't have anything other than W8810 (which were the same as my previous 2) and there was little surprise when i realized that this screen also has the same issues. i'm pretty sure the bleed-out noticed on black screen is much much better on this - very minimal bleed out, but there is defiantly still a cool blue color cast on the left side of the screen.

the "genius" was cool, she was quite helpful and said she'd exchange it no problem. but then i had to speak to the manager... he was a total douche... it was clear he didn't want to accept a machine back to add to his list of refurbs... but whatever on him. i had to insist 3 times that he allow an exchange, while he kept insisting that i send it in for repairs.

i argued:

1. i need my computer 24/7 for work.
2. i rented a car to come here after being told by apple support that i could exchange it, again, for a 2nd time.
3. if the exchange is still bad i can send that in for repair at a local apple repair shop at a later date.

to which he contined to reply:

1. have it repaired now and you won't have to worry about it anymore
(to which i replied: that takes 24-48 hours and i'd have to rent a car again to come pick it up)
2. if you exchange it now there is no guarentee the new one will be any better
(to which i replied: are you saying that the majority of the 24" iMac screens have bleed-out and color casts? [he didn't answer but continued to look smug])

then finally:

3. this is the last time you can exchange it, the next time you will have to send it in for repairs.
(to which i replied: right, that's the plan.)

GOD!!! he was such an idiot...

but on the bright side i got to hang out with a hip lesbian chick who just started working there as a "concierge" (greeter / random helper) for about an hour while she was transferring data from my old computer to this one. she tole me a bunch of fun stories about the Apple Store in Laval. like how in Canada the iPhone isn't yet official and somewhat illegal to own, but at least 5 times a day people will take their jailbroken iPhones into the Apple Store to have them services or to ask questions about them, which of course they can't answer because they haven't been trained for the iPhone.

[dantay]

just received my 3rd replacement: they didn't have anything other than W8810 (which were the same as my previous 2) and there was little surprise when i realized that this screen also has the same issues. i'm pretty sure the bleed-out noticed on black screen is much much better on this - very minimal bleed out, but there is defiantly still a cool blue color cast on the left side of the screen.

the "genius" was cool, she was quite helpful and said she'd exchange it no problem. but then i had to speak to the manager... he was a total douche... it was clear he didn't want to accept a machine back to add to his list of refurbs... but whatever on him. i had to insist 3 times that he allow an exchange, while he kept insisting that i send it in for repairs.

i argued:

1. i need my computer 24/7 for work.
2. i rented a car to come here after being told by apple support that i could exchange it, again, for a 2nd time.
3. if the exchange is still bad i can send that in for repair at a local apple repair shop at a later date.

to which he contined to reply:

1. have it repaired now and you won't have to worry about it anymore
(to which i replied: that takes 24-48 hours and i'd have to rent a car again to come pick it up)
2. if you exchange it now there is no guarentee the new one will be any better
(to which i replied: are you saying that the majority of the 24" iMac screens have bleed-out and color casts? [he didn't answer but continued to look smug])

then finally:

3. this is the last time you can exchange it, the next time you will have to send it in for repairs.
(to which i replied: right, that's the plan.)

GOD!!! he was such an idiot...

but on the bright side i got to hang out with a hip lesbian chick who just started working there as a "concierge" (greeter / random helper) for about an hour while she was transferring data from my old computer to this one. she tole me a bunch of fun stories about the Apple Store in Laval. like how in Canada the iPhone isn't yet official and somewhat illegal to own, but at least 5 times a day people will take their jailbroken iPhones into the Apple Store to have them services or to ask questions about them, which of course they can't answer because they haven't been trained for the iPhone.

Hey Darkroom......its amazing that they can have 13-14 week old units in stock! Sorry you had no luck on this unit.....maybe you dont get VM units in the states or canada and they are only available to the european market? Its hard to swallow a screen with clearly visible defects at this price point and just fob yourself off. I know there are defect free screens out there as I have up close and personal experience of 3 from the same plant of the same week. What is your next plan of attack? I really do feel for all the people out there that have accepted a screen with issues after giving up on getting a good unit.......apple seems to (in my experience with a number of products) have lost the plot QC wise these days. I have had a variety of apple products with basic QC issues ranging from a macbook with random shutdown to a macbook pro with a clump of Chinese man/lady hair trapped under the keyboard assembly during assembly and a selection of macbook air's with fit/finish/screen issues......dust under ipod touch screens etc etc etc. It seems apple are great at marketing and design but pass production onto the cheapest plant available. They seem not to care about the quality of the product bearing there name.....but just how many units they can shift with a returns per sale built into there business plan. Apple sell there products at a premium price (for the specification) and I dont think its unreasonable to expect premium quality. I'm glad I returned so many units and to be honest am surprised that 9 macbook air's and 23 iMacs all registered to the same postal and e-mail address have not flagged something up on there system! look forward to the calls I shall get when the 90 days of apple care are up! Its sad you have to try sooo very hard to find a good apple :apple:

