Poll: How is your new refresh iMacs ???

[lwien]

Ok, I know that there's an older poll asking these same questions, but I thought it may be a bit more beneficial to us that are looking to get a new iMac to post up a poll just centered around these, regarding the infamous yellow tint issue.

[MaskingTape]

2 down, 2 yellow screens. Hoping the third is the charm when I get some free time to return it.

EDIT - 21.5, base model

[lwien]

2 down, 2 yellow screens. Hoping the third is the charm when I get some free time to return it.

Give it to us by screen size please.

[lwien]

So, so far, the 27's are putting up a perfect score. That's encouraging, for those that want a 27, eh?

[Jamaway]

21.5 base - yellow tint, going back and should have my replacement by Friday so will report back then...

[vrockob]

happy to report no issues, screen is flawless and no noises or whistling of the drives.

2.93GHZ QUAD-CORE INTELCORE I7
4GB 1333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM - 2X2GB
2TB SERIAL ATA DRIVE+256GB SSD
ATI RADEON HD 5750 1GB GDDR5
8X DOUBLE-LAYER SUPERDRIVE
MAGIC MOUSE+MAGIC TRACKPAD
APPLE REMOTE
WL KB & USER'S GUIDE
COUNTRY KIT,IMAC 27-INCH

[mocsharp]

Got 2 imac i3s in the office, one has yellow tint in the middle and 1cm along the right hand side. the other one has yellow towards the bottom and right hand side.

[Pachang]

moar votes please.

[alexxk]

Returned mine today for a full refund

21.5 Core i3 3.2GHZ

Mine had some yellow on the left from bottom up to half of the screen.. and also that annoying high frequency noise when sing brightness anywhere between max and min...

Didn't feel like wasting my time trying another one..

[juicedropsdeuce]

Got 2 imac i3s in the office, one has yellow tint in the middle and 1cm along the right hand side. the other one has yellow towards the bottom and right hand side.

WTF!!! :mad::mad::apple::apple::mad::mad:

[amandaz]

Hi! I posted this on the old thread before I saw this new poll. I'm still not sure how to vote. Would love to see more photos of those who have returned their iMac's due to yellow tint. We did the yellow screen test on our new base 21.5". These are camera shots at close range in a dark room with display set at 50% brightness. I overlaid the extreme right side near the left side for better comparison. Looking at the screen with the naked eye, the right side shows very slight yellow tinting, especially lower corner. It's subtle, and using full brightness fades it considerably, though I can still see it. So, is this worth a trip to the genius bar, in case it might get worse? I could probably live with it at this level, as I'm only a hobbyist with digital photography. What should I put in the poll above if it's not really that bad? My eyes are so tired out now from staring at the screen, that it all looks "dingy" to me -- and yet I'm thrilled to have finally upgraded from our 2004 iMac, so want to focus on the positives. Thanks in advance for any input! I don't trust my opinion on this anymore...

[acousticsz]

My iMac 27" i7 have 1 dead pixel :(

[spiffy05]

I just received my 21.5" i3 3.2ghz computer. Unfortunately, it DOES have the yellow screen issue :(

I'm not sure what to do about this one... sigh. I guess I'll call Apple tomorrow after work and see what happens.

Has anyone else called/had any luck?

[GyroFX]

i'm trying to not look for any dead pixels. hahha

[RAM3Zero]

27" i5 Quad core with track pad, charger, free ipod, printer. So far as I can tell, the screen and peripherals are in perfect condition - no yellow, no noise! I'm just spending time figuring out how to transition from PC (*gag*) to mac.

[Keysmark]

UNBELIEVABLE!

Received my 27" Quad Core 2.8GHZ i5 a couple of hours ago.

I just set it up. Using my "Naked Eye Test", on a blank white background the screen looked perfect to me. No yellow whatsoever, no dark bands, no nothing I could see. This is as far as I am going to test. I looked harder at this screen that at any computer I have ever had before (over 30 years) and I love it.

I will not be taking and sending any pictures; Why would I look for something I can't see?

I hope others are as thrilled as I am.

Keysmark

[slicecom]

So the yellow tinge is confirmed to be NOT FIXED. Great. Looks like I'll be waiting 'til next year before I can replace my 27" iMac with one that doesn't have the issue.

[red kiosk]

New 2.93, i7, 8GB (2X4) +2TB+256SSD+MagicMouse+MagicTrackPad+Battery Charger. Flawless except missing (4) rechargeable batteries. Apple sending new charger and I get to keep the old one (now (8) batteries and two chargers.) No yellow tinge, grey band, flicker, bleed or dog whistle. Even assembled in the US. (is that a plus?, in my case I think so!) I'm stoked!

[lwien]

So the yellow tinge is confirmed to be NOT FIXED. Great. Looks like I'll be waiting 'til next year before I can replace my 27" iMac with one that doesn't have the issue.

Huh? Read the thread and look at the poll. The majority of the 27"'s are just fine.

The fact is, is that LCD/LED technology is still in it's infancy as compared to CRT displays and as such, they are far from perfect but getting better every year. Same goes for home theater displays.

[Jamaway]

I just received my 21.5" i3 3.2ghz computer. Unfortunately, it DOES have the yellow screen issue :(

I'm not sure what to do about this one... sigh. I guess I'll call Apple tomorrow after work and see what happens.

Has anyone else called/had any luck?

I called two days ago about my yellow screen (UK).

They barely asked a question, picked the machine up the next day from my work and the new one is currently in transit for delivery. Fingers crossed the screen is ok on this one :)

[slicecom]

Huh? Read the thread and look at the poll. The majority of the 27"'s are just fine.

