iMac 27 - black spots

[timriggins]

Hi.

Today I noticed black spots on the right side (top corner) of the screen (three months iMac 27 - C2D). What is this? Does anyone had a similar problem?

Photo: http://img690.imageshack.us/i/plamy.jpg/

[Maserati7200]

The 27" iMacs have wide-spread display problems, you aren't the only one. We have many threads about this...

[timriggins]

@Maserati7200
I know about flickering and yellow tinge issues... but I haven't heard about black spots in new models:/

[SaSaSushi]

Maserati's comments were absolutely not helpful.

That's the first time I've ever seen that. It's impossible to tell from the picture which is also a little blurry, but are those spots on the panel itself under the glass? I'm assuming you already tried cleaning the glass in that area. :)

If so it's definitely a defect, or dirt and you should send it in to Apple for service.

[timriggins]

@SaSaSushi
Yes, it's under the glass.

Thanks.

[HLdan]

You might want to take the glass off and see if it's smoke built up on the underside. You can place 2-4 suction cups on the glass faceplate and gently, but firmly, pull the glass off and see if cleaning it and the screen makes a difference. If not then you should give Apple a call.

[SaSaSushi]

While it is easy enough to pop the glass panel off the iMac for cleaning I would actually caution against it. The panel is a dust magnet. Apple does this in dust-controlled rooms with silicon rollers as you can see in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frfzESC-ahM). If you do, then I always say you should turn off any heaters or coolers, close vents and put a damp towel under the door and wait 30 minutes for dust to settle.

The glass and panel are both dust magnets. When a single particle of dust gets between the panel and the glass it resembles a stuck pixel that sparkles. The 27 inch glass panel is a large surface to clean.

I wouldn't use any cleaning products on the back of the glass panel either. Remember, this is making direct contact with the LCD panel. Ideally, the special Apple silicon rollers should be used for this operation for best results.

[i7QuadCoreMania]

While it is easy enough to pop the glass panel off the iMac for cleaning I would actually caution against it. The panel is a dust magnet. Apple does this in dust-controlled rooms with silicon rollers as you can


Popping it open with suction cups and using an air duster is pretty much a no brainer. Just don't crack it open and leave it open for a long time.

Speaking from personal experience, it a lot harder for dust to settle if you keep it vertical.

Having said that, if you don't feel confident doing this then leave it to the pros.;)

[jodr]

Hey, kudos to Apple for at least taking a chance on some little-known display provider out of Central Park, New York, NY.

[Maserati7200]

Maserati's comments were absolutely not helpful.

That's the first time I've ever seen that. It's impossible to tell from the picture which is also a little blurry, but are those spots on the panel itself under the glass? I'm assuming you already tried cleaning the glass in that area. :)

If so it's definitely a defect, or dirt and you should send it in to Apple for service.

just saying to me it looked like uneven backlighting (which goes along with all the backlight problems now). sorry.

[Lear2000]

took my yellow tinted imac in yesterday. They actually replaced it with a new one, but before I left I had them open the new one. A 1 inch black (gaussian blur) black line about 2 inches up from the bottom that stretched across the bottom of the screen. We let it run some vid for a while and it seemed to fade a bit, but I told the 'genius' that I wasn't paying 2 grand for a black line. He looked it up and said new part numbers are in for a replacement screen. I left it there with them to have the new screen installed. This is my first mac, and I am not taking any **** from these guys. This is my 3rd and last mac. The next thing I get from mac will be my money back.
They were helpful, but I did have to get firm a few times. They tried to tell me to take it home and replace it later when they issue is fixed, but he said that the consumer will never know when its fixed, apple won't let that information out. He said to watch the forums and the web for people who have theirs working

[iMac27]

I have the same problem. It seems to have gotten worse over time. They do look like a bunch of dirt stains spread across the display. I've trolled around lots of forums and seen people saying it could be from smoke. I'm a non smoker. My room is not that dusty either. I took the advice of some people and removed the front glass panel and wiped it clean with a Microfiber rag, but I could immediatley see that the stains were on the LCD itself. I gently wiped the area of the screen with the rag with no result. These stains seem to be permanent. Granted I did not want to put that much pressure on the screen. I'm not sure what to do at this point, but it makes my beautiful iMac screen look ugly as sin when theres a white background.

[ankurgupta]

I have been a silent visitor to MacRumors Forums for a quite some time now. I registered today to confirm that I've been facing the uncommon "black spots" problem for over two months now.

I'll cut short my long saga with AppleCare which you can read here (http://smokingapples.com/india/applecare-shucks/) and get to the point.

My Week 47 iMac(21.5) purchased in December developed the black spots problem after three weeks. Apple engineer confirmed the issue and I got the display replaced. All was going well until 3 weeks again after the replacement, the same issue developed again.

Image showing the black spots issue. http://img.ly/qhX
In my case there were black patches(left side) that spread over time.

I'm guessing the issue is related to a design fault in iMac rather than being a display issue as the two displays developed the issue on the same machine. Could be improper airflow leading to heating of the LCD panel, I'm not sure about the cause.

As Apple had run out on 21.5" replacement panels, I am now getting a full replacement shipped from Singapore. So if you are facing the issue, I would suggest you go for a full replacement.

[IndustrialSpace]

Thanks for sharing.

It looks like there is yet another flaw to look out for with the new iMacs. I wonder how widespread it is. Looks like internal electrical smoke. I doubt external smoke would get in like that. Was there a burning or acrid smell accompanying the black blotches?

[ankurgupta]

Thanks for sharing.

It looks like there is yet another flaw to look out for with the new iMacs. I wonder how widespread it is. Looks like internal electrical smoke. I doubt external smoke would get in like that. Was there a burning or acrid smell accompanying the black blotches?

Oh No. Nothing of that sort.

[IndustrialSpace]

Oh No. Nothing of that sort.


I wonder if the smell was contained within the sealed casing. However, it does indeed look like electrical smoke of some sort.

[krizko]

Yeah so I tried to clean mine and this is def permanent on the screen itself. Look how bad it is:

http://i45.tinypic.com/2wh30c1.jpg

Now time to deal with a replacement. Ugh.

[krizko]

Will be taking mine to Apple for this prob, updated my previous post with a pic of mine. This is a crazy, I swore that was just dust or dirt built up under the glass some how when it's not at all. That is permanent damage to the screen.

[BrunoMac]

Had a fairly large black spot on my first iMac, I was advised to take the screen off and clean it, uhhh NO! You should take it back to Apple. I'm on my third iMac and I either have a dead pixel or small dust particle under my screen. For some reason I am keeping it.:confused:

[scroto]

The 27" imac screen is a complete disaster, flickering, yellow tint and now this. These are NOT premium monitors they're junk.

[SaSaSushi]

The 27" imac screen is a complete disaster, flickering, yellow tint and now this. These are NOT premium monitors they're junk.

Oh really?? How is yours? I guess you speak from personal experience with that definitive opinion.

Those black spots do look nasty. If mine ever developed that I'd send it back to Apple for replacement in a hurry.

[IndustrialSpace]

The 27" imac screen is a complete disaster, flickering, yellow tint and now this. These are NOT premium monitors they're junk.


I'm very disappointed in Apple, too.

Why are these monitors so plagued with problems.

Will Apple every fix these issues.

[iMac27]

Just thought I'd give you guys a little update...

I called Applecare on the phone Friday night, and after about 10 minutes of discussion, and him checking if they had any documentation on this problem, he asked me to bring it over to an Apple store.

Upon arrival one of their techs came out and looked at it and said that it looked like a contamination problem.
He went in the back for a bit, came back, and asked me how I would feel about them just switching out the whole computer.

I said that was great with me because I time machined before I came in. He told me this was a problem that Apple wanted to see back at their plants. He then said he was gonna pop the glass open and take a look just to make sure it was in the panel and not the glass. He did, and it was on the panel. So then he goes into the process of typing all the information in, gets to the last step and says "oh.. sorry but this isnt one of the ones they want back. it was made in october 09 and thats not one that qualifies for replacement."

To make this really long story shorter, he ordered the front panel in and their gonna replace that under warranty.. 1 to 2 day repair time. I was hoping for the new one, but all ends well.