[gehrbox]

but on the bright side i got to hang out with a hip lesbian chick who just started working there as a "concierge" (greeter / random helper) for about an hour while she was transferring data from my old computer to this one.

I wanted to ask about this part of your post, but just don't know where to start :)

[Darkroom]

Hey Darkroom......its amazing that they can have 13-14 week old units in stock! Sorry you had no luck on this unit.....maybe you dont get VM units in the states or canada and they are only available to the european market? Its hard to swallow a screen with clearly visible defects at this price point and just fob yourself off. I know there are defect free screens out there as I have up close and personal experience of 3 from the same plant of the same week. What is your next plan of attack? I really do feel for all the people out there that have accepted a screen with issues after giving up on getting a good unit.......apple seems to (in my experience with a number of products) have lost the plot QC wise these days. I have had a variety of apple products with basic QC issues ranging from a macbook with random shutdown to a macbook pro with a clump of Chinese man/lady hair trapped under the keyboard assembly during assembly and a selection of macbook air's with fit/finish/screen issues......dust under ipod touch screens etc etc etc. It seems apple are great at marketing and design but pass production onto the cheapest plant available. They seem not to care about the quality of the product bearing there name.....but just how many units they can shift with a returns per sale built into there business plan. Apple sell there products at a premium price (for the specification) and I dont think its unreasonable to expect premium quality. I'm glad I returned so many units and to be honest am surprised that 9 macbook air's and 23 iMacs all registered to the same postal and e-mail address have not flagged something up on there system! look forward to the calls I shall get when the 90 days of apple care are up! Its sad you have to try sooo very hard to find a good apple :apple:

tell me about it. i've been using macs since the 90s, and have never had any problems with all of my previous macs.

i guess it's good that the bleed out on the screen is very minimal ("acceptable" :rolleyes: ) but color casts that cause dirty whites are really REALLY ghetto.

i need my computer every day for work, so i'll have to wait until i go on vacation, or leave the city, to send my Mac in to have the screen replaced to a more local repair shop. there is a new flagship Apple Store open up downtown here in montreal this summer, so i might go there - since they would probably be a better/faster repair service than other resellers.

[Leon Kowalski]

That poll tells you NOTHING -- because you forgot to ask which
production plant the problem-free iMacs came from.

LK

[Darkroom]

I wanted to ask about this part of your post, but just don't know where to start :)

she was awesome... way more awesome than the loser manager... i hope she works her way up to (the pretentious) "Genius" status or manager...

That poll tells you NOTHING -- because you forgot to ask which
production plant the problem-free iMacs came from.

LK

i though it would be best to write "Without Screen Problems, My iMac is From X (Please Explain In Forum)." as option 4, instead of listing all the possible production plants... not many people explained in the forum though :o

[SaSaSushi]

I know there are defect free screens out there as I have up close and personal experience of 3 from the same plant of the same week.

I still contend that the manufacturing plant is entirely irrelevant to the quality of the panels. Every plant gets the same panels from the same maker. Maybe the plant where yours was made just got a particularly good batch. Since you said the three good ones you saw were all made in the same week that seems even more likely.

[Darkroom]

i can't remember reading any posts where someone had any problems with screen manufactured in the states either - it seems that the W8 is the ghetto plant that sends out most of the junk.

i mean, this is my 3rd iMac from the same week of production (10) of the same plant (china) and they all varied. my first had a bit of bleedout and a color cast, the 2nd one had lots of bleedout and color cast, and this one basically has very very little bleedout, but has a color cast. so i'm not sure if the production plant isn't 100% fault free and that it's just a bad batch of panels from LJ Phillips.

[hadleydb]

Does the Apple Store let you look at them turned on before you leave the store? I am about to buy one and Dead/Stuck Pixels are my worst nightmare.