The fact is, is that LCD/LED technology is still in it's infancy as compared to CRT displays and as such, they are far from perfect but getting better every year. Same goes for home theater displays.

As someone who went thru 9 27" iMacs and still didn't find one with an acceptable display. "the majority" of people being unable to see a yellow tinge is not enough to warrant my selling my existing 27" iMac and going out and buying a new one. In my experience, the majority of average Internet browsers don't notice a blatant yellow tinge, which is great for them (I wish I didn't!), but not good enough for those of us who require a relatively consistent display for photography or graphic design work. Professionally calibrating my 27" iMac (and the other 8 I've owned is impossible as the colour varies greatly depending on where on the screen you place the sensor.

[xraydoc]

As someone who went thru 9 27" iMacs and still didn't find one with an acceptable display. "the majority" of people being unable to see a yellow tinge is not enough to warrant my selling my existing 27" iMac and going out and buying a new one. In my experience, the majority of average Internet browsers don't notice a blatant yellow tinge, which is great for them (I wish I didn't!), but not good enough for those of us who require a relatively consistent display for photography or graphic design work. Professionally calibrating my 27" iMac (and the other 8 I've owned is impossible as the colour varies greatly depending on where on the screen you place the sensor.

Honestly, I believe if you require such careful calibration of a display, the iMac is probably not the machine for you. Go with the Mac Pro and choose whatever non-glossy display suits you best.

It's clear, I think, that Apple isn't going to design the iMac display to pro-level standards. Take the 27" iMac for example. A $1700 computer with a $1000 display in it? Trust me, Apple's cutting costs somewhere.

[slicecom]

Honestly, I believe if you require such careful calibration of a display, the iMac is probably not the machine for you. Go with the Mac Pro and choose whatever non-glossy display suits you best.

It's clear, I think, that Apple isn't going to design the iMac display to pro-level standards. Take the 27" iMac for example. A $1700 computer with a $1000 display in it? Trust me, Apple's cutting costs somewhere.

I beg to differ. I replaced my MacPro 1,1 and Dell 2408 monitor with the 27" iMac i7, and aside from the yellow tinge issue, its better in every possible way.

The display is brilliant, far superior to the Dell 2408 which is widely considered as one of the best pro-sumer level displays (aside from the obvious yellow tinge issue).

I've never had a problem with the fact that its glossy. A calibrated glossy display in a room with controlled lighting is just as good as a matte display for photography or graphic design. If you're doing any kind of work where you need colour accuracy, then you need controlled lighting whether its a glossy or matte display.

The display on the 24" iMac and 24" Cinema Display don't have yellow tinge issues, so we know that Apple can make large glossy displays that don't have the issue. All I want is for them to make an iMac without yellow tinge. They've made millions of them before, I'm sure if anyone can figure out how to do it again, it's Apple. ;)

[MathijsDelva]

Just received my 21.5" and it has the yellow tint issue + seagate harddrive rumble.. FFS. Such a hassle to return this. Will apple pick it up from here?

Edit: also, must i send the keyboard, mouse & cleaning cloth with it?
Edit: !¨^$^!! There's also the high pitch noise when brightness is up.. :(

[Rudy69]

No yellow on my 27" i5 quad

[Jamaway]

Just received my REPLACEMENT 21.5" i3 base model from the one I bought last week and I've got a lovely sphere of yellow coming from the bottom of the screen about a third of the way in on the right hand side.

Apple being the lovely people they are also gave me the joy of having a wonderful "dog whistle" high pitched noise when I put the brightness up, how brilliant of them.

Its going back and they are sending me a new one.

Third time lucky...if not then I'll just be getting a refund and be done with it.

Annoyed.

[MathijsDelva]

Can anyone please answer me: if you send back the iMac, do you have to add everything in the box (keyboard, mouse, cleaning cloth)?

[Jamaway]

Can anyone please answer me: if you send back the iMac, do you have to add everything in the box (keyboard, mouse, cleaning cloth)?

If they are just sending you a replacement, yes as you'll just get a new box with everything in it.

If its a repair, I'm not sure but I doubt it.

[MathijsDelva]

No, you misread. I mean, i have a faulty iMac in front of me. I will send it back; do i have to include the keyboard & all the other accessories with the iMac in the box (to be sent back to Apple) or do i JUST send the iMac without the accessories?

Edit: ok, I misread :-) Sorry!

[Kronie]

My iMac is perfect......that is until I turned it on. first thing I noticed was the grey bar across the bottom of the screen and then the yellow splash on the lower left.

After 4 new iMacs spanning 7 months......iMac LED screens=FAIL. The rest of the machine is great though. Too bad I cant get one with an old fashioned LCD display!

[Film&Commercial]

Received the mid 2010 line IMac but had yellow tint issues in the right upper & under corner. Tomorrow a new one will be shipped.

From Europe

[Film&Commercial]

Today the new one arrived but had the same kind of yellow tint in the right down corner. A third one will be delivered next week...

[MaskingTape]

Your 3rd one will have it too. Im on my third and have given up.

[spiffy05]

Your 3rd one will have it too. Im on my third and have given up.

Given up and asked for a refund or given up and are just going to 'deal with it'?

[lwien]

Today the new one arrived but had the same kind of yellow tint in the right down corner. A third one will be delivered next week...

What size screen?

[Tigerman82]

What size screen?

Doesn't it say that in the #31 comment: he got the 21.5" model.

[lwien]

Doesn't it say that in the #31 comment: he got the 21.5" model.



Ooops. :o

[MaskingTape]

Given up and asked for a refund or given up and are just going to 'deal with it'?