[LewisF]

im considering buying one... but all these problems are putting me off, i mean sure theyre fixing them without much hassle.... but driving back and forth to the nearest apple store will be a pain in the ass....

[Jouhne]

Hey guys,

I've got the same problem with my iMac i5 (week 46). Got it since november 25.
Black spots in the upper right corner since 4 weeks and it seems to grown :/
Apart of that, this iMac run perfectly well, no yellowish stuff or flickering.
Time to call AppleCare it seems...

[iMac27]

Another update....
The black spots are starting to come back, AGAIN. They just replaced the panel a few weeks ago and already I can see them. It's something else thats obviously causing this problem. This is beginning to be frustrating. Its not easy to lug this thing back and forth to the mall for them to see it. I hope they replace the whole damn thing. This is what I get for buying this thing when it first came out.

[Norskman]

Yellow tinge
Gray banding
Blotching and imperfections in the image
Black spots in upper or lower corners of display


BAH!

[drambuie]

From the posted pictures, those black blotches look like they could be some kind of mold. The fact that they spread, or spontaneously appear after time, is a characteristic of mold. Mold spore contamination could have been on the panels' front plastic sheets before fabrication.

[SaSaSushi]

Yellow tinge
Gray banding
Blotching and imperfections in the image
Black spots in upper or lower corners of display
BAH!

I don't see a 27" iMac in your signature so is it your MBP with these issues?

My own i7 has none of the above.

From the posted pictures, those black blotches look like they could be some kind of mold.

That's an excellent theory, especially since it is something that appears to develop and worsen over time.

[iMac27]

I just got off the phone with Apple care about the reoccurance of the black spots. I was not at home and the tech could not pull up all of my info for some reason so he gave me some generic answers and told me to call back later.

I told him my main gripe was that I didnt want to have to lug this thing to the mall for them to look at it and then tell me they were going to order the part, and bring it back later. Also, I was concerned that something else is causing this to happen because the new panel was just put in around a month ago.

His answer to me was that they have the ability to come out to my house and do the repair there. That's all well and good except I think the chances of it happening AGAIN are high. The real thing I'm after is a replacement. Is there something I can do to steer them in the direction of replacing my computer without sounding like a jerk?

[WilliamG]

I just got off the phone with Apple care about the reoccurance of the black spots. I was not at home and the tech could not pull up all of my info for some reason so he gave me some generic answers and told me to call back later.

I told him my main gripe was that I didnt want to have to lug this thing to the mall for them to look at it and then tell me they were going to order the part, and bring it back later. Also, I was concerned that something else is causing this to happen because the new panel was just put in around a month ago.

His answer to me was that they have the ability to come out to my house and do the repair there. That's all well and good except I think the chances of it happening AGAIN are high. The real thing I'm after is a replacement. Is there something I can do to steer them in the direction of replacing my computer without sounding like a jerk?

I have to wonder what is going on here. Are you in an area of extreme humidity?

[iMac27]

No I'm not I live in New Jersey, and since November when I bought it, its been pretty calm and cool. Also, I live in a smoke free enviornment.

[natewsmith]

I actually had some MASSIVE burn in problems on my 24". You could actually read text! Even after they replaced the LCD. So they swapped it out for me for this beauty!

I would have them replace the whole thing...

[iMac27]

Took it back to the store tonight. Explained that this was the second time I was back in a month for the same problem and that I'd like to see about getting the mac replaced. The "genius" told me that coincidentally apple resolved the issue with the LCD panels within the last month, (how convenient) and that they can't replace it because its beyond 14 days from the time of purchase.
He went on to say that apple switched the manufacturing company of the panels. So I said are you going to give me the same line when I'm back in a month for the same problem? It got me no where.

Basically I'm getting the shaft again. We'll see how long this one lasts.

[krizko]

I have since had my panel replaced by Apple, and have taken great care since then to make sure its never dusty or gets too hot. I had Windows 7 Boot Camp installed on my iMac when I developed those blotches, and I often noticed when playing games in Windows the computer got massively hot. Thinking this may have caused the black burn on the screen I have not since reinstalled Boot Camp. Just wondering if everybody here who's had this problem happened to be using Boot Camp as well, or some other software that might cause extreme heat.

The problem has not since reoccurred on mine.

[natewsmith]

Call them.. Don't go in I've had such crappy service at the Genius Bar.

[TennisandMusic]

Took it back to the store tonight. Explained that this was the second time I was back in a month for the same problem and that I'd like to see about getting the mac replaced. The "genius" told me that coincidentally apple resolved the issue with the LCD panels within the last month, (how convenient) and that they can't replace it because its beyond 14 days from the time of purchase.
He went on to say that apple switched the manufacturing company of the panels. So I said are you going to give me the same line when I'm back in a month for the same problem? It got me no where.

Basically I'm getting the shaft again. We'll see how long this one lasts.

Well that's a lie. No one but LG makes these things. Too bad that impressions of a company's service can depend sometimes on just one person's actions. I've had pretty good service at the Apple Store's myself.

[Jouhne]

Well now it's enough... this thing is growing so Applecare will come.
I will let you know how it goes.

[Jiten]

Just posting to share with you guys that my brand new 2 month old 27 i7 iMac developed similar problems on the upper left and right of the screen. Perhaps the heat has a denigrating effect on the screen? This one does get much hotter to the touch compared to my C2D iMacs...

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2082/img0224uf.jpg (http://img683.imageshack.us/i/img0224uf.jpg/)

Will be sending this to the shop soon.

[itommyboy]

My 9,1 24" iMac is starting to show signs of this issue. It's not as drastic as the pictures in this thread but it's enough for me to notice, especially when Google or a similar white screen is on display. I've lived with it for a month or so now but fear it's getting worse. Just wanted to throw in my hat in on this issue. This is on the latest 24" from the last gen of iMacs 3.06 Ghz C2D Ati 4850. I'll pull and spray on my own this w/end when I have time but this thread makes me fear replacement {read: a pain in the a$$ hassle and going without my iMac}.

[iMac27]

a small update about mine...

So far so good, they replaced my display a second time in the beginning of the month, and so far no spots. This time frame after the first replacement they were well back and noticable, so hopefully they resolved it.

[Island Dog]

I just discovered these spots last month on my 21" iMac I bought back in November.

It is within one year, and I have AppleCare, is it best to bring it to the "genius" or call someone?

[iMac27]

I would just bring it to apple. Their just gonna tell you on the phone to bring it in anyway.

[MacHamster68]

sorry to you guys first you get yellow tinge then apple is replacing the yellow tinge with a grey bar , then they replace the grey bar with black spots
i guess apple should react now and change the the manufacturer for the screens as soon as possible .. there are other manufacturer of screens out there out there maybe not a glossy , but thats not really a downside if the screen would be less glossy and reflecting

and there is another downside if you ever want to sell your imac in a year or two , i honestly would not recommend anybody to buy a used 27 inch iMac of the first generation

[Jiten]

I know it has been over a month now but I finally sent my unit to an Apple service center. Nope I don't live in the States so no Apple Store here.

I had a short chat with the technicians at the shop and he told me that they still need to have to ask Apple's decision on the replacement. They also told me some worrying news, there was a customer before me who also had the same problem with the same 27 inch iMac and the repair was flat out refused by Apple because of "it was caused by environmental factors such as smoking, humidity etc."

I hope they do not give me the same line as our office is fully air conditioned, no one is permitted to smoke and really clean as a sanitized hospital room. Anyway I'll update whatever happens to my baby.

[Jiten]

I have since had my panel replaced by Apple, and have taken great care since then to make sure its never dusty or gets too hot. I had Windows 7 Boot Camp installed on my iMac when I developed those blotches, and I often noticed when playing games in Windows the computer got massively hot. Thinking this may have caused the black burn on the screen I have not since reinstalled Boot Camp. Just wondering if everybody here who's had this problem happened to be using Boot Camp as well, or some other software that might cause extreme heat.

The problem has not since reoccurred on mine.

