New iMacs still bad quality control

[mazstar1980]

Just switched my new iMac and it has the dreaded dog whistle, not as pronounced as my previous 3 replacements which were last generation.

I was hoping the new rev would have ironed the atrocious quality control.

I still have yellow discoloration but I can't be bothered. My lady needs a computer and she doesn't want PC. I'll give it a few more days and if I can tolerate the whistle I'll hang on to this one.

At least there is no dead pixels.

[Btom]

Just switched my new iMac and it has the dreaded dog whistle, not as pronounced as my previous 3 replacements which were last generation.

I was hoping the new rev would have ironed the atrocious quality control.

I still have yellow discoloration but I can't be bothered. My lady needs a computer and she doesn't want PC. I'll give it a few more days and if I can tolerate the whistle I'll hang on to this one.

At least there is no dead pixels.

Could we get more details? Is it really the refreshed model? 21.5" or 27"? Is the whistling changing with the brightness adjusted? Could you post a screen picture?

Tom B.

[IndustrialSpace]

It doesn't surprise me that the new iMacs STILL have a yellow tint.

It's a design issue, not a defect. It will be with this generation until they redesign the iMac again. Just my opinion.

[AlexisV]

Weird. My 2007 aluminium iMac has been faultless, as have the white 2006 machines in our office.

[powerbook911]

Weird. My 2007 aluminium iMac has been faultless, as have the white 2006 machines in our office.

I agree. My 2007 aluminum is perfect 3 years on. I don't know if I want a yellow screen.

[Willdta]

thats unfortunate, but not surprising

[Btom]

It doesn't surprise me that the new iMacs STILL have a yellow tint.

It's a design issue, not a defect. It will be with this generation until they redesign the iMac again. Just my opinion.

There was just one new 27" screen picture I had a chance to took at (the yellow tint thread) and this one was very good (not "perfect" mind you, but ~90% of the surface was very uniformly grey), so maybe they did improve something in the design/process. But it is really too early to tell.

Tom B.

[dwarnecke11]

I've watched this issue closely since I experienced it with my i5 Week 45 model, which I returned. It seems Apple switched panels in March when they slowed (or halted) production and since then the issue has been much less severe.

As long as the yellow doesn't "jump out" at me I'm okay with it. It seems newer iMacs have greatly improved uniformity. A perfectly uniform screen doesn't exist at any price level.

I'm more concerned about the "dog whistle" backlight noise. Is this problem confined to 21.5" iMacs or 27" also?

[derbystar16]

Mazstar... I'm sorry to hear that. I bought a new iMac when they were refreshed in October 09' and it had the dreaded dog whistle when adjusting the LED backlight. I went through 5 of them until I got one that wasn't audible.

I would have thought that they fixed that already.

[mazstar1980]

I'm not concerned about the yellow screen tbh...it's definitely warmer on the bottom half and towards the right hand side of the screen.

What is most annoying is the dog whistle, that I cant live with!

[alexxk]

Is your the 21.5 or the 27....

I'm waiting all year long for this refresh to finally get an iMac and I'm already reading people having the same issues they had last year...

Now what??

[eddvedd]

Just switched my new iMac and it has the dreaded dog whistle, not as pronounced as my previous 3 replacements which were last generation.

I was hoping the new rev would have ironed the atrocious quality control.

I still have yellow discoloration but I can't be bothered. My lady needs a computer and she doesn't want PC. I'll give it a few more days and if I can tolerate the whistle I'll hang on to this one.

At least there is no dead pixels.

Sorry to hear this, just got my i7 and it has the same whistle. On a brighter note, the screen looks great (no yellow noticeable to me anyway), and it's incredibly quite (except for the dog whistle of course). Mine's going back to apple, but I have a little more hope this time that my return might be ok because the whistle really seems to be the only thing keeping this one from being perfect.

[mazstar1980]

Forgot to mention mine is 21.5 base model no customisations.

Apple knew about this in the previous rev I can't believe they didn't bother to fix the design.

I'm keen to see if the replacements have same probs.

[powerbook911]

When mine arrives, what can I do to test for the dog whistle? Is there a certain action that brings it out, or is it all the time?

[Mr Freezetag]

When mine arrives, what can I do to test for the dog whistle? Is there a certain action that brings it out, or is it all the time?

What he said

[ceshimm]

When mine arrives, what can I do to test for the dog whistle? Is there a certain action that brings it out, or is it all the time?

same question. how to test out if the screen is normal and do not have any kind of issues mentioned above? going to buy one very soon.

[cspek]

crap, i just ordered mine this afternoon.