[Darkroom]

Does the Apple Store let you look at them turned on before you leave the store? I am about to buy one and Dead/Stuck Pixels are my worst nightmare.

stuck pixels are the least of the iMacs screen problems. and no, they won't let you open box after box in the attempts to find the right one (AKA one without screen issues :rolleyes:)... but rest assured, they look great under the lighting of the apple store, most anyway... i wouldn't worry about dead pixels, if i were you i'd be more concerned with bleed out and color casts.

[hadleydb]

stuck pixels are the least of the iMacs screen problems. and no, they won't let you open box after box in the attempts to find the right one (AKA one without screen issues :rolleyes:)... but rest assured, they look great under the lighting of the apple store, most anyway... i wouldn't worry about dead pixels, if i were you i'd be more concerned with bleed out and color casts.

Bleed out and color casts would be terrible. I agree with you on that. I can see their point in not opening box after box. But to pay $2000.00 plus for a computer and get one with all those problems that would suck. I feel bad for those of you who have had problems. I guess it is like gambling when you walk out with one. I will have to test my luck I guess. Every MacBook Pro and PowerBook I have ever owned have had pixel issues. So that was why I'm scared about those. They aren't a real issue, but they bug me to no end. Thanks for the advice and starting this thread for a heads up.

[gehrbox]

i can't remember reading any posts where someone had any problems with screen manufactured in the states either - it seems that the W8 is the ghetto plant that sends out most of the junk.

My first was a QP (USA) with uneven backlighting left to right and stuck pixels in abundance. My Second is right as rain and it is also a QP.

[SaSaSushi]

Every MacBook Pro and PowerBook I have ever owned have had pixel issues.

Wow! You might need to consult an exorcist or something, that sounds like a dark cloud you're under. :confused: I've had two iMacs, and 2 LCD panel replacements in my current one all without a single dead pixel. My Core Duo 20" did have a single stuck pixel I successfully massaged out though.

[Darkroom]

Wow! You might need to consult an exorcist or something, that sounds like a dark cloud you're under. :confused: I've had two iMacs, and 2 LCD panel replacements in my current one all without a single dead pixel. My Core Duo 20" did have a single stuck pixel I successfully massaged out though.

yeah, i've actually never ever seen an mac with a stuck pixel before either, none of mine, none of my friends or family... actually, i think one friend had a single stuck pixel once, but it went away.

today when i was at the apple store, i saw a woman (i was eavesdropping) who is an illustrator, and she was so excited because she was buying a 30" ACD... big grin on her face, i could feel her excitement... i long for the days when the only thing a mac buyer had to worry about was the unlikely stuck pixel, and i fear the day the ACDs get updated to "better, more professional" displays.

[SaSaSushi]

today when i was at the apple store, i saw a woman (i was eavesdropping) who is an illustrator, and she was so excited because she was buying a 30" ACD... big grin on her face, i could feel her excitement... i long for the days when the only thing a mac buyer had to worry about was the unlikely stuck pixel, and i fear the day the ACDs get updated to "better, more professional" displays.

That day has to be coming soon. What is it now, 3 years since the last ACD update?? Jobs must be planning something huge. I think my next Mac after this iMac will be a Mac Pro and a 30" ACD in 2010.

Gotta start saving now. :confused:

[Darkroom]

That day has to be coming soon. What is it now, 3 years since the last ACD update?? Jobs must be planning something huge. I think my next Mac after this iMac will be a Mac Pro and a 30" ACD in 2010.

Gotta start saving now. :confused:

it's no surprise they haven't updated the ACD... apple is ALL about the iPhone now, and clearly, with the downgrading to cheap flawed panels in the new iMacs (and 6-bit TN in 20") Apple couldn't care less about quality computers anymore. they're your typical "buy low sell high" company, ... they sell premium priced computers with substandard quality and specs, and get away with it because their products look nicer than the competition (and OS X, but i'll leave that one out because i'm not happy with apple now). i will not be one bit surprised if the new ACDs have all the problems the new iMacs have, but apple will probably still keep the same price because they'll improve the physical design of them. that's really when the s*it will hit the fan

[adjones]

I have just ordered my first Mac after looking at them for the last 2.5 years (bought my first house w/ girlfriend in UK, which basically destroyed my cash flow for the last 2 years!) and I am praying that there is nothing wrong with the screen I get. It would be just my luck that after waiting for sooo long I would get a cr@ppy screen :(

[adjones]

Deleted duplicate post

[dantay]

I have just ordered my first Mac after looking at them for the last 2.5 years (bought my first house w/ girlfriend in UK, which basically destroyed my cash flow for the last 2 years!) and I am praying that there is nothing wrong with the screen I get. It would be just my luck that after waiting for sooo long I would get a cr@ppy screen :(

If you can get hold of a VM820 (czech republic week 20) from one of the UK stores I think you may well be ok as I have experiance of 3 of those all with good screens. I would try to avoid a serial number starting with W (china) as they (in my experiance) had by far the worst screen issues and also cosmetic issues (dings and scratches).