Hmm you maybe on to something. I did notice the black spots only right after I let my nephew install and play Dragon Age Origins on my iMac for a couple of days. The game does make my iMac really really hot to the touch (but never beyond 80c). Perhaps it is less caused by dust/humidity but rather the screen burning because of the heat.

[Jiten]

Okay just an update guys. I sent my 27 inch iMac to an official Apple Service Center for repair. The local repair center sent the case description and photos to Apple Asia and it was rejected for warranty repair. The techs at Apple Asia reasoned that it was caused by (you guessed it!) "Environmental Problems such as smoking, extreme humidity etc" which I dispute because, as I said in my other post, not only is our office clean, smoke free and air conditioned 24 hours a day, but in the very same office are older Aluminum iMacs that have been there way before my 27 inch but never developed any screen issues. So I had to call the Asia Applecare hotline to politely ask them to reconsider my repair. They told me that they will review the issue and get back to me in a day or so.

[ryan.hayes79]

I had this problem on my 24" and as they had replaced the screen twice already they swopped for my current 27". This is about 3 months old and am getting the same problem.

I understand that people say the environment makes a difference but this never happened on any of my iMacs before the Aluminium and Glass design. Anybody else got anymore pictures or advice apart from another new screen?

[IndustrialSpace]

Has the source of this black spot been determined?

[ryan.hayes79]

Doesn't seem to be. Seems to be a fair few people on various sites with the problem however.

[Eduardo1971]

Okay just an update guys. I sent my 27 inch iMac to an official Apple Service Center for repair. The local repair center sent the case description and photos to Apple Asia and it was rejected for warranty repair. The techs at Apple Asia reasoned that it was caused by (you guessed it!) "Environmental Problems such as smoking, extreme humidity etc" which I dispute because, as I said in my other post, not only is our office clean, smoke free and air conditioned 24 hours a day, but in the very same office are older Aluminum iMacs that have been there way before my 27 inch but never developed any screen issues. So I had to call the Asia Applecare hotline to politely ask them to reconsider my repair. They told me that they will review the issue and get back to me in a day or so.

Any follow-up to your situation?

[clager]

Apple really surprises me on this one. Actually there are many, many Graphic-artists and photographers all over the globe using the iMac-27, just for the sake of the screen ( Im being one of them).
I had to change mine 3 times as well, luckily I also have an Eizo monitor but still.
All I can say is, once you get a shall we say 90% perfect sample, it is in fact a joy to work with and the screen itself is really good.

So whats the next problem on the agenda? burnt out logicboards? explosions?

[iammike1]

Having the same problem with my 21.5" that is about 2 months old. Started noticing the problem about a month after purchase. I'm in Tokyo but it's only now starting to get warm so humidity isn't a factor yet.

Really frustrating and my MBP is perfectly fine despite being taken outdoors repeatedly since last August in Tokyo.

Really don't want to have to take this to an Apple Store. Closest one is about an hour on the train not to mention all the actual carrying of the box between the station and destinations.

[ShStylo]

hey guys

I just noticed a similiar problem on my imac 27 inch last night. I see a little bloch of it in the upper right hand corner. It seems like a lot of other people are getting it in the same corner. What components are behind that corner? CPU? GPU?

I usually don't put a white background up or a window with a white background at that spot so haven't noticed it but I'm sure it wasn't there a week ago. The only thing different I've been doing is playing TF2. So perhaps it is related to some sort of overheating?

Should I be calling Applecare now or wait until it gets worse?

[hpneon]

Hello all,

I had the same issue on both sides of the screen on my 27 inch. Took the iMac back to the Apple store in Brandon, FL. and they decided to just replace the display panel. I watched the genius take the screen cover off and attempt to wipe away the spots. That's when we realized the issue wasn't on the surface of the panel. Just went to pickup my iMac today and its fixed......for now.

The reason why I am posting my experience here is because of what the genius told me via voicemail. This guy had the balls to tell me he smelled a candle inside of the iMac and that's the reason the black spots appeared. Like I would really place an open flame near my $2000 investment on a solid glass desk! Then goes on to say that they performed the replacement and the next time Apple Care wouldn't cover it. I smell bull$h1t! I understand defending your product's reputation, but that's absurd. I told the nice lady that brought out my iMac, but I couldn't remember the fools name and I deleted his message. I guess the rest of you must have a candle lit under your iMacs as well. LOL! I'm a systems admin and I specialize in hardware, but that's one I've never heard nor seen. If you have this issue and live near Brandon, FL. be warned.
:mad:

[hundert]

Black spots usually appear
when iMac is used for gaming or CPU and GPU intensive applications.

Older macs have the same problem.

Do you play games on iMac?

[ShStylo]

Black spots usually appear
when iMac is used for gaming or CPU and GPU intensive applications.

Older macs have the same problem.

Do you play games on iMac?

yes i do... so if that's the case should i just keep using mine since i bought apple care and once it gets worse i'll swap it? no point in keep swapping or replacing panels if i can live with it?

[hundert]

yes i do... so if that's the case should i just keep using mine since i bought apple care and once it gets worse i'll swap it? no point in keep swapping or replacing panels if i can live with it?

You should have went with i5, it produces 10°C less heat.

Yes, continue playing. But, in three years, when they replace for the last time, you will have to stop playing if you want to continue using your mac.


That is sad. Steam came for mac and macs are not designed to handle any heat.

I have a separate Windows machine for gaming.

Downlaod smcFanControl (google). You can regulate fan speed with it.
Be careful, if you turn up the fans all the way up, it will be very loud and it takes a few minutes! time to lower the speed of fans.

And google "Temperature monitor mac", download (from macupdate), start some CPU intensive app and look at temperatures.


To everyone

PEOPLE STOP PLAYING GAMES ON MACS AND STOP RENDERING ON MAC

they are NOT designed for it. Macs have the worst cooling system a computer can have. I have a i7 860 Windows desktop with Noctua U12 cooler and MAXIMUM temp under full load with Lynx it is 55°C, while i7 860 macs go all the way up to 90°C.

We should really sue Apple. It is not hard to make a better coolling system....

I have a i5 iMac, so I don't know how hot i7 is. But it must be much hotter than i5 (76°C) because of HyperThreading.

Playing games on iMac is like shooting with rifle at fighter jets...

[ShStylo]

so basically these are burn marks from overheating then?

would not playing games or doing GPU/CPU intensive activities make the dark spots disappear?

I'm still a little confused at where the spots actually is. Is it on the underside of the glass or actually on the LCD panel itself?

[hundert]

so basically these are burn marks from overheating then?

would not playing games or doing GPU/CPU intensive activities make the dark spots disappear?

I'm still a little confused at where the spots actually is. Is it on the underside of the glass or actually on the LCD panel itself?

No, they do not disappear and you can't wipe them off. I know, it is a disappointment, but the problem is as old as iMacs. There are many threads with the first Alu iMacs from 2007 having these problems.

The heat damaged the screen from behind. I don't know which layer is affected as the heat can easily travel through molecules. It is the actual Screen that is affected.

There is always a possibility that it is something else other than heat. But 99% it is heat, as it was the case on the older Alu iMacs.

Just make sure you extend Apple care, before the 1 year warranty is up.


Upper right corner: Grafics Card Heat. Left to the SuperDriver there is a Square. This is the graphics card. The heat pipes lead the cooler in the top right. The air blows from the bottom right up right and leaves the case through the opening in the back (you can see it as a line on the top in the back of your iMac)
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5418/tlfsqzezwntwkylrhuge.th.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/tlfsqzezwntwkylrhuge.jpg/)


You can touch the upper right corner Alumnium and feel the heat when u r playing. Sadly, engineers at Apple don't seem to be that smart. I am not an engineer but I have an understanding of that the iMacs have very poor inner design to transfer heat. The laptops also have poor cooling. I had 3 macbook pro laptops that died on me (during gaming of course^^ two of them during Left4Dead :D ) But Apple care rules of course.

Poor engineering leads apple to higher investment cost through problems, however not lower stock price, as large investors always get rich on those who suffer :P
They should employ me, and all heat problems will be gone :P

[ShStylo]

wow thanks so much... now i feel educated about my problem...