Given up and going to deal with it. This one isnt horrible like the first two but i still notice it because i have computer ocd lol

[sheareb]

received 27 inch i7 today (ordered 7pm on wed... hows that for service!) and it looks perfect to my untrained eye!... no problems at all by the look of it but I sure as hell aint running any silly tests that might show up something that I cant see with the naked eye!

bright display though... have turned it down a notch as I was starting to get sunburn lol

[nobias]

27" cto 2.93 i7 16gb 2tb+ssd

Perfect screen, no brightness adjust whine. Silent hitachi hdd.

Stand was damaged in shipping(?) :(

Apple happy to issue new replacement. New one arriving next week.

[/V\acpower]

brand new Quad i5 27''.

No yellowing. No noise from the Hard drive and from the screen, and my Superdrive is more silent than my previous MacBook Pro and iMac.

[thedoor1]

the 27" i7 2.93 4x2gb 2tb+SSD. Will post results.

(I wanted to pre-post so I'm in the sample pool ex ante, not a guy showing up just to complain. I think there is way to much adverse selection when people check troubleshooting forums to see if there is trouble).

[2 Owls]

27" 2.93GHZ QUAD-CORE INTELCORE I7
8GB SDRAM
2TB SERIAL ATA DRIVE
ATI RADEON HD 5750 1GB GDDR5
8X DOUBLE-LAYER SUPERDRIVE
MAGIC MOUSE+MAGIC TRACKPAD

27" Looks just about perfect :)

Zero defects.

[Poob Bubes]

Question: To get an exchange for a yellow iMac should you call the Apple Expert Care number or a different number? I went to Apple's website and scheduled a callback with an Apple Expert and now I'm on hold while she talks to her supervisor. She also had me do some troubleshooting techniques... ha! So is this the correct way to get an exchange? (I've been on hold awhile)

[NewtypeCJ]

I received my 21.5" i5 BTO with a 2TB drive on Monday.

There's a lite yellow tint to the lower half/lower left of the screen but it's not that bad.

However it is quite noisy. It sounds like a fan on the inside or the hard drive is always running or something. My old Aug. 2007 iMac (first of the aluminums) isn't this loud.

What do ya think?

[xraydoc]

2.93GHz Core i7 27"
2TB HD + 256GB SSD
1GB Radeon 5750

I don't detect any yellowing of the screen at all. Haven't been able to check for backlight bleed yet.

[lwien]

Let's keep this "mid-2010 only poll" going...

[Crevice]

Just got my new i7 27 (custom built) has slight yellow tint on the lower bottom, and some light glow in the corners (light leakage). I think I am going to keep it. I know most people will say "you paid that much, it should be perfect". Problem is I don't think I will get a "perfect one". The yellow tint I had to look for, and the light glow I hear is normal and most computers have (my 24" imac had it). In order to check for the light glow in the corners, it has to be a complete black screen and you wont be able to tell from the stock desktop wallpaper. The trouble I will go through to get a new one, and the fact that my next one can be worse really scares me. Part of me wonders if I would have noticed any of these problems if it weren't for threads like this.

[ejosepha]

Just got my new i7 27 (custom built) has slight yellow tint on the lower bottom, and some light glow in the corners (light leakage). I think I am going to keep it. I know most people will say "you paid that much, it should be perfect". Problem is I don't think I will get a "perfect one". The yellow tint I had to look for, and the light glow I hear is normal and most computers have (my 24" imac had it). In order to check for the light glow in the corners, it has to be a complete black screen and you wont be able to tell from the stock desktop wallpaper. The trouble I will go through to get a new one, and the fact that my next one can be worse really scares me. Part of me wonders if I would have noticed any of these problems if it weren't for threads like this.
On a white or lighter color desktop, does your screen also have the gray band running along the bottom.
thanks

[Crevice]

On a white or lighter color desktop, does your screen also have the gray band running along the bottom.
thanks


Yes it does, but I only noticed after you told me about it. So what do you think, should I send it back? If you know about this, I figure my next one will have the same as well.

[ejosepha]

Yes it does, but I only noticed after you told me about it. So what do you think, should I send it back? If you know about this, I figure my next one will have the same as well.
I have this but I never see it because it's below the dock. Other than this the computer is great. Mine is last year's model. Apple has offered to come and replace the panel but I have hesitated for months. I could end up worse off. Now there are no dead pixels, so that's been a plus.
Good luck with your new computer.

[symbology]

My new 27" i7 has slight yellow tint towards the bottom. The viewing angle seems to effect the amount that I notice at any given time. Everything else is fine, and I am thinking that this is going to be as good as it gets (based on many comments).

The choice is return it for a refund, or deal with it as is. I will give it a week.

[cmvsm]

Good God. Here we go with this yellow crap again. I'm sure that Apple will put a stop to this insanity at some point. Again, not saying that every screen is perfect, that would be just as absurd, but I do think there is delusional activity occurring on this board that will never be right with some.

So when Apple does lay down the hammer to one exchange, there's always Dell or some other manufacturer to bug about their yellow screens. However, I doubt that they will be so lenient.

[Thrilledge]

I just got the 21.5 Intel Core i3. I was so scared when I kept hearing the yellow tint and loud hard drive noises.

But it appears I have got a perfect one. Beautiful screen and I can't even hear it running. Best Computer I've ever had. I got mine from Best Buy and not the Apple Store.