[mhnajjar]

If you can get hold of a VM820 (czech republic week 20) from one of the UK stores I think you may well be ok as I have experiance of 3 of those all with good screens. I would try to avoid a serial number starting with W (china) as they (in my experiance) had by far the worst screen issues and also cosmetic issues (dings and scratches).

I got the perfect iMac after two replacements. The first ones were from China but this one is from the US (CA). It is QP week 18.

Hey Dantay, would you please post some pics of your 24th machine so I can check it against mine :D (you can send them on private if you want ;))

[Darkroom]

i just spent hours on the phone with apple care - the agent said he's going to try on monday to ship me a new iMac and have this one shipped back to them. which would be great, because i would probably receive a problem free screen from QP (USA) and wouldn't have to deal with the stupid Apple Store a million years away in Laval. *crossed fingers*

come on lucky number 4!! :p

[mhnajjar]

i just spent hours on the phone with apple care - the agent said he's going to try on monday to ship me a new iMac and have this one shipped back to them. which would be great, because i would probably receive a problem free screen from QP (USA) and wouldn't have to deal with the stupid Apple Store a million years away in Laval. *crossed fingers*

come on lucky number 4!! :p

Actually I got my QP from the store. I asked for it and the guy was :confused: "why the hell is this guy asking for a specific production number" :D

[Darkroom]

Actually I got my QP from the store. I asked for it and the guy was :confused: "why the hell is this guy asking for a specific production number" :D

it's cause most of the apple store employees don't really know much about apple besides what they're trained to know.

[Alloye]

I received a 3.06GHz CTO today with a gorgeous screen. I've been using it for almost six hours and so far haven't detected any unwanted gradients, backlight bleed, or dead/stuck pixels. Its S/N begins with QP824 (USA; 2008, Week 24).

I also have a 2.4GHz retail model from August 2007. It has a pretty good screen as well, although it does suffer from a bit of backlight bleed in the corners along with a very slight left-to-right brightness gradient. Neither problem was bothersome enough to my eyes to warrant an exchange. Its S/N begins with W8732 (China; 2007, Week 32).

[dantay]

I got the perfect iMac after two replacements. The first ones were from China but this one is from the US (CA). It is QP week 18.

Hey Dantay, would you please post some pics of your 24th machine so I can check it against mine :D (you can send them on private if you want ;))


Look through the thread below....pics of my good screen are towards the last page:D

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=477160

[hadleydb]

Wow! You might need to consult an exorcist or something, that sounds like a dark cloud you're under. :confused: I've had two iMacs, and 2 LCD panel replacements in my current one all without a single dead pixel. My Core Duo 20" did have a single stuck pixel I successfully massaged out though.

Yeah I need to think about it before I buy a Macbook or MBP again. But out of all the iMac's i've ever had I have never had a screen issue. So hopefully everything goes okay. I'm tossing the iMac around over a 4 core 2.8 Mac Pro. So the QP seems to be the magic build number?

[NiroNavro]

How bad are the screens on the iMacs? I'm considering a purchase and I was wondering how noticeable these screen issues are.

How easy is it to fix the problems?

What makes these problems different from other PC monitors?

[hadleydb]

Well I'm happy to say I bought my new iMac last night. So far it looks fine. What is the best way to test for the screen problems? I can't see any dead/stuck pixels so far which I'm happy about. :D

[gehrbox]

Well I'm happy to say I bought my new iMac last night. So far it looks fine. What is the best way to test for the screen problems? I can't see any dead/stuck pixels so far which I'm happy about. :D

I used this with success http://www.ekimsw.com/products/lcdtest/

Google stuck pixel and or dead pixel, you will find many references.

[hadleydb]

I used this with success http://www.ekimsw.com/products/lcdtest/

Google stuck pixel and or dead pixel, you will find many references.

Thank you :)

[neoelectronaut]

New 24" 3.06Ghz iMac will be arriving from China probably Friday or Saturday.