[Compile 'em all]

Please report any bugs/issues to apple here http://www.apple.com/feedback/imac.html

Thanks!

[mazstar1980]

When mine arrives, what can I do to test for the dog whistle? Is there a certain action that brings it out, or is it all the time?

There are a few steps I would take to check.

1. Are you in a relatively quiet room? You might have a hard time hearing it if you have music or tv on.

2. Listen out for a high pitched noise coming from the top left hand corner (left if facing screen). If it's there and your ears pick those frequencies, you'll know it.

3. Turn screen brightness to 0 and to maximum, try close your eyes and listen through the levels. Often it will be off at 0 and sometimes max brightness. This may sound weird but where your ears are tilted to can sometimes affect, try and tilt your head toward the screen corner.

4. If it doesn't bother you then thats great but it bother me and lots of people.or you mitt not have it which is great.

[crillz]

The amount of LCD issues in this refresh is way down. way way down. The yellow tinge is still there on some, but I'd say we are talking 15% of the LCDs and not 60-70% like the previous models. Also, in the last model somewhere around 80% had that dark horizontal line running across the screen about an inch from the bottom, this has been cut way way down, it's rare at this point.

[mazstar1980]

The amount of LCD issues in this refresh is way down. way way down. The yellow tinge is still there on some, but I'd say we are talking 15% of the LCDs and not 60-70% like the previous models. Also, in the last model somewhere around 80% had that dark horizontal line running across the screen about an inch from the bottom, this has been cut way way down, it's rare at this point.

They have been out for 3 days, how did you come to this numbers?

[mazstar1980]

Please report any bugs/issues to apple here http://www.apple.com/feedback/imac.html

Thanks!

Do you think its better to call Technical Support and report the matter there or would they record and log it both ways the same?

[Eastend]

They have been out for 3 days, how did you come to this numbers?

LOL, almost spilled my wine on that.

[bigmacman]

They have been out for 3 days, how did you come to this numbers?

Maybe he/she does QC at the factory :D

[IndustrialSpace]

The amount of LCD issues in this refresh is way down. way way down. The yellow tinge is still there on some, but I'd say we are talking 15% of the LCDs and not 60-70% like the previous models. Also, in the last model somewhere around 80% had that dark horizontal line running across the screen about an inch from the bottom, this has been cut way way down, it's rare at this point.


I too have to ask... how are you able to make such an assessment? Do you work for Apple's Return dept. or engineering dept?

[Compile 'em all]

Do you think its better to call Technical Support and report the matter there or would they record and log it both ways the same?

If you have any problem with any Apple product, ALWAYS report it first through the product feedback page. It takes just a few minutes. Rest assured they do read them and they are usually forwarded to engineering.

But to get a replacement you must call.

[IndustrialSpace]

There was just one new 27" screen picture I had a chance to took at (the yellow tint thread) and this one was very good (not "perfect" mind you, but ~90% of the surface was very uniformly grey), so maybe they did improve something in the design/process. But it is really too early to tell.

Tom B.

Thanks!

I usually trust your assessments as you provide empirical analysis via color temps. I really do hope this has been eradicated for the most part.

I'm thinking hard about getting it now that its been refreshed. Perhaps I will wait another week or so, before ordering. Its now or never. I waited out the Rev. A and now we're into the second version. I'm looking forward to buying this overpriced machine. Okay, well not looking forward to buying it, but certainly owning it!

[ejosepha]

In terms of screen quality, yellow issues, grey bars along bottom, and lcd noise, we really need firsthand experiences in sufficient numbers. Looking forward to reading about empirical experiences with this refresh.
thanks

[zedsdead]

My i7 has the yellowing, although I didn't notice until yesterday and I had it since they came out last October. I installed the Magic Trackpad updated and had to restart this and my Macbook Pro, and they happened to be side by side when the restart occurred, and the Macbook Pro had a pure white screen with the Apple logo, but the iMac was much more yellow. I don't notice it in everyday use, so I can't be bothered with the exchange.

This is similar to what is happening with the Macbook Air. Every REV B and C has the line issue on the screen, still not fixed. Although that is something that I could not live with, so after numerous exchanges I went with the Macbook Pro.

I agree that until they order different screens, this will not change. It will be interesting to see if the 27" LED Cinema Display will have the same issue (I suspect that it will).

[ejosepha]

We are trying determine the quality of the refresh Imac that just came out 3 days ago.
But thanks for the report.

[Jamaway]

We are trying determine the quality of the refresh Imac that just came out 3 days ago.
But thanks for the report.