[easepease]

there should be an option for harddrive noise... I had to return mine because of noise, and I was not being picky... looking at the activity monitor on disk utility, it would "pulse" once a second to about 50 kb read, at consistent intervals... it would never zero. So it was not just in my head it really did click

[cmvsm]

As someone who went thru 9 27" iMacs and still didn't find one with an acceptable display. "the majority" of people being unable to see a yellow tinge is not enough to warrant my selling my existing 27" iMac and going out and buying a new one. In my experience, the majority of average Internet browsers don't notice a blatant yellow tinge, which is great for them (I wish I didn't!), but not good enough for those of us who require a relatively consistent display for photography or graphic design work. Professionally calibrating my 27" iMac (and the other 8 I've owned is impossible as the colour varies greatly depending on where on the screen you place the sensor.

You do professional photography and graphic design, yet you are depending on a glossy LCD for your final output? Lol...I wouldn't be hiring you for any of my final proofs. Good luck with that.

You went through 9 iMacs? Lol, I'd encourage you to post a picture of your screen. I guarantee someone here will find fault with it somewhere. Not because there is one of course, but because it's a neuroma that a minority have on this board, and unfortunately, will never be happy with LCD technology.

[mattnotis]

Almost half of the people who got a 21.5'' got a yellow iMac. This is making me really nervous. I can't afford a 27''! :mad::(

[SiMBa37]

Almost half of the people who got a 21.5'' got a yellow iMac. This is making me really nervous. I can't afford a 27''! :mad::(

I think there is a huge selection bias here on MRF regarding who is reporting problems. If you google any Apple or mac related problem this site will be at the top. Somehow people who love their mac don't seem to find this site as often to share their experience.

Case in point, look at the Amazon.com and Best Buy.com reviews for the 2009 iMac. The reviews were stellar, nearly 5/5 stars. So take everything with a grain of salt.

[MathijsDelva]

Yeah, this forum is making everybody paranoid. Yes, there are problems, but if you are visiting a forum where every single mac user who has a problem and wants to share it, you get a wrong idea about the problems.

[Iamthinking]

Almost half of the people who got a 21.5'' got a yellow iMac. This is making me really nervous. I can't afford a 27''! :mad::(

The half that didn't report a yellow tinge either don't notice it or got o es where it was minimal, I think.

There is a serious design flaw at work here. Every 21.5" iMac I have seen has this flaw to some degree (and I work at a university campus so I see a pretty large number- and seeing more every day as all the labs gear up for new semester).

This is not paranoia, or a "regular issue with all lcd's". I think most everyone by now has seen (and owns) a few lcd's. And they ALL look better than the junk that Apple has elected to use for a panel. It looks like they have addressed the issue in the 27", judging by the number of people that give it the thumbs up, but haven't bothered with the lowly 21.5" customer.

Perhaps the next refresh will have the big new feature: "now comes with decent display"


Until then...buyer beware.

[mattnotis]

The half that didn't report a yellow tinge either don't notice it or got o es where it was minimal, I think.

There is a serious design flaw at work here. Every 21.5" iMac I have seen has this flaw to some degree (and I work at a university campus so I see a pretty large number- and seeing more every day as all the labs gear up for new semester).

This is not paranoia, or a "regular issue with all lcd's". I think most everyone by now has seen (and owns) a few lcd's. And they ALL look better than the junk that Apple has elected to use for a panel. It looks like they have addressed the issue in the 27", judging by the number of people that give it the thumbs up, but haven't bothered with the lowly 21.5" customer.

Perhaps the next refresh will have the big new feature: "now comes with decent display"


Until then...buyer beware.

Maybe I'll stick with my 2005 iMac that shuts off at random then...

[cmvsm]

The half that didn't report a yellow tinge either don't notice it or got o es where it was minimal, I think.

There is a serious design flaw at work here. Every 21.5" iMac I have seen has this flaw to some degree (and I work at a university campus so I see a pretty large number- and seeing more every day as all the labs gear up for new semester).

This is not paranoia, or a "regular issue with all lcd's".
Until then...buyer beware.

I disagree. This is the only forum where you see people posting pictures of their screens asking "I don't see any yellowing, but can you tell where it is" type of questions. Amazon buyers rate both the 27 and 21 iMacs with stellar reviews, as well as multiple awards the computers have won for design and operation. The paranoia tried to lend itself to iPad screens as well, but it didn't hold.

Like I said before, all screens are not perfect, and if you get one that is off, you certainly should get a replacement. However, there is a reason why this kind of thing does not exist with LCD televisions, due to the fact of those manufacturers not allowing it to happen. If returns were always specifically up to the buyer's preference, either prices would be much higher than they are, or many would go out of business. Apple will get to that point as well, and it will just make it harder for those with legitimate claims to get satisfaction.

One guy said he exchanged his 9 times. Give me a break.

[symbology]

Mine is going back. I have some yellow tinting issues, as well as a darker gray streak about 2" up from the bottom (on the left). There is also a hairline crack in the LCD panel on the lower right corner.

My first Mac purchase and this thing is a POS.

[symbology]

Not sure if this is visible or not. If you look just above the mouse pointer you can see the gray line.

[ms686]

Not sure if this is visible or not. If you look just above the mouse pointer you can see the gray line.

sorry can't see anything...

[juicedropsdeuce]

sorry can't see anything...

Geez. Must not be there then.

Too bad about your issue Symbology. It appears you missed the 'it just works' part of Apple by about 2-3 years.

[symbology]

sorry can't see anything...

Maybe it will be easier for you to pick out the yellow tint on the bottom part of the screen.

[symbology]

Here it is.

Note, this picture is a bit underexposed and I did not feel like correcting it. When viewing the display in real life, it is much brighter than this.

[idonotliketostu]

I got a 21 in today.

The screen is horrible, the whole screen has a yellowish tint to it (compared to my perfect 2009 15" macbook pro) but the yellow increased as you go from top left to right right!