[TMRaven]

To everyone

PEOPLE STOP PLAYING GAMES ON MACS AND STOP RENDERING ON MAC

they are NOT designed for it. Macs have the worst cooling system a computer can have. I have a i7 860 Windows desktop with Noctua U12 cooler and MAXIMUM temp under full load with Lynx it is 55°C, while i7 860 macs go all the way up to 90°C.

We should really sue Apple. It is not hard to make a better coolling system....

I have a i5 iMac, so I don't know how hot i7 is. But it must be much hotter than i5 (76°C) because of HyperThreading.

Playing games on iMac is like shooting with rifle at fighter jets...

Well for one you're stating the obvious. The design of the iMac does have its limitations when compared to a tower with all sorts of space for airflow inside of it, and space for really big heat spreaders. The dark spots seems more of an isolated problem, it could have been caused by some computers being built less effectively than others-- bad application of thermal paste could be one reason. I've had my i7 iMac for months now, and have underwent hours upon hours of intensive video encoding that maxes out the cpu the whole time. The temp of my i7 never got above 69c before fans started kicking in, and it only took the cpu fan going from 940rpm to 1300 rpm for the cpu to be cooled down to under 60c again. The i7 also idles at 39c on my iMac. I've played demanding games like dirt2 and starcraft2 on the iMac, the gpu has gone up to 75c, but never higher. You can even rev the optical drive fan up to 2-3k rpm and the gpu will never go above 60c.

So I for one don't appreciate acting as if the new iMacs are ticking time bombs, because they're designed well for what Apple chose to limit them as. They run warmer to other computers because of their slim case and really low fan rpms-- Apple choses quiet computers over ultra cool computers. That doesn't mean they're bad on the cooling department though. Keeping internal parts below 30c all the time is fine and dandy, but doesn't really improve lifetime expectancy. Temps of 80c or below for gpu and 70c or below for cpu are perfectly within normal operating temperatures, and you could force them to stay well below that if you forced the fan rpms up to speeds you'd normally see on PC rigs. The new iMacs have pretty good cooling performance, no reason to declare jihad against Apple for the occasional lemons they produce, such as the ones in this thread that are experiencing burn marks on their screens.

[hundert]

It is sad Apple pushes for thinner design. I don't think it would be a problem for an iMac to be thicker. It may even get more stylish, if it did not have that curve in the back. They could have put a bigger cooler, bigger fans, maybe even 120mm fans and so avoid all the problems that people are going to have very very soon.

I am sure soon the graphics cards will begin to fail, screen stains, maybe a cheap DVDs get melted in the SuperDriver.

Video encoding is not as CPU demanding as Rendering (even though the Activity Monitor shows 100%, it is still not 100%). But I think the CPU is not as a big of a problem as GPU. CPU+GPU running together at max at the same time is of course dangerous.

On my old 20 inch I put Arctic Cooling MX2 Thermal paste instead of that white foamy stuff they put in there and temps imrpoved significantly. The only problem for me was to put the glass panel back on without leaving dust behind it.

By the way 70 is maximum what Intel recommends for i7.

I do not agree with you about "pretty good cooling performance" as this "perfomrance" is the worst!!! on the market. I like macs a lot (mainly because of OSX and Final Cut and User experience), but I don't like the hardware.

Where do you live? It gets very hot in Los Angeles in summer...

My temps on my windows machine i7 @ 4000mhz using lynx. I will never reach these temps (of max 66) using normal programs. This was done with Linpak Lynx. Unoverclocked it runs 55°C with Lynx and about 52° when rendering. The other coolest sample I had was 49°C on one core and other 48 47 46 under full load.
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/7734/28903041.th.png (http://img63.imageshack.us/i/28903041.png/) (the screen is from hardwareluxx.de its my screen)

And actually, the coolness is proportional to noise. My PC is more silent than iMac, even when rendering.


For your own sake, use smcFanControl. Raise rpm to the level you don't hear and be happy. I always turn up rpm more before gaming, just to avoid these spots. And yes, they are from heat!

It is a nice machine! I mean, there is a reason i bought it. Except of course that the magic mouse sucks for mudbox or maya or anything else :P I mainly use wacom tablet though

[dekka007]

Here are the marks developing on a weekly basis on the left top side and on the right top side.

Seems to be spreading like a fungus or something similar it is within the LCD itself not the glass. (Glass removed by service centre to check).

Service centre stated they need photograph it and send to Apple to check if it is ok to replace under warranty (5 month old machine).

However they said unlikely as they have had a few like this and Apple has refused the warranty claim saying it's due to the environment i use the machine in...

Which is nonsense its a brand new condo with climate control air conditioning and why is it my Macbook Pro, and my other imac 27" does not have this problem then both of which have been in the same room and therefore environment longer than this new imac 27".

Feel I will have a battle on my hands.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5541/photovji.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/i/photovji.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[golden.hand]

I'm facing the same problem :mad:
they told me they will change it
but I'm afraid it will return back after fixing it
if anyone fixed it,did it show up again?

[velt]

I have the exact same issue. Started noticing a week ago. Got my 27" i5 Imac around Aug, so just about 2 months old. Will it get worse?

[papadimi]

I ve experienced the same screen problems like everyone else here. However I would like to report that the official service provider, named System Graph EPE, for Apple in Athens, Greece where I live totally refuse to replace faulty units. In my case, I brought my 27" intel iMac in their service, they replaced the lcd panel inside with another faulty panel! I complained in writting and I was literally kicked out from their store when I visited a second time!!! The man in charged bullied me by saying "take it and go somewhere else".
Mind, that consumer law in Greece, dictates in specific that the customer has a clear choice to request a refund, replcament or repair while under warranty for any faulty product after initial repair. This is what Apple after-sales services look like in Greece at the moment.
I am now in the middle of a legal dispute and the company that imports apple products, namely iSquare, is doing their best to avoid a refund or replacement. Of course, no word about ethical reimbursement of any kind for the delays or the treatment I received at System Graph. Makes you feel they are doing you a favour they sell you Apple and talking to you! Apple consumers in Greece are simply.. insignificant for Apple.

[IndustrialSpace]

I have the exact same issue. Started noticing a week ago. Got my 27" i5 Imac around Aug, so just about 2 months old. Will it get worse?


In my close to 40 years and in the last 30 of buying electronics, Ive never seen a defect get better. Only worse. Id get a refund or a refund/replacement. Apple is selling off their bad inventory, I think. You should get a newer manufactured one. Be careful, some who have bought NEW iMacs end up with refurbished replacements. It is best to return and get a full refund, in lieu of a repalcement which will be refurbished. It defeats the point of buying "new," and not refurbished from the get-go.

Anyway...


The real question is... WHY HASNT APPLE FIXED THIS???

[maharajaverma]

okay everyone - I got somewhat of an answer for you from a senior tech rep at apple. He said the problem is related to condensation on the panel which develops when you power down the system. Basically he told me that the computer needs to keep warm i.e. stay on all the time. Set the energy preferences to never let the system sleep and put the screen saver on. You can set the display to sleep but not the system. FYI, I have a dual monitor imac setup and my other monitor is the dell U2711 which uses the same panel as the 27 imac. I've NEVER had a problem with it - it's an amazing monitor.

I'm on my second black-spot screen, getting my 3rd panel this week. Applecare is a must for those getting this imac, because of the door to door tech service. Lugging this beast around is no good.

Cheers

[dqpassat]

okay everyone - I got somewhat of an answer for you from a senior tech rep at apple. He said the problem is related to condensation on the panel which develops when you power down the system. Basically he told me that the computer needs to keep warm i.e. stay on all the time. Set the energy preferences to never let the system sleep and put the screen saver on. You can set the display to sleep but not the system. FYI, I have a dual monitor imac setup and my other monitor is the dell U2711 which uses the same panel as the 27 imac. I've NEVER had a problem with it - it's an amazing monitor.
Cheers

My imac 27" is running pretty much 24/7 and the black spots began to appear a few weeks ago. Took it to the apple store last night and genius said they would replace the LCD (5-7 turnaround). He implied that it is due to a smoking environment...well, not in my house. Will report back when LCD is replaced.