Well I just got my new iMac 21.5 base model.

Slight yellow tinge bottom right hand corner. Annoying.

What's my next move? I need a fully working screen as I'm a photographer, but it is only a slight tinge. It is annoying me already so don't think I'll be able to ignore it.

[Dwhite78]

The amount of LCD issues in this refresh is way down. way way down. The yellow tinge is still there on some, but I'd say we are talking 15% of the LCDs and not 60-70% like the previous models. Also, in the last model somewhere around 80% had that dark horizontal line running across the screen about an inch from the bottom, this has been cut way way down, it's rare at this point.

90% of all statistics in forum posts are made up. ;)

[dwarnecke11]

Well I just got my new iMac 21.5 base model.

Slight yellow tinge bottom right hand corner. Annoying.

What's my next move? I need a fully working screen as I'm a photographer, but it is only a slight tinge. It is annoying me already so don't think I'll be able to ignore it.

Can you see it at a glance or do you have to really look for it? If even your dock icons look jaundiced I'd exchange it.

[Jamaway]

Can you see it at a glance or do you have to really look for it? If even your dock icons look jaundiced I'd exchange it.

I'm looking for it, but there is a difference on the bottom right hand corner compared to the top left if I am looking at a blank white screen.

[frocco]

Damn, does this mean I should buy a MBP?

[Kronie]

The amount of LCD issues in this refresh is way down. way way down. The yellow tinge is still there on some, but I'd say we are talking 15% of the LCDs and not 60-70% like the previous models. Also, in the last model somewhere around 80% had that dark horizontal line running across the screen about an inch from the bottom, this has been cut way way down, it's rare at this point.

I too would love to know your sources on this bold statement.

[Darth.Titan]

90% of all statistics in forum posts are made up. ;)

That's a low estimate I'd say. :D

[Btom]

Thanks!

I usually trust your assessments as you provide empirical analysis via color temps. I really do hope this has been eradicated for the most part.

I'm thinking hard about getting it now that its been refreshed. Perhaps I will wait another week or so, before ordering. Its now or never. I waited out the Rev. A and now we're into the second version. I'm looking forward to buying this overpriced machine. Okay, well not looking forward to buying it, but certainly owning it!

Thanks, but hope you follow the other thread, other pictures of the same screen were not so good (even if I was trying to help :)). Also the whistling screen was reported again. For me it is still wait and see (and I am starting to research alternatives:()...

Tom B.

[Mr Freezetag]

Thanks, but hope you follow the other thread, other pictures of the same screen were not so good (even if I was trying to help :)). Also the whistling screen was reported again. For me it is still wait and see (and I am starting to research alternatives:()...

Tom B.

So you are waiting to make the imac purchase?

And what alternatives are you thinking of? Because I find myself on the same boat here.

Cheers

[stonemann]

Well I just got my new iMac 21.5 base model.

Slight yellow tinge bottom right hand corner. Annoying.


I'm really surprised this is still an issue. Apple have known about it for a while so they must have examined this to see why it arises and how to prevent it. I thought this refresh would be the perfect chance to iron out all the various screen issues with the first generation models.

Anyone have any ideas what is going on? Is this like the iPhone 4 antenna issue - a design limitation we have to live with? Or are these screens just highly prone to defects and we're just playing Russian roulette when we make a purchase?

[DCIFRTHS]

... 2. Listen out for a high pitched noise coming from the top left hand corner (left if facing screen). If it's there and your ears pick those frequencies, you'll know it.

3. Turn screen brightness to 0 and to maximum, try close your eyes and listen through the levels. Often it will be off at 0 and sometimes max brightness. This may sound weird but where your ears are tilted to can sometimes affect, try and tilt your head toward the screen corner. ...



So the whistle is constant when the brightness is set anywhere in between
0 and 100 ? I have returned a few monitors (not Apple brand) because they either buzzed or whistled.

[D'Illusion]

Is the whistling changing with the brightness adjusted?

My 2006 iMac does this, I can't believe they haven't fixed that yet :eek:

[Btom]

So you are waiting to make the imac purchase?

And what alternatives are you thinking of? Because I find myself on the same boat here.

Cheers

1. Bite the bullet, buy an iMac and exchange it as many times as it takes (OK, I'd give up around 10).
2. Get a laptop and a dedicated HDTV;
3. Get a laptop and a quality display (NEC?, Samsung?, entry level LaCie or Eizo?, likely not Apple);
4. Research and get another manufacturer all-in-one (HP? i think Sony?).

Tom B.