I was going to replace the dvd drive with a ssd tonight since I couldn't stand the slowness of the standard drive but now I gotta go to to the apple store before I can do that :(

[2005CTS]

No yellow on my 27" i5 quad

Good to hear. My 27" i5 Quad Core shipped this morning...I am hoping that it is perfect. I will be sure to vote here as soon as I get it and power it up.

[ansabakhan]

how is apple handing this yellow tinit issue? has any one replaced their imac successfully? what is the replacement time frame?

[prne10]

I've had mine for about 4 days now, and It is awesome. I can't see any yellowing, and I'm not doing any tests for it.

I do notice what appears to be some backlight bleed from the bottom right and left corners, but it is very minimal and appears to go away when I get further from the screen!

All in all, I am happy.

[Bodhi395]

I got a 21.5 inch over the weekend and have not noticed any issues with the screen. However, I haven't really looked extremely closely at every inch of the screen.

Is the yellowing people are experiencing really noticeable, or something you have to basically be looking for to notice? Like say, would any person who happens to use your computer say right away, "Oh my god, why does this screen look so yellow?" or would you have to actually point out the yellowing to them. If its something you'd actually have to point out to someone, why bother worrying about it, since its obviously not very noticeable?

[symbology]

If you are in a bright room with a high brightness level, the yellowing is harder to notice. If you are in a room with softer light, and a dimmer setting it is much more prevalent.

[symbology]

I disagree. This is the only forum where you see people posting pictures of their screens asking "I don't see any yellowing, but can you tell where it is" type of questions. Amazon buyers rate both the 27 and 21 iMacs with stellar reviews, as well as multiple awards the computers have won for design and operation. The paranoia tried to lend itself to iPad screens as well, but it didn't hold.

Like I said before, all screens are not perfect, and if you get one that is off, you certainly should get a replacement. However, there is a reason why this kind of thing does not exist with LCD televisions, due to the fact of those manufacturers not allowing it to happen. If returns were always specifically up to the buyer's preference, either prices would be much higher than they are, or many would go out of business. Apple will get to that point as well, and it will just make it harder for those with legitimate claims to get satisfaction.

One guy said he exchanged his 9 times. Give me a break.

Why the hatred?

My display is unusable. This would not be acceptable for any computer display. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!! The only way to have minimize the yellowing issue is to turn the brightness to full. Great, the yellowing is not so bad, but I have a headache after 30 seconds of viewing it.

Please stop using LCD TV's as a comparison. My TV has some back bleed issues, but I only notice it every once in a while. After all, TV's are for "moving" pictures and not for displaying static graphics like this iMac is designed to do.

If you would be content with a crappy display because all LCD's are crappy, well then good for you.

[TheBritishBloke]

Good idea for a thread! Should stop some of those annoying yellow tint threads :/

[nobias]

Replacement received. First was perfect but damaged in shipping.
Replacement has grey band and backlight bleed. Going to Fedex now...
Third times the charm?....

[IndustrialSpace]

the 27" i7 2.93 4x2gb 2tb+SSD. Will post results.

(I wanted to pre-post so I'm in the sample pool ex ante, not a guy showing up just to complain. I think there is way to much adverse selection when people check troubleshooting forums to see if there is trouble).

Of course, this ploy could just be a ruse to exploit this! ;)

j/k of course!

[ianmcuk]

My second 21.5" i3/3.06GHz iMac arrived today, sadly suffering from the same yellow screenyness as the first. I didn't need any test page to check, it was glaringly obvious when booting up and on an all white background. The second one even had dirt behind the screen for good measure. :-(

Lets hope iMac #3 is better!

[juicedropsdeuce]

My second 21.5" i3/3.06GHz iMac arrived today, sadly suffering from the same yellow screenyness as the first. I didn't need any test page to check, it was glaringly obvious when booting up and on an all white background. The second one even had dirt behind the screen for good measure. :-(

Lets hope iMac #3 is better!

apple = fail

[nobias]

The upper level support/corporate people are fully aware of this issue.
The lower level phone centre operators are obviously instructed to play dumb, sympathetic, and get you to run useless PRAM reset/system restore from a script they are reading.

"OK now restart the computer, is the problem still there?"
Yes.
"OK now try sitting in a dark room, is the problem still there?"
Yes.
This goes on for 20 minutes before I stopped playing along and just said, I want a replacement.

My third one is coming.

I have read that some people have gone through 5+ replacements to (maybe) get a good system.
Since when was it OK to settle for something that isn't perfect when you are spending honest money?
I won't stop until I get a perfect one, at $4600 for a fully loaded iMac (2.93, 2TB+SSD, 16GB, all accessories) I am not settling.

Maybe I will just go for a loaded mac pro, that way I can start swapping 27" ACD's at the store instead of waiting a week, going through my "10 point check" only to find that one inexcusable condition exists, having to wipe the HD for 4 hours and going through the process again.

Are the dell users that have the same panel reporting the same issue?

[wessew]

No issues whatsoever on my i7 2.93. Screen looks perfect and machine is silent and relatively cool in operation. Very pleased in all respects. I did customize the unit at Apple but I wanted to minimize the chance of damage in shipping. So I decided to pay up for 2 day shipping. The box arrived via FED EX and appeared to have no dents at all. I think it was worth paying extra for the shipping.

[juicedropsdeuce]

The upper level support/corporate people are fully aware of this issue.
The lower level phone centre operators are obviously instructed to play dumb, sympathetic, and get you to run useless PRAM reset/system restore from a script they are reading.

My third one is coming.