First Mac I've owned with a LCD panel. Here's hoping everything goes smoothly.
:o

[neogeo71]

Purchased a refurb last week online form apple. No gradient but backlight bleed in all four corners and a half inch blue line in bottem right corner that comes and goes.

apple is exchanging the unit. If this 2nd refurb has issues, I may ask for a full refund.

i know good ones exist. we have a 2.4ghz 24 inch from February and a 2.8 from May at my workplace. they both have flawless screens (no gradient, no backlight bleed).

would I be better off replacing the unit or having it repaired? are my chances of getting a good screen better if I have apple authorized service center repair it? I hate idea of having a brand new unit repaired out of the box.

Now that I have seen a imac with a beautiful perfect screen like the ones at work, I will accept nothing less. Even from a refurb.

I would like to watch movies and tv from the unit and the backlight bleed on dark scenes and letterboxed images is an annoyance.

[adjones]

I was just wondering if the Order number (not the serial number) gave any indication as to where the machine was coming from?

My order number begins W860xxxxx. Would the W8 mean it comes from China?

[gehrbox]

I was just wondering if the Order number (not the serial number) gave any indication as to where the machine was coming from?

My order number begins W860xxxxx. Would the W8 mean it comes from China?

I don't think so, I received a QP serial iMac and the order number was W37xxxxxx

[SilentCrs]

Maybe I'm blind but I'm not seeing problems with either of the pictures the OP posted. The both look like standard LCDs with standard backlighting. You're never going to get one that's completely uniform, if that's what you're looking for.

Besides, I own a new 24" iMac and the backlighting is head above heels better than some other devices in my home. I have a 47" LCD TV from Toshiba (got it new for a steal) and the backlight is much less uniform. People are too busy watching the gorgeous picture to notice, just as I'm too busy to notice any "problems" with my 24" when I'm using it.

I suppose if I was doing graphics work with it I'd be more concerned -- but not because of the backlighting. I would never think anyone would do serious graphics work on an iMac.

[gskowal]

I`m ordering one tomorrow.. I hope i wont get one with a serial number starting with W. Hope it's the US plant... less complains.. but it also depends on the week produced.. so even if i get a QP it can still be messed up...

[neoelectronaut]

Wait. Mine starts with W. What is supposed to be wrong with it again?

[SaSaSushi]

Wait. Mine starts with W. What is supposed to be wrong with it again?

I suspect if you have to be told what's wrong with it that nothing is. :p

Mine is a W too and has no issues to speak of.

[DHart]

Where and how do you determine where the computer is from? What number do you look at? What number do you ask a salesperson to choose from stock?

I take it those assembled in the USA seem to have the best track record?

[gehrbox]

Where and how do you determine where the computer is from? What number do you look at? What number do you ask a salesperson to choose from stock?

I take it those assembled in the USA seem to have the best track record?

The serial number has the info. First 2 digits indicate the facility, third is the year, 4th and 5th are the week of the year manufactured. W8 is China, QP is USA, etc

Enter the serial number at this site to get a breakdown of what it means:
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html

[citron230]

totally happy with mine. either i am clueless and dont know where to look or mine doesn't have any problem. either way i am happy!!!:D

[gehrbox]

totally happy with mine. either i am clueless and dont know where to look or mine doesn't have any problem. either way i am happy!!!:D

Ignorance is bliss :)

[Kittychan]

Got mine 2 days ago and started with YM ???? (What is that??). Checking on the website, it said Factory: YM (China (Hon Hai = Foxconn) Configured in Czech Republic....

Anyway how can you tell whether your screen is bad? So far I don't notice anything.... Is there anyway to check it properly?

[SaSaSushi]

Anyway how can you tell whether your screen is bad? So far I don't notice anything.... Is there anyway to check it properly?

See message #54 (http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=5695740&postcount=54) above.

[gskowal]

so a person i know works in an apple store and he told me that he does not know anything about screen issues. I wonder is it only the professionals that find those problems and regular people just dont notice it, or is it visible to any eye? I did notice on a 20" screens that a viewing angle is just horrible for anybody trying to do any pro work. That is why i decided to go with 24" even tho i think that screen is a bit too big for me. But if I get a screen with bleeding and gradient issues i`ll be very disappointed.

[gskowal]

Got mine 2 days ago and started with YM ???? (What is that??). Checking on the website, it said Factory: YM (China (Hon Hai = Foxconn) Configured in Czech Republic....