[Iamthinking]

Just about every LG monitor I have owned or been in charge of (and that's a fairly large number) has had some issue or another. Usually, within the same model# it's the same issue, which would point to a design/engineering flaw. Some issues were bad (I.e. Horizontal lines across screen) and others were "livable" -ie stuck pixels, uneven brightness, or strange dominant hues.

...My guess is that the second Apple gives up on LG and goes with a more premier-grade company (ie samsung or better) is the second when they will be able to head into less murky waters with repect to displays.

Then again, I am thinking that Jobso likes the parts costs that LG gives him- probably so low that the higher-end manufacturers won't touch the contract. It's the classic 'made in china' dichotomy; you want it cheap, here it is VS yes I want it cheap but I also want it to work!

[mrwonkers]

Damn, does this mean I should buy a MBP?

I went through 3 27" i5 iMacs in the Rev A batch, 2 of which seemed quite promising in the end they all ended up having or developing issues.
Apple were disgusting to deal with overall and would not let me pay the difference to go to a different model other than the iMac which I have now lost all faith in.[THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO HAVE A DIFFERENT MODEL IT WAS EITHER I TAKE A "LIKE FOR LIKE" REPLACEMENT OR NOTHING AT ALL :rolleyes:] In the end I had to sell my 3rd iMac privately and lost a chunk of money because of it. I ended up buying a 17" i7 MacBook Pro which I am happier with. Early reports show some users have the same issues as the Rev A iMacs persisting with their New model iMacs..Hmm...not good. I wish I did not need to use Mac software 4 work otherwise I would never ever support Apple in any way again. Apple has has grown quite massively in size over the last few years unfortunately it seems its customer service and quality control on some lines has gone down the toilet...

If you must buy an Apple through my experience in this instance I would definitely recommend a MacBook Pro over an iMac. If you can afford the 17" MacBook Pro you'll have more input port options via the expresscard slot than the limiting FW800 on the current iMacs. Like really whats the point of all that processing power on the quad or i series iMacs when you have a huge speed bottleneck on the crappy input ports offered. PC motherboards have already started shipping USB 3 on many models as standard, Apple likes to dictate what features it allows its users to have and often cripple their products by doing so. Naughty Naughty Apple :apple:

[aliensporebomb]

You might experience what I did: a perfect machine out of the box with no screen problems, "dog whistle" issues or green liquid spewing out of the superdrive slot (I was making the last one up, I don't know anyone who had that issue).

You have to take a chance in life even if you might experience a bad one at first, returning items is a pain but these are electronic devices produced by people who can make mistakes.

If I found I had any of the issues I'd call it in, get it swapped out and be done with it.

Good luck!

[Mr Freezetag]

Someone like me hearing these bad experiences then a bunch of good experiences, I am making the transition next week once my new credit card comes in to the imac for my first apple.

Now say when I go to the apple store and get my new imac, take it home, find some issues, bring it back, and the process ends up taking me through another 2 imacs and I am still not happy. Will apple let me get a full refund after not supplying me with a quality machine? Or am I stuck with a crap product?

I have no problem biting the bullet here because I want too, but if I'm on imac #3 or #4, I'm sorry I'm going to be fed up and will not want to settle for a computer I am not even satisfied with.

Cheers

[MaskingTape]

I just got my brand new 21.5 i3 today. Guess what, it had to go back within 15 min. Screen was very yellow. Got a replacement, same thing just not as bad. I'm not very happy at the moment. I will use it for a week and see if it changes. I doubt it will though.

[mattnotis]

I was thinking about getting a new iMac within the next month or two and now I'm hesitant about it. Oy!

[iamthedudeman]

Well I was happy with mine. No yellowing whatsoever. Whites were white. But the smudge behind the LCD was quite annoying. Yesterday you could hardly see it. this morning it got twice the size and was darker. Not good.


I was told at the Apple store that it was a "leak'?

So they gave me another one 21.5 i3. We will see. Setting it up now. Already found a piece of something behind the screen but it is at the very edge of the corner of the glass bottom right not on the screen part but by the metal.

A black magic marker fixed that problem. Can't see it now.

It is seriously hard to tell if there is yellowing while looking at it. What do you guy's think?

The pictures are upside I have no idea why?

[powerbook911]

I just got my brand new 21.5 i3 today. Guess what, it had to go back within 15 min. Screen was very yellow. Got a replacement, same thing just not as bad. I'm not very happy at the moment. I will use it for a week and see if it changes. I doubt it will though.

Exactly what I saw, but perhaps even worse on mine.

This is *terrible*. The computer quality isn't matching the display quality, it's awful.