I have read that some people have gone through 5+ replacements to (maybe) get a good system.
Since when was it OK to settle for something that isn't perfect when you are spending honest money?
I won't stop until I get a perfect one, at $4600 for a fully loaded iMac (2.93, 2TB+SSD, 16GB, all accessories) I am not settling.

Maybe I will just go for a loaded mac pro, that way I can start swapping 27" ACD's at the store instead of waiting a week, going through my "10 point check" only to find that one inexcusable condition exists, having to wipe the HD for 4 hours and going through the process again.



LOL

[2005CTS]

Here it is.

Note, this picture is a bit underexposed and I did not feel like correcting it. When viewing the display in real life, it is much brighter than this.

Not sure if this is visible or not. If you look just above the mouse pointer you can see the gray line.

Sorry - But I am not seeing anything here.

My Quad Core i5 27" shipped and is to be delivered tomorrow. I am anxious to see the screen quality and will vote tomorrow night from my new computer as soon as it is set up!

[nigelallistair]

I'm just a few days from ordering the 27" i7 Quad and I have a question about the wisdom of purchase from a non-Apple source seeing there "may" be problems with a screen.

I can get this unit fro MacMall for $50 cheaper than Apple as well as saving the sales tax. So that's my plan. And yes, that couple hundred dollars is BIG to me.

So...if there is a problem with the screen...is it going to be a giant hassle to deal with the vendor (MacMall) rather than directly with Apple? Too much hassle? Do replacements and such flow as easily with vendors as they seem to with Apple themselves?

Thanks.

[2005CTS]

I'm just a few days from ordering the 27" i7 Quad and I have a question about the wisdom of purchase from a non-Apple source seeing there "may" be problems with a screen.

I can get this unit fro MacMall for $50 cheaper than Apple as well as saving the sales tax. So that's my plan. And yes, that couple hundred dollars is BIG to me.

So...if there is a problem with the screen...is it going to be a giant hassle to deal with the vendor (MacMall) rather than directly with Apple? Too much hassle? Do replacements and such flow as easily with vendors as they seem to with Apple themselves?

Thanks.

I bought my quad core i5 27" from MacMall.com (due to be delivered by UPS tomorrow!!!) and purchased the same Applecare that you can buy from the Apple Store. The warranty is from Apple...not MacMall. I have full confidence that my machine will be fine...but if not - I will be dealing with Apple via Apple care. It is worth the cost to get the Apple Warranty.

As to the savings...yes...I saved nearly $300.00 by buying my iMac from MacMall. Most of that savings was tax savings!!! Good choice.

[Kronie]

Are the dell users that have the same panel reporting the same issue?

No. The Dell isn't LED back-lit.

[ianmcuk]

Anyone had any joy with asking to inspect a unit in the Apple store before taking it home? The chap I spoke to today said they'd be happy to do this *if* I paid for it first, hence I'd be getting a refund or exchange if it wasn't up to scratch... I may try this route next. Then again I may just give up...

[Sommer]

Just received mine, 27" i7 w. SSD.

Perfect screen, no yellow at all. And no noise at all!!

[2005CTS]

Just received mine, 27" i7 w. SSD.

Perfect screen, no yellow at all. And no noise at all!!

I'm jealous!!! The i7 with the SSD...about another $1,000 more than my quade core i5...but I can't wait to get mine tomorrow!

Glad to hear your screen is in good order.

[Spike88]

Hi there...

My wife's iMac 21.5" 3.2 arrived a few days early. Actually, it arrived "on time" (from a delivery schedule perspective) but faster then "I expected" - due to my remote country location. It was delivered to my front door and guess what?

It's in perfect condition.
- Screen is perfect.
- HDD noise is near silent (much quieter then our HP Laptop)
- its 4 x USB ports work.
- its FW800 works.
- its wireless track pad works great. Actually, I love its track pad.
- its wireless mouse works.
- its printer port connection works.
- its SD card slot works.
- its DVD disc reader works.

If wondering, I'm now using our new iMac to create this post.

My son gave his "thumbs up". My wife gave her "thumbs up" as well. Thus, "she's a keeper" (referring to our new iMac 21.5"). :) Now, we just have to learn how to operate it. :eek:

.

[rgp19699]

It is complete B.S. that the "yellow tint" problem does not exist, or only exists in the MR forum. The majority of people that buy Macs, or any other computer for that matter, do not do the kind of research that we, "the minority," do.
Hence, I think there are a whole lot of people out there giving their 2009 27" imacs, et al., a 5 star rating because they don't know any better.

For those of you that are happy with your displays because you cannot see flaws "with the naked/or un-trained eye," or just want to "not know," that's fine. No argument here. Free world, etc.

So allow me (us) that do care the same respect. I am currently awaiting delivery on a 27" i5 quad core/8GB ram. (I had various credits/discounts I could only use on this purchase so I let Apple put in the ram.) Even though, and thank you OP for this poll, I am hoping for a "good" display, I will go ahead and do the "gray lines" (Engadget) test.

Because, I am certain the problem exists, having just returned an i7 ('09) REFURB that had severe yellow tint issues. I am the first to admit that I didn't notice the yellowing in the beginning, and may not - that's MAY not, have ever noticed it had I not been in the "minority" and done my research.

However, I wouldn't buy a car, even a new car, whose engine "looks fine." I can't afford huge maintenance issues, etc., so I do my research and go from there. I would not buy a used Audi, for example, if I knew the "Audi World" forum says 61% of that particular model has transmission problems. At the very least I'd have it inspected by a mechanic.

There is also the consideration of resale value. If you ever wanted to sell your imac down the line, the new buyer might care that the bottom third of the screen was yellow. Granted, it's kind of out there to factor in resale values when talking about computers, but at least Macs have resale value. I just sold a 6 year old Mac Pro G4 with a cinema display for $560. Not bad.