Anyway how can you tell whether your screen is bad? So far I don't notice anything.... Is there anyway to check it properly?

To tell you the truth i think most people dont notice it because they are not paying attention to their screen like that. Once you know what to look for you will notice it right away on screens.

[gehrbox]

so a person i know works in an apple store and he told me that he does not know anything about screen issues. I wonder is it only the professionals that find those problems and regular people just dont notice it, or is it visible to any eye? I did notice on a 20" screens that a viewing angle is just horrible for anybody trying to do any pro work. That is why i decided to go with 24" even tho i think that screen is a bit too big for me. But if I get a screen with bleeding and gradient issues i`ll be very disappointed.

Believe me if you have a significant screen issue you will see it. Pro's are more sensitive.

When I got my first iMac in May, everything looked great until I set a solid black background. I could see a slight unevenness of the back lighting from left to right. Not a big enough deal for me to return it. But when I looked at the screen closely I noted over a hundred stuck pixels distributed all over the screen. Some were red, some blue, some a combination. This was unacceptable to me. I returned it immediately and my replacement is perfect as near as I can tell.

Any user would notice the problems I had and would have chosen to ignore it or replace it.

[gskowal]

Believe me if you have a significant screen issue you will see it. Pro's are more sensitive.

When I got my first iMac in May, everything looked great until I set a solid black background. I could see a slight unevenness of the back lighting from left to right. Not a big enough deal for me to return it. But when I looked at the screen closely I noted over a hundred stuck pixels distributed all over the screen. Some were red, some blue, some a combination. This was unacceptable to me. I returned it immediately and my replacement is perfect as near as I can tell.

Any user would notice the problems I had and would have chosen to ignore it or replace it.

damn your post scared me .. haha over a hundred stuck pixels?? I would have been pretty mad.. spending that much money and having issues is just something crazy to me. I cant believe apple is still releasing such bad screens even after months of complains... To me any computer worth over a $1000 should not have issues like that. I actually see better screens in computers worth less then $1000 in different stores. I got an old DELL screen thats 2 years old and i paid for is $200 and it has no bleeding and no stuck pixels.. how is that? So i guess Imac screens are worth less then $200. lol

[gehrbox]

your post scared me .. haha over a hundred stuck pixels?? I would have been pretty mad.. spending that much money and having issues is just something crazy to me. I cant believe apple is still releasing such bad screens even after months of complains...

Ya, I was upset. I am sure my case was an exception. I've bought a lot of LCD equipped items and this was the first with any issues. It's all better now :)

[kappaman210]

The screen that they use in the 24" iMacs is terrible. The first one that I got had a terrible gradient (week 18, from QP plant) and this one that I have now (week 16 from W8 plant) has stuff under the screen it seems, or maybe some of it is stuck pixels. It also has a gradient and this blatantly obvious yellow color cast in the middle.

Now I have to do another exchange tomorrow or Saturday and hope for the best. It's really a shame, as everything else about the computer is wonderful.

[gskowal]

those of you who got good screens all live in US? Does anybody know how to find out if particular serial numbers are in a store? Store i`m getting my imac only has W8 - which seem to have the most issues. How would i know that some other store has different numbers? damn it..

[gehrbox]

The screen that they use in the 24" iMacs is terrible

Some are, most are not.

[gehrbox]

those of you who got good screens all live in US?

Got good one and bad one in US. Both were QP's.

[gskowal]

Got good one and bad one in US. Both were QP's.

had mine ordered today, will see what i got once it gets here.... i hope its QP not W8... don't really want to wait for another one again and again and again....

[SaSaSushi]

had mine ordered today, will see what i got once it gets here.... i hope its QP not W8... don't really want to wait for another one again and again and again....

How many times do we have to rehash this? The plant where the machines are assembled is irrelevant. LG-Phillips manufactures ALL of the panels in the exact same place and ships them to Apple's various assembly plants around the world.

This obsession with serial numbers and manufacturing plants is comical at this point. There may be good or bad batches of panels but they have nothing to do with where Apple assembles them in machines.

APPLE DOES NOT MAKE THE PANELS!

[gehrbox]

How many times do we have to rehash this?

Dunno. I thought pointing out that I got both good and bad displays from the same plant would indicate that the assembly factory makes no difference in the screen quality.

[SaSaSushi]

Dunno. I thought pointing out that I got both good and bad displays from the same plant would indicate that the assembly factory makes no difference in the screen quality.