[Knives]

got my 21.5 i3 baseline today...

thankfully after 3 imacs, this one has no dead pixels! :)

with the exception of the noisy seagate HD, everything is perfect!

[Mr Freezetag]

got my 21.5 i3 baseline today...

thankfully after 3 imacs, this one has no dead pixels! :)

with the exception of the noisy seagate HD, everything is perfect!

So you are ok with a computer that has a noisy HD? I wouldn't be...

[iamthedudeman]

Exactly what I saw, but perhaps even worse on mine.

This is *terrible*. The computer quality isn't matching the display quality, it's awful.

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad after seeing his. It looks like somebody pissed in his imac.

Here are mine again. I guess the lighting plays a role. How much who is to say. I have no stuck or dead pixels and don't really notice it.

i may just keep it. I am sick and tired of returning these things. Don't want to put with problems with a PC. But the quality control of Apple is disgusting. Will keep it for a few years and exchange it under applecare and then sell it for a new model or a HP.

[NeuroEmp]

It's very noticeable. Unacceptable for such an expensive machine.
I'm not gonna make my order soon for sure. Really turned off by this reports, what a shame.

[Knives]

So you are ok with a computer that has a noisy HD? I wouldn't be...

all the seagate drives are noisy...it's the way they are.

and it's not like I can order one and ask for a specific hard drive...

[Btom]

I guess I shouldn't feel so bad after seeing his. It looks like somebody pissed in his imac.

Here are mine again. I guess the lighting plays a role. How much who is to say. I have no stuck or dead pixels and don't really notice it.

i may just keep it. I am sick and tired of returning these things. Don't want to put with problems with a PC. But the quality control of Apple is disgusting. Will keep it for a few years and exchange it under applecare and then sell it for a new model or a HP.

Had a quick look. Which exchange it is? Is it a NEW, updated iMac?? Wow! Change, if you have even a little stamina left!

Tom B.

[stonemann]

It's very noticeable. Unacceptable for such an expensive machine.
I'm not gonna make my order soon for sure. Really turned off by this reports, what a shame.

I find it astonishing that this is still an issue. You'd have thought that with this revision Apple engineers would've found a way to fix the yellow tint. What on earth is going on? It suggests that Apple just don't know what is causing it. It shouldn't be a quality control issue after the event. These machines just shouldn't be manufactured with a yellow screen in the first place.

[ceshimm]

i just wondering how can those test lab/individual post their unboxing/review of New iMac on youtube mostly get "good" or "normal" screens and so many members here get problem screens. i do not think they all exchanged for 3 times and "unboxing" a perfect one in front of cam.

I still believe that most screens are not that bad.

[pje65]

Hi, everyone.

I've been lurking around here for months, trying to decide when to replace my increasingly clunky 5 year old 20" G5 PPC iMac. After the update, I decided to buy one. After hearing about all of the screen issues, I deliberately went to the nearby Apple store. They'd assured me I could return it there if there were any problems. With the free ipod (I'm a teacher), it was about the same price anyway. I got the base 27" model with nothing added.

So far, it seems to be absolutely perfect. I can't see a single flaw in the monitor, even after doing that check I found on here. That startup movie looked amazing (any way to make it play again?). On top of that, the computer is virtually silent. My old iMac was getting louder by the day. I couldn't be happier. One thing I did notice is that the monitor is MUCH too bright. I remember someone on here recommended getting Shades. Whoever you are, thanks a lot! It solved the problem instantly. If there are still problems with the 27" imacs, I seem to have avoided them.

In the meantime, I still haven't moved over much from my old computer. I don't have any Firewire cables, but ordered a 1 TB external Firewire drive from Other World Computing. However, I'm not sure I can use their cables. It comes with a 400 to 400 and 800 to 800, but not a 400 to 800. Can I use the 400 to 400 one? I went around at length today looking for a 400 to 800 one locally, but couldn't find one for less than $30. That seemed like a waste of money given that I'm only going to use it once.

Thanks for all of the good advice around here!

Pete

[J&JPolangin]

...looking for a 400 to 800 one locally, but couldn't find one for less than $30. That seemed like a waste of money given that I'm only going to use it once.

Thanks for all of the good advice around here!

Pete

...try www.monoprice.com, you'll have to wait for shipping but the price will be good...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=firewire&x=0&y=0

[LAPTOPODO]

I was thinking about getting a new iMac within the next month or two and now I'm hesitant about it. Oy!

It's quiet scary to read comments here... and buying an expensive iMac and having to cross your fingers and pray for not receiving a lemon...