[Sabik]

Hello, everyone. I just registered at MacRumors to take part in the discussion.

My story is roughly the same as yours:

bought an iMac 27" in January this year, 3.06 GHz Core 2 Duo. Don't actually remember when, I started noticing these stains, and in August they covered half the screen so I brought the computer to the Apple Store and a technician replaced the display with a brand new one.

Two months ago the stains started to reappear. I called to inform of the situation and next week I'm buying the AppleCare Protection Plan since the black spots (small area at the moment, nonetheless visible) seem to be getting bigger once again.

It's really annoying.

The best part is that I was on the phone with the technician last week and I told him I had read many people on the web complaining of the same problem my iMac is having, to which he said that he had never had anybody came back a second time to have the screen replaced, and that on the web you can find "just about anything"!

I wasn't pleased as you can imagine.

I plan to go to the store next week, buy the freaking, 180-euros AppleCare and start to raise my voice a bit. Replacing the display again would be dumb, the issue would represent itself, I want the entire computer replaced this time.

[Michaelgtrusa]

I think a lawsuit is needed. This would curtail this illegal action.

[YoFromPhilly]

The spots, dark blotches are on mine as well..and growing as of Dec 12th, 2010 Only 3 month old (since i purchased it) - iMac 27 inch QuadCore. My 1st Mac since 1999

Smoke free environment. No gaming, but I do use Adobe CS5, some audio/video editing. Now if that is the cause to overheat the fan and 'burn' the screen. - In some occations from what I read, repeat burning of the repaired/new replacement LCD screen What's the point of me owning this?

Also from my readings, this has been an ongoing problem for well over a year - looks like it hasnt been solved, obviously upgraded when the new iMac came out in July?

Look..no complaints, other than this monitor flaw many are having, this is a great fast computer, I love it..but man this is deflating.

I'll be calling Apple, schedule an appt. to fix this tomorrow.

For the ones that did get this fixed...(Since I am new to this repair thing, Apple Care) how long is a repair job like this take? Any new issues after you got your iMac back?

Thanks in advance
Al

[Sabik]

I got the display replaced in three or four days, pretty quick at least.

May I ask, do you often run Windows using Boot Camp?

[YoFromPhilly]

Thanks, I've been reading here and other forums that 2-4 days seems to be the average time. I'm bringing it into Apple on Wed.

No, I do not run Bootcamp/Windows. I still consider myself an Apple novice, newbie..whatever the new term is these days (lol) . I haven't had much time to look into how BootCamp works. I have 2 PCs right next to the Mac..so I just run those when needed.

[Sabik]

@YoFromPhilly Thanks to you for your reply. Therefore the problem is not due to gaming or Boot Camp ( not exclusively at least ).

I just thought of something. I've been noticing a distorted image that lasts a second or two almost everytime I turn on the computer when the OS is loading. I took some pictures, have a look.

Do any of you also experience something like this by any chance?

[YoFromPhilly]

No, I have never seen that.

*I just restarted my Mac to double check and it did not appear - it went from the white Apple logo - with loading animated circle, to the log in screen.

[arteggio]

I've experienced those distorted images also, but never at startup, I don't think. It wasn't with the new alu iMacs, but an old 20". While I'm not perfectly sure, I believe it was some problem with the graphics, whatever that might really be. It usually happened when I was running something that was intensive on the resources, such as iMovie or DVD-encoding in iDVD.

After turning my 27" iMac off for the first time in a week, I noticed the dark splotches occurring in the top right for the first time. This also happened with the 20" iMac (on both sides!), but it won't be happening with this one. Now I get to deal with Apple and their store two hours away, or have to ship my computer off. I bought this thing pre-college for the sole purpose of working with video and color... :rolleyes:

[YoFromPhilly]

Well, I loaded up the iMac into the car early this morning...carefully covered in a towel - Didn't expect a slight dusting of snow when I woke up, and a wind chill of 5 degrees!, eck. Trekked a little over an hour to my nearest Apple store for 9:45am appt.

From the Apple Genius rep, his reaction when he saw the spots was not a shock at all. He admitted that he is seeing this issue more and more. Asked if my office is humid, that condensation can build up. (Sure, Philly can get humid in the Summer, early fall, but this room is cool at all times, AC is cranking 24/7 when its humid and hot..And again, I have an 8 year old Vaio, 1 year old laptop PC..and a 3 year old Sony TV with LCD screens. Not one issue with humidity, weather changes affecting those)

Kicker is this fix would have taken 1-2 days to replace the screen..BUT since the last 27" LCD is already reserved for another repair, this will take 3-5 days..NOT business days either, which is fine. This could be ready as early as Sat or Sun.

What he did mention..more like a standard disclaimer. That 'condensation is not covered under AppleCare.' Meaning the replacement would cost me $817.31 (670.31 for the LCD, 108.00 for glass panel, 39 bucks for labor) SO...Right now, I owe $0. I just hope they try not to pull some nonsense on me, stating its because of 'humidity' and force me to pay that. I won't be paying that! Monitors should not begin to die after a few months. My TV fine and that is 3 years old.

Pretty obvious this Apple store is seeing the problems..heck they ran out of the new display last night, forced to order more for my repair. I'm sure other Apple stores all over the planet are as well. This whole topic is about an ongoing flaw.

Ah, well. I dont expect a problem with paying this time being that I am a new Apple owner, with the Apple care. I just HOPE I wont have to haul this thing back in Feb or March for the same issue.

[pbjr]

Would you look at this! I just noticed the black spots today and came to here to research it and I found this thread on page 1!

Located on the top and towards the right. I also have the distortion field on boot up as well. No boot camp. I'll post some pictures.

This is a refurb (purchased March 30th) and I've been already living with yellow tint and horrible back light side leakage. Now these black spots!

:mad:

[Fishrrman]

Although I have an older 24" iMac (last of the "white Intels"), I've been following the "display defect" threads as they appear.

There are far, far too many complaints about blotched (dark spots) and "yellow" displays for this to be a matter of "bad eggs" getting through the build process.

Rather, it suggests that something within the existing iMac design is leading to these problems.

There was a very interesting thread a few months' back about a component of the LED display panel (was it a "diffuser screen" or something of that order?) that is fragile and can get knocked out of alignment during the routine handling of shipping -- and thus, the result was the "yellow screens". This seemed unique to the LED backlit displays. I don't recall complaints of this nature with the earlier fluorescent-backlit displays used in the white iMacs.

The "dark spots" and blotches, though, seem to be coming from something else -- not an "inherent defect" with the design of the panel itself, but rather a result of how it is interacting with the other components of the iMac.

I'm going to take a _guess_ that these LED panels tend to be a bit more sensitive to internal heat than their fluorescent-backlit predecessors were. And -- when used in the overly-warm environment that is present inside the iMac by reason of its design constraints -- the heat is literally "getting to" the LED panels.

ASIDE: the reason that the iMacs tend to run on the warm side _is_ a design constraint. Apple could design the iMac run cooler -- MUCH cooler -- but to do so would require larger and _noisier_ fans. And anyone who peruses the MR boards knows how sensitive many Mac users are to ANY noise coming from their iMacs or laptops.

So Apple skimped on the cooling and they're winding up with the unintended consequences that the displays are discoloring on them due to heat.

Just today, we read in the rumors section that updated iMacs are coming in the first half of 2011. I'm wondering if we might see Apple forsake the LED-backlit displays for the time being, and revert to fluorescent displays again, even if it means going back to a 24" panel.

I, for one, would prefer a 24" display that still looks good after a couple years' use, to a 27" panel that goes bad prematurely.

[otispunkmeyer]

Well I've just (today) bought a 27 incher with the CPU upgrade to the i5.

I am now praying to God that this machine doesnt have and wont, over time, show black blotches like the ones in this thread.

Why do apple do it? I mean their products fetch more premium than most, I would expect a little better component selection and design. I would also expect them to have learnt from past mistakes. When I bought my now dead, MBP in 2007 there was all bru-haha over yellowing screen then and now I come back 3 years later and they still have issues with screens? what are they doing over in the design office? sitting on their thumbs!?