Those comments obviously weren't directed at YOU, Bud! :p

[gehrbox]

Those comments obviously weren't directed at YOU, Bud! :p

I know. I was agreeing with you:rolleyes:

[gskowal]

How many times do we have to rehash this? The plant where the machines are assembled is irrelevant. LG-Phillips manufactures ALL of the panels in the exact same place and ships them to Apple's various assembly plants around the world.

This obsession with serial numbers and manufacturing plants is comical at this point. There may be good or bad batches of panels but they have nothing to do with where Apple assembles them in machines.

APPLE DOES NOT MAKE THE PANELS!

ok so since apple does not make the panels it is not their fault then that these screens are so defective? Why wouldn't apple do something about it then if thats LG-Phillips issue? I mean they can obviously blame LG for it and ask them to fix the problem and start shipping good screens to APPLE... Apple must be aware of this issue , since there is so many defective ones. Hard to believe that they wouldnt ask LG to start shipping them good product...

[gehrbox]

ok so since apple does not make the panels it is not their fault then that these screens are so defective? Why wouldn't apple do something about it then if thats LG-Phillips issue? I mean they can obviously blame LG for it and ask them to fix the problem and start shipping good screens to APPLE... Apple must be aware of this issue , since there is so many defective ones. Hard to believe that they wouldnt ask LG to start shipping them good product...

The point being made by SaSaSushi was that it does not matter where the assembly plant is for the iMacs, the screens are the source of the problem and they all come from the same vendor (LG). Whether that vendor gets their finished parts from more then one source is unknown.

I emailed Steve Jobs over the issue and one of his minions called me on the phone to discuss it. I suggest that if you are having problems with your iMac screen quality that you send an email to sjobs@apple.com and detail the problem in a business like manor. Include the machines model, serial number and your phone number. They will call you back within a few days.

It isn't going to change the world, but they will contact you and help resolve the issue. In my case I included in my email that they had already resolved the issue via a new iMac, but that I was concerned that something as bad as my iMac got out the door (hundred plus stuck pixels).

[gskowal]

looks like there is more imacs with screen problems then with none according to this poll... great news... mine is coming tomorrow i`ll let you know how it goes...

[Entopia7]

I just recieved a new CTO 24" 2.8ghz iMac this afternoon that shipped directly from CA. It has a backlight gradient from left to right, light to dark and what looks like a veeeeerrry sliight blueish tint on the right lower corner. Having said that, I have to pay very close attention to even notice either of these shortcomings on anything but a solid fullscreen color.

Interestingly enough, the gradient isn't nearly as bad on black as it is on purple...

After some deliberation, I have decided Ill be keeping my "less than perfect" screen and iMac, because
a) I may get one worse than the one I have now
b) I'm not a professional who works with graphics everyday (and really, who would use an iMac for that in the first place?)
c) I don't feel like the problem is severe enough to warrant a return.

All things considered, the screen is gorgeous while playing games, and the 8800gs really pushes the pixels. I'm very happy with my purchase. I think these screen problems are getting blown out of proportion (unless I just got a very good bad one. Does that make sense?)

[kappaman210]

I just recieved a new CTO 24" 2.8ghz iMac this afternoon that shipped directly from CA. It has a backlight gradient from left to right, light to dark and what looks like a veeeeerrry sliight blueish tint on the right lower corner. Having said that, I have to pay very close attention to even notice either of these shortcomings on anything but a solid fullscreen color.

Interestingly enough, the gradient isn't nearly as bad on black as it is on purple...

After some deliberation, I have decided Ill be keeping my "less than perfect" screen and iMac, because
a) I may get one worse than the one I have now
b) I'm not a professional who works with graphics everyday (and really, who would use an iMac for that in the first place?)
c) I don't feel like the problem is severe enough to warrant a return.

All things considered, the screen is gorgeous while playing games, and the 8800gs really pushes the pixels. I'm very happy with my purchase. I think these screen problems are getting blown out of proportion (unless I just got a very good bad one. Does that make sense?)


If you don't mind me asking, what are the first 5 digits of your serial number?

[DHart]

After some deliberation, I have decided Ill be keeping my "less than perfect" screen and iMac, because

b) I'm not a professional who works with graphics everyday (and really, who would use an iMac for that in the first place?)
c) I don't feel like the problem is severe enough to warrant a return.