[geoelectric]

Here are mine again. I guess the lighting plays a role. How much who is to say. I have no stuck or dead pixels and don't really notice it.

You do seem to have what's either spot of crap on the lens or a stuck pixel on your camera CCD though. It's moving around in the pics, but maybe always in the same place on the uncropped ones?

i may just keep it. I am sick and tired of returning these things. Don't want to put with problems with a PC. But the quality control of Apple is disgusting. Will keep it for a few years and exchange it under applecare and then sell it for a new model or a HP.

Eh, I've had crap from every company around, including a Toshiba laptop that started overheating if you blinked it at funny just after the warranty gave out. But even out of the box, I've seen inconsistent screens, weirdly clicky keyboards, and generally a heck of a lot more noise than even a noisy iMac.

I'm annoyed with Apple about what I perceive as a de-emphasizing of Mac quality to divert resources to the iOS devices, but unlikely to wander. I'm still happier with the overall experience than I think I would be with the other makers.

I'm actually finding a positive experience in resetting my expectations. I'm making a clear decision to accept the possibility of flaws--have to accept that with everyone's products, actually. With Apple, the strength is that they will address them, swap stuff repeatedly, try to make you whole, and refund you if they have to. But I think it's a more enjoyable experience if you can shake the idea that the thing will be whisper-quiet, artist-perfect, and pristine in every way. Set a reasonable threshold for quality of experience--swap until you reach it, but once you're there, just enjoy exactly how close to perfect they got.

[Jamaway]

I just got my brand new 21.5 i3 today. Guess what, it had to go back within 15 min. Screen was very yellow. Got a replacement, same thing just not as bad. I'm not very happy at the moment. I will use it for a week and see if it changes. I doubt it will though.

That is exactly what mine looks like - I'm taking it back Tuesday.

[314631]

If pixel perfect display is important to you, you should buy a Mac Pro and pair it with a high-quality IPS display from a manufacturer that specialises in these products. Apple displays are not the best at any price. But if you think Apple is expensive, investigate what you'll pay for a high-end display from Eizo.

[stonemann]

If pixel perfect display is important to you, you should buy a Mac Pro and pair it with a high-quality IPS display from a manufacturer that specialises in these products. Apple displays are not the best at any price. But if you think Apple is expensive, investigate what you'll pay for a high-end display from Eizo.

If Apple manufactured a low-end tower with more power than a Mac Mini I'd be happy to pair it up with a good quality Dell display. But the only option is getting an all-in-one iMac with a risk you'll get a yellow screen or an overpriced MacPro which is too much for most people's needs. Given that an iMac is the sweet-spot for Apple's desktop customers is it too much to ask that Apple find a way to engineer them with a consistent quality screen?

[NeuroEmp]

Yeh exactly, a Mac pro crossed my mind, but it's too expensive and no screen with it.
A i7 macbook pro with 8gb would be enough for me right now, i could connect it to hdtv but it's even more expensive that an imac, plus i might need more ram in the future.

The imac is really the sweet spot, i'm tempted to order one, but this reports are making me even consider buying a new pc instead. Damn you Apple!!!!

[Btom]

If pixel perfect display is important to you, you should buy a Mac Pro and pair it with a high-quality IPS display from a manufacturer that specialises in these products. Apple displays are not the best at any price. But if you think Apple is expensive, investigate what you'll pay for a high-end display from Eizo.

I don't need to use a Mac Pro for photoediting and comparing apples and Apples, the entry level EZIO (S2243WH-BK - 22", 1920x1200) is just $869.00 at B&H.

Tom B.

[TDR]

my story is as follows -

1st: Bought a refurbished 2009 quad core about 3 weeks ago, screen had yellow stains, too pronounced for me to be happy about. Decided to get a refund and wait for updates and buy a new one.

2nd: Bought a new 27" i5 yesterday from KRCS (UK apple dealer), took it home, yellowish screen and obvious grey banding bottom right of the screen.

3rd: Took it back today, got them to test the replacement in the shop - no grey bar, and while I'm not 100% sure the screen is perfect, its more than acceptable and much better than the other two, plus, tbh, by now I'm seeing yellow stains on the back of my eyelids when I try to get to sleep at night.

Yes the hard drive gurgles away a little bit, but that's no biggie.

All in all I'm now a very happy bunny, hurrah!

edit: oh and zero dead pixels btw

2nd edit: and looking back over some of the screen shots ITT mine is pretty flawless actually

[iamthedudeman]

Wow. I give up.

My mac has no less than 10 dead and stuck pixels that developed over the last two days. Ten! WTH?