By the way, apple care was a spot on purchase with my MBP. Apple spent over £3000 fixing my MBP. Yearly it shat its logic board and other various pieces all over the place. This year it did it just out of warranty. Could of been a number of things, dodgy south african electricity, Windows 7, gaming or GPU based HD video decoding. Heat, it seems, really doesnt play nice with apple computers. Light room routinely had my machine closing in on 100 deg C. I put up with it for some reason, but this time its 3 strikes and my money back.

If they have to repair this iMac 3 times, on the 4th time its going in the shop and Im walking out with money in my pocket.

[timgman]

I was on the verge of ordering an iMac, but this problem has me concerned to make a purchase.

I was planning to add the SSD option to an i7 iMac so was curious if anyone here who has had the black spot issue is running with an SSD? I thought maybe the heat issue would be less using an SSD to running the system/programs.

[Sabik]

I'm on my second display with spots and I don't have a SSD, just a basic HDD.

otispunkmeyer's post makes me think: if you, like me, happen to buy a defective iMac and after two times the screen gets replaced the stains reappear and you grow tired of going back and forward to the Apple Store, what are the requirements to get a total refund? Let's consider you are covered by the Apple Care warranty, can you go to the store, tell them you don't want a defective product, deliver the Mac and get your money back like so? Or even better, can you request a brand new one?

[Michaelgtrusa]

Yellow tint has been a issues for several years now, just not as pronounced as it is now. My 24" has some yellow.

[YoFromPhilly]

Brought it in Wed, Dec. 15. Got the call that its ready for pick up yesterday, Dec 19th. Picked it up a few hours ago. Before leaving that madhouse (place was packed!) Made darn sure the rep at the store that the blotches were gone - they were thank God.

Issue: LCD Display replaced, glass panel was cleaned, no charge under AppleCare. - But NO real explanation as to why it happened. (Different rep today stated "various causes can do this" - smoke, no smokers here, no scented candles as well. Humidity.."Weather changes!?" The one thing that makes sense is the 'overheating' cause.

Nothing that I haven't already read on here.

But overall I'm pretty satisfied with the quick turnaround of the repair. Glad the ordeal is over and done with and I have my Mac back. And pray the issue doesnt happen again, that's all I can hope for.

I suppose the only advice I can give: if you are a new iMac owner, you're contemplating getting one - even those getting one as a Christmas present in 4, 5 days. BUY the APPLE CARE/Make sure it has it already! My final invoice would have been 790 bucks if this wasnt covered.

Thanks for letting me vent on here, your input..it does suck that this is a flaw and inconvenience for us with the iMacs

Happy Holidays, Have a great 2011.
A.C.

[Sabik]

Happy Holidays to you, too. Hopefully you'll never have to write in here again. :D

[Coolguy138]

Hello everyone,

I am going to sharing my experience. I received my iMac i7 in Oct 2010. I noticed a 1 small gray spot 2 weeks after use. Then, in November I noticed the spot had spread like cancer. There were several spots that covered the right upper corner. I went to apple store and the LCD and Power supply were replaced Nov 20 2010. Today I was editing photos and realized the spots were on my new display. They are new as I carefully checked the new LCD when I received it back from the apple store. I haven't really noticed any temperature issues. I know it gets really hot but the temps all seem within range. I am taking it back to the store tomorrow. I am wondering if this is a widespread problem and if my second replacement will break out with this same issue. I take great care of my macs and just want to know if there is any technique to save my new lcd. Other than this problem, I love this thing but its hard to clean photos when the whole top middle of the screen is covered in these gray spots. I will need it for my business and photo editing so it is very in convenient to drag this really heavy mac to the apple store and not have it for a whole week, again.

Please share any info regarding recurrence of the issue after repair and I will definitely update with my results.

Thanks

[steve96815]

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately I discovered today that I'm in the same boat with my 3 months old 21.5" i3. In fact, this is not the first time and I may be able to shed some light on the possible cause, or at least one possible cause.
This is my first iMac in 5 years. I've been using Macbook Pros until September. Before that, I had a 20inch G5 iMac which developed the same problem. The spots looked just like the ones that can be seen in the pictures posted here. Apple exchanged the panel. After about 3 months the spots reappeared. At that point, the iMac was out of warranty. After a lot of reading, I finally came across an iMac owner from Spain who had opened up his machine to investigate and actually managed to remove the spots. It turned out that the spots were actually on the rear panel cover. The areas of the panel that looked like dark spots on the front looked like tarnished metal on the back.. The guy managed to clean them with alcohol. After reassembly, the dark spots were gone.
Since my iMac was out of warranty, I followed the guide he posted and managed to get rid of the spots.
Granted, that was a long time ago, but these spots on the current iMacs look exactly the same. The original thread on Apple's boards still exists, and the cleaning guide (in spanish) is also still online. I can post links if anyone's interested.

[Sabik]

I'm interested.

[steve96815]

Here's the old thread on the Apple boards, back from 2006:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=734800&start=0&tstart=0

The guide I followed can be found here (pdf in spanish):
http://www.macuarium.com/cms/tienda-cafepress/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=0&id=418&func=fileinfo

[Grolsch30]

I have had this also,

On my 4th one now.

Anyone also got the grey tinge at the bottom right/left hand side of the screen on black backgrounds?

[hyteckit]

I just notice the same thing on my 21.5" iMac 2010 model. Had it for about 6 months.

Man, I thought it was just dirt on my screen I could just wipe clean. It might be dirt inside the glass rather than outside. :(

[Sabik]

I have had this also,

On my 4th one now.

Anyone also got the grey tinge at the bottom right/left hand side of the screen on black backgrounds?

You mean the 4th replacement on the same machine? Geez.

That just proves how to keep on replacing the display doesn't solve a damn thing.

Regarding the last question no, I don't seem to have that.

[spcdust]

Just wanted to add that my iMac 27" (late 2009) has recently started to exhibit the black blotches syndrome. Worth adding that it comes from a centrally heated, smoke free, candle free house with no real huge variations between hot and cold and no humidity issues. Also, when I do anything that may cause the GPU or CPU to heat up a little I use SMC Fan Control so the internal temperatures never get ridiculously hot.

[thepominlaw]

my March 2010 base 21.5" iMac has just started to show blotches on the screen, top left and right of the screen. Glad I have just bought applecare.

same as others here house is smoke / candle free and centrally heated. Its also never got hot never been gamed on etc. Just basic WP/Net/Email use.

[Sabik]

A little update:

got my third (!) display a week ago.
Two days ago while watching a movie I notice nasty backlight bleeding coming from the bottom corners and also from the top of the screen.

Called Apple in a very angry mood, they are sending another technician to check this new issue.

I'm very, very disappointed. Three displays, one worse than the other.

[dwarnecke11]

Well for one you're stating the obvious. The design of the iMac does have its limitations when compared to a tower with all sorts of space for airflow inside of it, and space for really big heat spreaders. The dark spots seems more of an isolated problem, it could have been caused by some computers being built less effectively than others-- bad application of thermal paste could be one reason. I've had my i7 iMac for months now, and have underwent hours upon hours of intensive video encoding that maxes out the cpu the whole time. The temp of my i7 never got above 69c before fans started kicking in, and it only took the cpu fan going from 940rpm to 1300 rpm for the cpu to be cooled down to under 60c again. The i7 also idles at 39c on my iMac. I've played demanding games like dirt2 and starcraft2 on the iMac, the gpu has gone up to 75c, but never higher. You can even rev the optical drive fan up to 2-3k rpm and the gpu will never go above 60c.

So I for one don't appreciate acting as if the new iMacs are ticking time bombs, because they're designed well for what Apple chose to limit them as. They run warmer to other computers because of their slim case and really low fan rpms-- Apple choses quiet computers over ultra cool computers. That doesn't mean they're bad on the cooling department though. Keeping internal parts below 30c all the time is fine and dandy, but doesn't really improve lifetime expectancy. Temps of 80c or below for gpu and 70c or below for cpu are perfectly within normal operating temperatures, and you could force them to stay well below that if you forced the fan rpms up to speeds you'd normally see on PC rigs. The new iMacs have pretty good cooling performance, no reason to declare jihad against Apple for the occasional lemons they produce, such as the ones in this thread that are experiencing burn marks on their screens.