I, for one, am a graphics professional (Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom work on many large files all day every day) who would love nothing more than to buy three new 24" 3.06 GHz iMacs for my portrait studio production work. If the screens were as they should be, the 24" 3.06 GHz iMac would be a PERFECT Photoshop machine. I would have parted with thousands of dollars on these very machines by now if I weren't so concerned with getting samples with issues that I just don't have the time to monkey around with.

I'm treading water with 2.0 GHz CoreDuo white 20" iMacs right now and dying to dive into some 3.06 GHz iMacs, but I've been holding off to see if they can rein in the rampant screen problems before buying. Buying low end (4-core) MacPros and 24" NEC H-IPS monitors is a great solution, but at close to TWICE the price of the 3.06 24" iMac! :eek:

If the 24" iMac screen issues don't fade into history soon, I will probably pony up the big bucks for at least one MacPro/NEC 24" solution, but what I REALLY want is three 24" 3.06 GHz iMacs with near perfect screens. That would run me about $6600. The MacPro/NEC 24" solution for three stations would run me about $10,000. BIG difference in cost for little if any real performance gains for the type of work I do (Photoshop/Lightroom editing).

[G-Force]

I've had two iMacs now (third is on it's way :rolleyes:), both from Czech Republic. The first one had a big gradient, the left of the screen was much darker than the right. The second one was just great, no noticeable gradient, but it has other problems unfortunately.

[gskowal]

Got mine yesterday... tiny change in brightnes from left to right(almost unnoticeable ) no backlight problems(i`m happy with that) , 1 stuck pixel, a bit yellowish tint in the middle... I`m not sure if i`ll return it since its really not that bad and i dont want to get a worse one and then keep sending the computer back for hell knows how long.. serial # YM

[Entopia7]

If you don't mind me asking, what are the first 5 digits of your serial number?

Sure, it's QP8270.

[gehrbox]

Mighty quiet in this topic. Guess all the screen problems dried up or nobody is buying iMacs anymore :)

Still no dead or stuck pixels, fans are quiet, no graphic anomalies, no odd noises from the speakers and back lighting looks even with no bleed:)

[G-Force]

Got a new (third) iMac yesterday, 1 stuck pixel (man do I hate those) and a pretty noticeable gradient. Also the right side is very yellowish. So I've asked my money back (as I can't exchange anymore) and will order a new one when I get my money back and hope it's a bit better.

It's from CZ...

[candyman]

My CTO iMac 3.06GHz is in transit right now. I looked up my serial number and it is QP828 so I know it is from the US and was just produced in the past week (week 28 of 2008).

Here's hoping all is well when it arrives early next week!

[gehrbox]

My CTO iMac 3.06GHz is in transit right now. I looked up my serial number and it is QP828 so I know it is from the US and was just produced in the past week (week 28 of 2008).

Here's hoping all is well when it arrives early next week!

Good luck. May the power of MobileMe be with you:)

[Darkroom]

wow, haven't been here in a while... it's pretty sad that it looks like apple hasn't addressed this issue and is still selling defective screens in their new iMacs... maybe they got a good deal from LG :rolleyes:

what a joke... i'm still on my 3rd machine because i couldn't be bothered with exchanging it again - althought it is better than my previous 2, it's far from what it should be... it *STILL* pisses me off that apple clearly couldn't care less about their (once pristine) iMac screens...

i'm defiantly planning on having this screen replaced when i go away around christmas... maybe they'll be finished pawning off their junk screens by then and will actually have one to install that is actually worth the cost of the 24" imac... :mad:

[gskowal]

wow, haven't been here in a while... it's pretty sad that it looks like apple hasn't addressed this issue and is still selling defective screens in their new iMacs... maybe they got a good deal from LG :rolleyes:

what a joke... i'm still on my 3rd machine because i couldn't be bothered with exchanging it again - althought it is better than my previous 2, it's far from what it should be... it *STILL* pisses me off that apple clearly couldn't care less about their (once pristine) iMac screens...

i'm defiantly planning on having this screen replaced when i go away around christmas... maybe they'll be finished pawning off their junk screens by then and will actually have one to install that is actually worth the cost of the 24" imac... :mad:

i agree, i`m pretty annoyed about it as well. First day i got my computer i noticed the yellowish tint in the middle of the screen and a small gradient issue. Thanks to not having any backlight bleeding issue i decided to keep it. But the yellow tint is annoying me a lot. Everytime I switch to gray background its so noticeable i get depressed looking at it.