I went through three refurbs and two new 21.5 i3's over the last month. I have 13 imac's and 4 Mac Pro's at work. I don't really care if they have a few stuck pixels since I don't use them. I know most of them do. Only three have yellowing. And they are all 27 inch models.

Are the 27 inch models better. Or am just unlucky with five, yes five bad models!

I am about ready to give up and go get a HP. My wife does not want a 27 screen. Maybe a Mac Pro, with a 24 cinema display. But I really don't want to spend a thousand or two thousand more for a Mac Pro.

Should I just get the 27, check it in the store and be done with it?

[e5volcano]

Hey guys, haven;t bought my iMac yet, but I plan on buying the higher end 21.5 one...but I hear all this talk about a Yellow tint problem. Personally I have never seen this problem, can someone explain to me what it is and maybe a picture of this yellow tint? Is it really noticeable and does it affect your screen's color greatly?

[f00f]

Hey guys, haven;t bought my iMac yet, but I plan on buying the higher end 21.5 one...but I hear all this talk about a Yellow tint problem. Personally I have never seen this problem, can someone explain to me what it is and maybe a picture of this yellow tint? Is it really noticeable and does it affect your screen's color greatly?

Dude. Seriously. 110 page thread on the yellow tint problem here on MR.

162 page thread at Apple's own discussion forums (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2218213&tstart=0).

[iamthedudeman]

You do seem to have what's either spot of crap on the lens or a stuck pixel on your camera CCD though. It's moving around in the pics, but maybe always in the same place on the uncropped ones?



Eh, I've had crap from every company around, including a Toshiba laptop that started overheating if you blinked it at funny just after the warranty gave out. But even out of the box, I've seen inconsistent screens, weirdly clicky keyboards, and generally a heck of a lot more noise than even a noisy iMac.

I'm annoyed with Apple about what I perceive as a de-emphasizing of Mac quality to divert resources to the iOS devices, but unlikely to wander. I'm still happier with the overall experience than I think I would be with the other makers.

I'm actually finding a positive experience in resetting my expectations. I'm making a clear decision to accept the possibility of flaws--have to accept that with everyone's products, actually. With Apple, the strength is that they will address them, swap stuff repeatedly, try to make you whole, and refund you if they have to. But I think it's a more enjoyable experience if you can shake the idea that the thing will be whisper-quiet, artist-perfect, and pristine in every way. Set a reasonable threshold for quality of experience--swap until you reach it, but once you're there, just enjoy exactly how close to perfect they got.

It's called a mouse pointer. Nothing wrong with my camera. Lol

I think all of us here had put up with everything too such as your self from PC's. That is the reason supposedly we switched to Macs or started using them in the first place.

There is nothing positive with receiving five bad computers.

1st> Chips on the glass screen from the power cord being wrapped around the base and shipped like that. The metal prongs chipped the glass.

2nd>Yellow screen of death. It was a yellow crayon.

3rd> The box came crushed on one side with a cracked screen with the handle torn off the box. It was a complete joke.

4th>new Core i3 21.5. Had what I thought was a speck of dust behind the screen but was actually leaking of the LCD. It got bigger and darker the next day.

5th>No less than 10 dead and stuck pixels on the screen. Most of them in the middle of the screen. A speck of something under the glass on the lower left hand side.

I don't know about you but I expect more from spending $1500.00 on a computer. Nor am I expecting a perfect machine. But a machine that comes broken, crushed, dark yellow screen, Leaking LCD, and over 10 dead or stuck pixels is not acceptable. Nor is just replacing it with something worse a problem fixer and saying sorry. I have lost time and money, something I will not get back let alone the frustration involved is dealing with such a mess over four times. Reinstalling OSX, zeroing out the HD etc. How do I get my hours spend on the phone back or getting the mac ready to ship back?

I never had these amount of problems with HP or Dell. Never. A bad computer here or there but never five in a row. Never that many from one company. Heck I don't think I ever got five total from all the PC's I have owned over the years. Let along five from one company.

You walk into a Apple store and have to look for someone to help you? What the hell is that? Pay another 200.00 and get a 27 if the 21.5's are giving you trouble. Wow, thanks. Nice solution. How about giving me a credit for the 200.00 for all the trouble and time wasted returning and replacing five broken machines. I already have 8 27 machines to choose from at my Office if I wanted one I could simply take one home.

'who wants a PC'. Its a privilege to be able to own a Mac" This what I was told word for word today. They act like i am privileged to own a imac. To just take what we give you and like it. Sorry not here. I am a customer which give you untold thousands. I want compensation for all my trouble. It is a privilege to serve me and have me as a customer not the other way around.