Just wanted to say my i7 870 27" shows the same temp/fan behavior. CPU never above 68°C, GPU never above 70°C. No blotches on mine.

[Jiten]

I just want to share. My iMac was a first gen BTO i7 27 inch iMac. I posted my case in another thread in the forums tackling the same problem. When I brought it to the repair shop, the Apple representative told me it was because of humidity but I can still have the screen replaced provided this will be the last one because it was MY FAULT.

Bullcrap! My office has several PC and older iMacs (the white matte ones) and none of them exhibited any smudging that my 27 i7 iMac had - so humidity my butt! So I took the exchange and even got a dehumidifier and placed it besides my iMac to make sure the air is dry. After 6 months of use it seems the smudges are back and starting to build up again. This is a pity, I really love this thing.

I guess you guys are correct. It must have something to do with the heat that burns the LCD. I used my iMac a lot for editing videos, converting the videos to different formats via handbreak and tons of Photoshop - so the iMac works hard and gets hot all the time.

I think this is silly, the i5/i7 iMac was meant to do stuff like this. If I only knew this would happen I would have saved up for a low end Mac Pro and a decent monitor instead.

Just wanted to say my i7 870 27" shows the same temp/fan behavior. CPU never above 68°C, GPU never above 70°C. No blotches on mine.

How long and what kind of work do you do on your i7 iMac? Perhaps the newer versions have tweeks that quietly addressed this issue. TIA

[PadreQuevedo]

People should buy a Mac Pro and an Eizo LED screen if they want to use PS or gaming.

Those glasses on iMacs just make the machine hotter and it's so annoying.

Apple should listen to their customers.

I have a MacBook Pro 17" anti-glare LCD.

[magneat]

Just wanted to add that my iMac 27" (late 2009) has recently started to exhibit the black blotches syndrome. Worth adding that it comes from a centrally heated, smoke free, candle free house with no real huge variations between hot and cold and no humidity issues. Also, when I do anything that may cause the GPU or CPU to heat up a little I use SMC Fan Control so the internal temperatures never get ridiculously hot.

...the problem is related to condensation on the panel which develops when you power down the system. Basically ...the computer needs to keep warm i.e. stay on all the time. Set the energy preferences to never let the system sleep and put the screen saver on. You can set the display to sleep but not the system. FYI, I have a dual monitor imac setup and my other monitor is the dell U2711 which uses the same panel as the 27 imac. I've NEVER had a problem with it - it's an amazing monitor.

I'm on my second black-spot screen, getting my 3rd panel this week.

My imac 27" is running pretty much 24/7 and the black spots began to appear a few weeks ago.
Same thing: in our office we've got Apple Cinema LED display, which due to the tasks has to run 24/7 turned on, Mac Pro has SmcFanControl installed for this display. And display had still developed these black spots! So as several other iMacs. But not all of them, some iMacs run about a year, they get heated pretty well, but are still alive.

Just wondering if everybody here who's had this problem happened to be using Boot Camp as well, or some other software that might cause extreme heat., May I ask, do you often run Windows using Boot Camp? - ...the problem is not due to gaming or Boot Camp
That's true. Our office has maaany computers and monitors, and we only had such problems with Apple monitors and iMacs. The Apple Cinema LED display had the same black spots problem as iMacs do. And that computer had never been used with BootCamp.

PEOPLE STOP PLAYING GAMES ON MACS AND STOP RENDERING ON MAC
they are NOT designed for it. Maybe everyone that is buying 3000$ computer should never take it out of it's shipping box at all, so that it will not get destroyed by use? :D


We should really sue Apple. It is not hard to make a better coolling system.... I think a lawsuit is needed. This would curtail this illegal action.
Now that is some really good idea. This could change the situation. Anybody has an experience in such actions?
I'm sure that :apple: knows about this defect pretty well, but still keeps selling bad displays anyway, saying that it has 100% quality and reliability.

[gmikesell]

I purchased my 27" i5 imac on 2/13/11. It's been 8 days and so far so good. I must have been one of the lucky ones, having an absolutely perfect screen. I've had it on 24x7 and just did all the tests with no problems found. I almost didn't pull the trigger on this but glad I did. Of course, now that the new Macbook Pros are reportedly expected to come out this week I may end up exchanging it for a next gen MacBook. Since I don't seem to have any screen blemishes on this imac, maybe I can sell it for enough to cover the cost of a new 17" MacBook Pro? lol

[Sabik]

I purchased my 27" i5 imac on 2/13/11. It's been 8 days and so far so good. I must have been one of the lucky ones, having an absolutely perfect screen. I've had it on 24x7 and just did all the tests with no problems found. I almost didn't pull the trigger on this but glad I did. Of course, now that the new Macbook Pros are reportedly expected to come out this week I may end up exchanging it for a next gen MacBook. Since I don't seem to have any screen blemishes on this imac, maybe I can sell it for enough to cover the cost of a new 17" MacBook Pro? lol

By perfect screen you mean you also don't have a backlight bleeding issue of any kind on the lower corners of the display, right? Can you please check?

[Jiten]

I purchased my 27" i5 imac on 2/13/11. It's been 8 days and so far so good. I must have been one of the lucky ones, having an absolutely perfect screen. I've had it on 24x7 and just did all the tests with no problems found. I almost didn't pull the trigger on this but glad I did. Of course, now that the new Macbook Pros are reportedly expected to come out this week I may end up exchanging it for a next gen MacBook. Since I don't seem to have any screen blemishes on this imac, maybe I can sell it for enough to cover the cost of a new 17" MacBook Pro? lol

In my experience, it takes usually a few months of use for those gray blemishes/spots to appear.


Same thing: in our office we've got Apple Cinema LED display, which due to the tasks has to run 24/7 turned on, Mac Pro has SmcFanControl installed for this display. And display had still developed these black spots! So as several other iMacs. But not all of them, some iMacs run about a year, they get heated pretty well, but are still alive.


Come to think of it, I also have a older 24 inch ACD that developed the same problems. It was used as a dock to my Macbook Pro. It had its LCD replaced twice in the course of two years. It seems a common problem with the aluminum and glass desktop units. Of course my Macbook Pro do not have this issue.

There is definitely a design flaw in these units.

[HacKage]

I had major black mark issues just before Xmas, took it in to get repaired where they weren't all too happy with doing it. They eventually agree to fix it under warranty and I picked it up just before New Year with a brand new LCD fitted.

Just last week my LCD has started getting the exact same markings on the screen and I'm just a little bit peeved off. I am having to do without a machine for a week each time, and with a supposedly brand new LCD fitted, I have marks on the screen.

I bought this iMac at the end of October, end of December, 2 months later, I start getting the black markings, new LCD fitted. Now, almost exactly 2 months after getting a new LCD fitted I have the exact same problems. Will I need to put up with this every 2 months on a £2000 machine?

[gmikesell]

By perfect screen you mean you also don't have a backlight bleeding issue of any kind on the lower corners of the display, right? Can you please check?

I just tried to check for "light bleed" as you described and yeah, the corners do look a little brighter but it seems like one could tone that down somewhat by adjusting brightness and contrast or something? I'm not worrying much about it as it doesn't bother me and I may be taking it in for an exchange for the new Macbook Pro by this Thursday or Friday.

The fact that these issues aren't being presented until after you've had the imac a couple or three months has me rather concerned about keeping it.

[arteggio]

Here's the old thread on the Apple boards, back from 2006:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=734800&start=0&tstart=0

The guide I followed can be found here (pdf in spanish):
http://www.macuarium.com/cms/tienda-cafepress/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=0&id=418&func=fileinfo

Has no one else tried this, manually cleaning one of the screen's parts? (Is it just because it's in Spanish?)

I'm planning to follow that guide with hopes of success. I might be able to translate it and make an English copy. Maybe.

EDIT: Or, easier yet, let Google Translate do it. Download the PDF then choose 'translate a document'.

[bobr1952]

just saying to me it looked like uneven backlighting (which goes along with all the backlight problems now). sorry.