I prefer to be in the minority. :) And I love, although at times am very frustrated with, :apple:

[nobias]

2010 imac i7 16gb 2tb+ssd

1st damaged stand from shipping
2nd yellow issues
3rd coming monday

[rgp19699]

2010 imac i7 16gb 2tb+ssd

1st damaged stand from shipping
2nd yellow issues
3rd coming monday

I hope the third's the charm.

[MathijsDelva]

You know, i for one think the yellowing ARE existent but the fact is, macrumors forums are the only forums i see this lot of threads about it. On other, and really popular ones too, mac forums, i maybe see 1 thread with maybe 20 posts about the yellowing. And it mostly goes like this: hm yellowing, take it back, got a new one, fixed.

So, i don't know.. It certainly IS a big issue, but i think it's even bigger here @macrumors which is actually impossible.

[bigmacman]

My 21.5" i3 is nice. No whistle noise during/after adjusting brightness level. No noticeable yellow tint. So far so good. (Knock on wood) :D

[IndustrialSpace]

You know, i for one think the yellowing ARE existent but the fact is, macrumors forums are the only forums i see this lot of threads about it. On other, and really popular ones too, mac forums, i maybe see 1 thread with maybe 20 posts about the yellowing. And it mostly goes like this: hm yellowing, take it back, got a new one, fixed.

So, i don't know.. It certainly IS a big issue, but i think it's even bigger here @macrumors which is actually impossible.


Check the Apple Store forums. They are innundated with threads on the yellow tint and gray bar problem. These complaints range from around the world and are not confined to the U.S. Many users have received multiple replacements with the same issue. There have also been several prominent media outlets which have ran stories and done research. This is not a 1% problem. It affects all ofthe iMacs. Its inherent in the design. If you can't live with a little yellow, then don't buy the iMac. Period.

[spcdust]

The other screen anomaly to look out for is the backlight bleed on the screen edges. Basically when the screen is black but receiving a signal keep an eye out for patches/smears of light emanating around the edges/corners that put patches of light on the screen thus preventing a true black screen to be displayed.

My 2009 27" suffers this but after going through four replacement iMacs due to an assortment of "quality issues" I just accepted it as it's impact on real world usage was minimal - I may think about getting it addressed further down the line using my Applecare.

[reeceado]

Hi
got my :apple: iMac quad core i5 yesterday!!!
first mac. Its awesome. First how do i download to the desktop? and how do i put shortcut on the desktop e.g hard drive shortcut etc?
thanks

[matonuser]

Hi all,

Just got my i7 27, 1TB, 4GB Ram.

Perfect Condition. No whine, no yellow or gray, Western Digital HD is silent. No hiss or noise with different brightness.

I was so worried about it looking through these forums, just waiting for a yellow screen hissing snake of death to come out of the box, but as a number of people have said, it's like a hospital here, only people with bad experiences yell about it, so to everyone (like me) who checked these threads hoping to hear of more people with good experiences, another is here!!

:-)

[Film&Commercial]

My third iMac will arrive before the 17th. The last two had both a yellow tint in the right bottom. I have to work with photo's, editing videos etc. and that is why I think it it important my screen is flawless.

I think everybody must think it is important to have a flawless screen, especially for that price. I wish people wouldn't settle that easily just because it is Apple. Unfortunately I noticed in the news that Apple performing less than before.(The iPhone is showing flaws, a lot of last iMacs were showing flaws, a lot of this line of iMacs are showing flaws, iPods in Japan are overheating and showing flaws.)

I just hope people aren't settling too easily. Apple is just another big company who seems to have a lot of die-hard fans. No problem with that but still, see it as a major corporation who wants the same thing as any other company: to take a lot of money, your money. If they provide the right products I will give it, but otherwise settle with a discount or consider other and better options. Be creative.

Anyway yesterday I checked the line of iMac in an Electronic store (Mediamarkt, compare it to a huge Electronic store) and I ran the Yellow Screen Test. The right side and corners had yellowish over the screen.

[Bodhi395]

iPods in Japan are overheating and showing flaws.

Just want to correct your complete misrepresentation. The Japan iPod situation was 'very rare cases of overheating' in some units sold between September 2005 and December 2006. So it was a few rare cases in Japan about 5 years ago, not an continuing problem at all!

[Film&Commercial]

Just want to correct your complete misrepresentation. The Japan iPod situation was 'very rare cases of overheating' in some units sold between September 2005 and December 2006. So it was a few rare cases in Japan about 5 years ago, not an continuing problem at all!

My apologies, I misread the article about this subject indeed. And therefore my apologies. No need for exclamation marks. Again Apple fanboys please don't feel attacked when someone is saying something about the corporation Apple in a negative way.

[Iamthinking]

For those of you who are happy with your iMac screens, just whatever you so *don't* hold your iPad screen up next to your iMac.

....the difference in quality (brightness, whitness, colour uniformity,etc) is just ridiculous!

Way to go Apple. Make the Important feature on your desktop absolutely suck--- at least the iPhone is perfect...when held a certain way. :)

[2005CTS]

My quad core iMac is "Out for Delivery"

I can hardly wait!

[2005CTS]

Just got it set up and now am typing this on a very sleek wireless keyboard. The iMac is perfect, quiet and FAST!!!

[mattnotis]

For those that say theirs is fine, did you get it online or a Mac store?

[yzc717]

Central bottom & left side is slightly yellowed, kinda noticeable in the evening when all lights are all out, but hardly during the day.

[mocsharp]

Anyone here had a 2009 imac 27 with yellow tint but got a yellow free 2010 imac 27"?