Over the last few years Apple's mindset has changed. Not for the better.

Now I hate PC's hence my putting up this crap from Apple.

It is still ridiculous. If it was just a little bit of yellowing or a stuck pixel or two, who cares. But it is more than that.

I had it up to here. Apple's quality control has gone down hill. LG is making some cheap displays at 21.5 inches.

Stopped at best buy just to look. HP's 25 inch display puts Apples to shame, and it's a cheaper panel. The angles are not as good but the whites are guess what? White. the blacks are Black. It had no yellowing to speak of. Why can't apple consistently put out a good quality screen? They are having trouble with LG, so why use them.

Price. I remember a time Apple used components that were the best, regardless of price. It seems those days are long gone.

[iamthedudeman]

this is looking mighty good right now.
http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=desktops&a1=Category&v1=All-in-One+PCs&series_name=200xt_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/desktops/All-in-One_PCs/200xt_series

[Michaelgtrusa]

I find it astonishing that this is still an issue. You'd have thought that with this revision Apple engineers would've found a way to fix the yellow tint. What on earth is going on? It suggests that Apple just don't know what is causing it. It shouldn't be a quality control issue after the event. These machines just shouldn't be manufactured with a yellow screen in the first place.

Will they admit to it? No and money is too important.

[MacHamster68]

don't expect more from apple as you would expect from dell or other pc makers ,apple is come cheaper in price , some AIO pc's are already more expensive if they offer similar or even less performance
iMac's have become mainstream and popular under windows gamers , so it was only a matter of time before quality control went out of the window to get the numbers out they need to produce

and it started to go out the window since the first gen G5 to the last revision of the i7 had problems , none was problem free
it started with bad capacitors , bad GPU's , bad logicboards , bad displays , bad PSU's .... list includes all major parts inside the iMac really

ok some might argue that all Mac's ever had one or the other problem , and yes that is true , but seeing people exchanging their iMac's up to 7 times, before they get a sort of quality they believe they can" live" with is actually appaling , that would be ok if i would buy a dell AIO for £500 , but not if i spend 3 times the money to get a iMac

and yes my iMac core duo(2006) in the signature is working great , but is by no means a exception , bought and shipped in 2007 , had in its last couple month of apple care every part from logicboard to psu and display replaced , and if you look on ebay for a early core duo you will find quiet a lot which are suspicious to have a logicboard, graphics and/or display problems


for me the only things that speak for buying a iMac is actually only the old white design and OSX

[richpjr]

This is an interesting topic. I purchased one of the first 120Hz Sharp LCD TVs and had it for about a week and thought it looked great. Than I read somewhere on an online forum that a very large number of them had 2 lines running vertical down the the screen that really bugged people. You could really only see it in really dark scenes. Sure enough, after reading about that I went and checked my TV and mine also exhibited this. I had not noticed it at all the first week and after that every single time I turned my TV on my eyes went right to where the two lines were. It bugged me so much, I returned the TV and exchanged it for a different model.

So I have been reading about this yellow tint people are seeing and received my i7 iMac on Monday. I do not notice any tint at all after spending a lot of time this week loading things, watching a couple of movies and most important to me, editing pictures in Photoshop on it. I have not used the test people have been running and frankly, am kind of afraid to. Since nothing is noticeable to me (and I am pretty picky in my photo work) I think I may avoid doing so...

[IndustrialSpace]

This is an interesting topic. I purchased one of the first 120Hz Sharp LCD TVs and had it for about a week and thought it looked great. Than I read somewhere on an online forum that a very large number of them had 2 lines running vertical down the the screen that really bugged people. You could really only see it in really dark scenes. Sure enough, after reading about that I went and checked my TV and mine also exhibited this. I had not noticed it at all the first week and after that every single time I turned my TV on my eyes went right to where the two lines were. It bugged me so much, I returned the TV and exchanged it for a different model.

So I have been reading about this yellow tint people are seeing and received my i7 iMac on Monday. I do not notice any tint at all after spending a lot of time this week loading things, watching a couple of movies and most important to me, editing pictures in Photoshop on it. I have not used the test people have been running and frankly, am kind of afraid to. Since nothing is noticeable to me (and I am pretty picky in my photo work) I think I may avoid doing so...

The more people keep their head in the sand, the easier it is for Apple to continue the jiggery pokery. They have tens of billions of dollars from the sale of defective monitors and it seems many users look the other way, so they dont inconvenience Apple. Apple likes it this way.