Well I have to say that's what I thought too when I looked at them. Somewhat uneven backlighting--usually called clouding on the AVS forum which is certainly a rather common occurrence with LED lit LCD screens.

[brokenimac]

in case there is a law suit, i want my experience to be somewhat "documented" with the rest here. i'd purchased my late 2009 27 in. imac i5 refurbished machine from apple.com on april 16, 2010. around late july/early august of 2010 is when the blotches first began. to be honest, i'd initially thought they were part of my background image, appearing as smooth and puffy clouds, but i knew there was a problem when the background changed and the botchy pattern didn't. it has since spread half-way down the left side of my screen, and it is beginning to take root in the top right corner. i wil be bringing the computer to a mac service station either march 2 or 3, and i will report back with whether or not getting the repair is like pulling teeth.

i never game on this system, but i do regularly record and edit audio using Logic 9.

justin

[HacKage]

I have had my faulty LCD replaced twice by them, but not before they accused me of being a smoker, which I'm not, and then saying the can smell nicotine off it, and that it has a yellowish tinge that is in line with smoking. Absolutely shocking customer service, but they did fix it.

[CapitanoFL]

Has no one else tried this, manually cleaning one of the screen's parts? (Is it just because it's in Spanish?)

I'm planning to follow that guide with hopes of success. I might be able to translate it and make an English copy. Maybe.

EDIT: Or, easier yet, let Google Translate do it. Download the PDF then choose 'translate a document'.

We have tried to perform cleaning as steve96815 did, but unfortunately we did not manage to open the LCD panel. The PDF in Spanish refers to older iMac model, it has different screen. I know it is doable and I have tried to contact steve96815 with no response :-(
Please follow our thread about it here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1080001)

[iSayuSay]

So, we can conclude that iMac 27" display is suckish?

Dangg .. i was planning to wait and buy upcoming 2011 iMac, hopefully the 27" in $2000 range

But after all reading here, i become so nervous, this is $2000 computer that should be able to handle anything i throw at home, and supposed to be RELIABLE without fear of something happens whenever you turn on/use your iMac

So what do you think? Should i stick with the iMac? or switch to MBP? MacMini?

My main use will be graphic design, browsing, music library and media center connected to my A/V receiver

I hate returning iMac due to display problem. Maybe i'll get myself Apple Protection Plan along with iMac purchase .. but yeah, you know it sucks to wait for repair/replacement .. even under warranty. It feels like you buy bad things

[iSayuSay]

Sorry .. overpost :(

[Oggy]

It can be cleaned! You have to open the panel and clean dust that is between backlight and the display.

It's not that hard but it takes some guts.

Here's a guide that I made...

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1101370&highlight=there+hope

Oggy

[steve96815]

Has no one else tried this, manually cleaning one of the screen's parts? (Is it just because it's in Spanish?)

I'm planning to follow that guide with hopes of success. I might be able to translate it and make an English copy. Maybe.

EDIT: Or, easier yet, let Google Translate do it. Download the PDF then choose 'translate a document'.

We have tried to perform cleaning as steve96815 did, but unfortunately we did not manage to open the LCD panel. The PDF in Spanish refers to older iMac model, it has different screen. I know it is doable and I have tried to contact steve96815 with no response :-(
Please follow our thread about it here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1080001)

The guide was written years ago and is not very helpful for the current generation of iMacs. As I wrote in my original post, the guide was written for the "black spots" problem on 20" G5 iMacs, and I only posted the links because the spots on the current generation look identical.

I have successfully cleaned a 2010 iMac a couple of weeks ago and believe the issues are related, but not exactly the same. While it appeared to be heat related on the G5 iMacs, this time around dust seems to be the most common cause for the spots. Once I had the panel open, all it took was wiping away the dust with a microfiber cloth. The whole procedure took about 45 minutes. Didn't take pictures, but Oggy posted a good guide, though I recommend you take it to Apple first if your iMac is still under warranty.

The thread on Apple's boards related to this issue is now on page 12 :eek:! It is really ridiculous that they still refuses to acknowledge the issue. Must be costing them quite a bit. They still seem to "repair" affected iMacs by putting in new panels when all it takes is about half an hour and a cloth.

[Gresehover]

I also wanted to document my blotches here, which are in the upper right hand corner of the 27" i7 imac I bought in mid-December 2010. I don't know when I started noticing them, but they have definitely become pronounced recently.

Just to rule out some of the usual suspects:


I don't game or do processor intensive graphics work.
I don't run boot camp.
There has never been a lit candle or cigarette in my home.
I wouldn't say it's dust free, but it's no more dusty than any other apartment, I imagine.
There are no significant humidity/mold issues in my apartment.


Right now I can live with it. I've got AppleCare, and feel like waiting for the time being, and hope that perhaps this issue gets resolved before I have to take it in.

[Andylar]

Does anybody know if the LCD panel is designed differently in the 2011 iMac to stop this happening ?

[inhalexhale1]

Does anybody know if the LCD panel is designed differently in the 2011 iMac to stop this happening ?

Old thread...

But I've been searching and can't seem to find the answer to the question above. All the complaints I have read about are for 2009 and 2010 iMacs/ ACD's. Does this happen on 2011 iMacs?

Is the black smudge issue a given? I was planning on buying one this Christmas, but the amount of threads here, and other places, about this issue are overwhelming....

[NutsNGum]

Does this happen on 2011 iMacs?


It didn't happen on mine, but that's not the say all 2011 iMacs are exempt from the problem.

I would guess two years down the line, it's probably not much of an issue, or you'd probably see a lot more recent posts on the subject.

I wouldn't be too worried.

[dwarnecke11]

I wouldn't be too worried. I bought my 27" iMac in Aug. 2010 and had its display replaced in Dec. 2010 for a glob of dust stuck in the LCD panel itself. The replacement LCD is flawless and to this day has no dust or black smudges.

I try to keep my iMac clean though. Every few days I wipe the top edge of the iMac where dust collects as well as the base of the stand. I like to think this would reduce long-term dust buildup inside the machine.

[Luckymethod]

to make sure Apple does the right thing and helps ALL their customers with this horribly annoying screen defect I started a petition.

http://www.change.org/petitions/customer-support-provide-replacement-for-faulty-screens-in-imacs-from-2009-to-2011

If you have the same problem, or you had it in the past, please help spread awareness of the problem and sign the petition.

Thank you!

[dmcnaugh15]

I have experienced the black smudge screen failure several times. I purchased a 27 inch iMac in November 2010. Within a month I noticed the cloud like grayish black defect. It appeared most prominent during boot up when the screen becomes completely white. I took the computer in, and they replaced the screen, free of charge, under the 1 year manufacturer warranty (no apple care required). When I got the computer back, it was great for a couple of months, then the same problem occurred. Again, I got a replacement screen - no charge. I got the computer back, and the screen failed again within a few months. In addition to the three screen failures, the optical drive on the DVD player failed twice. These five "major component failures" occurred within the first year of purchase, which meets criteria for a replacement unit, which Apple provided. I have had the new iMac it for one month, and sure enough... the black smudge screen failure defect is back!!! This is the fourth time, on two separate units. I have no explanation. My computer sleeps after 1 minute and hibernates after 1 hour. The computer sits in a room at 70 degrees and is not in direct sunlight. If anyone knows more about this problem, please respond.

[ryan.hayes79]

This explains what causes it pretty well:

http://forum.hardmac.com/lofiversion/index.php/t10067.html

[gsmtnbiker]

So, after some research, I found out that ultrasonic humidifiers may to be blame for this problem. I have been experiencing this same issue and have had the screen replaced 3 times and then given a brand new iMac from Apple after the problem kept occurring. After having the replacement for about 8 months with no problems but now that winter has come, utilizing my ultrasonic humidifiers, the problem has crept up yet again.

I'm starting to think this may be a good explanation for this problem. Has anyone else used ultrasonic humidifiers in their home or apartment and then experienced the same problem?

I will flip off my ultrasonic humidifiers, take my iMac back to Apple for yet another replacement screen, then hopefully find out if this was in fact the problem and post my findings here.

I hope the root of this problem is determined soon so others won't have to go thru my same frustrations.