Also, anyone got the 2010 from MacConnection?

[nobias]

Anyone here had a 2009 imac 27 with yellow tint but got a yellow free 2010 imac 27"?

Also, anyone got the 2010 from MacConnection?

Went through several 09s before giving up.
My first 2010 was perfect in every way, except the stand was severely bent (shipping/final packaging damage?)
Sent it back and the replacement had yellow screen, grey band, backlight bleed...
Sent that one back last week... waiting on the next one.

All from apple online store, corporate discount.

[jicka]

Anyone here had a 2009 imac 27 with yellow tint but got a yellow free 2010 imac 27"?

Also, anyone got the 2010 from MacConnection?

I had 2 2009's and 1 2010 that were yellow my 4th one is finally good.

[2005CTS]

For those that say theirs is fine, did you get it online or a Mac store?

I ordered mine new from MacMall.com. Man is this thing Beautiful!!

[bas-macfan]

I had 2 2009's and 1 2010 that were yellow my 4th one is finally good.

Did they replaced your late 2009 for a 2010? I send my late 2009 i5 Quad back. Can I hope for a 2010 replacement? In my shipping status I see the old configuration. But it is being shipped out of China (3 days before shipping).

I am ordering from Apple online store.

[reeceado]

Hi
i got my first mac on 11th August
I got the :apple: iMac Quad core i5 27" :eek: its huge!!
i love it
Specs:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier:iMac11,3
Processor Name:Intel Core i5
Processor Speed:2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors:1
Total Number Of Cores:4
L2 Cache (per core):256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 4 GB

Geekbench (dont have a clue what these numbers mean lol):
I was on itunes,safari, geekbench, mail, software update,vuze, downloading office and converting a video to hd video
LOL


Summary

Section Description Score Geekbench Score
Geekbench 2.1.6 for Mac OS X x86 (32-bit)
Integer Processor integer performance 4002 5374
Floating Point Processor floating point performance 8605
Memory Memory performance 3307
Stream Memory bandwidth performance 3003
System Information

Operating System Mac OS X 10.6.4 (Build 10F2056)
Model iMac11,3 Motherboard Apple Inc. Mac-F2238BAE iMac11,3
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5 CPU 760 @ 2.80GHz
Processor ID GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 30 Stepping 5
Processors 1 Threads 4
Cores 4 Memory 4.00 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Processor Frequency 2.80 GHz Bus Frequency 4.80 GHz
L1 Instruction Cache 32.0 KB L1 Data Cache 32.0 KB
L2 Cache 256 KB L3 Cache 8.00 MB
BIOS Apple Inc. IM112.88Z.0057.B00.1005031455
Integer Section

Section Score 4002

Blowfish
single-threaded scalar 1773
77.9 MB/sec

Blowfish
multi-threaded scalar 5467
224.0 MB/sec

Text Compress
single-threaded scalar 1866
5.97 MB/sec

Text Compress
multi-threaded scalar 5568
18.3 MB/sec

Text Decompress
single-threaded scalar 1996
8.20 MB/sec

Text Decompress
multi-threaded scalar 6396
25.5 MB/sec

Image Compress
single-threaded scalar 1879
15.5 Mpixels/sec

Image Compress
multi-threaded scalar 5443
45.8 Mpixels/sec

Image Decompress
single-threaded scalar 1652
27.7 Mpixels/sec

Image Decompress
multi-threaded scalar 4103
67.0 Mpixels/sec

Lua
single-threaded scalar 3095
1.19 Mnodes/sec

Lua
multi-threaded scalar 8789
3.38 Mnodes/sec

Floating Point Section

Section Score 8605

Mandelbrot
single-threaded scalar 2451
1.63 Gflops

Mandelbrot
multi-threaded scalar 8186
5.36 Gflops

Dot Product
single-threaded scalar 4001
1.93 Gflops

Dot Product
multi-threaded scalar 13250
6.04 Gflops

Dot Product
single-threaded vector 4757
5.70 Gflops

Dot Product
multi-threaded vector 13802
14.4 Gflops

LU Decomposition
single-threaded scalar 636
566.4 Mflops

LU Decomposition
multi-threaded scalar 1314
1.15 Gflops

Primality Test
single-threaded scalar 4972
742.7 Mflops

Primality Test
multi-threaded scalar 12154
2.26 Gflops

Sharpen Image
single-threaded scalar 5778
13.5 Mpixels/sec

Sharpen Image
multi-threaded scalar 15016
34.6 Mpixels/sec

Blur Image
single-threaded scalar 7920
6.27 Mpixels/sec

Blur Image
multi-threaded scalar 26246
20.6 Mpixels/sec

Memory Section

Section Score 3307

Read Sequential
single-threaded scalar 4613
5.65 GB/sec

Write Sequential
single-threaded scalar 2583
1.77 GB/sec

Stdlib Allocate
single-threaded scalar 3201
11.9 Mallocs/sec

Stdlib Write
single-threaded scalar 2768
5.73 GB/sec

Stdlib Copy
single-threaded scalar 3374
3.48 GB/sec

Stream Section

Section Score 3003

Stream Copy
single-threaded scalar 3481
4.76 GB/sec

Stream Copy
single-threaded vector 2393
3.10 GB/sec

Stream Scale
single-threaded scalar 3490
4.53 GB/sec

Stream Scale
single-threaded vector 4253
5.74 GB/sec

Stream Add
single-threaded scalar 1477
2.23 GB/sec

Stream Add
single-threaded vector 4111
5.72 GB/sec

Stream Triad
single-threaded scalar 1591
2.20 GB/sec

Stream Triad
single-threaded vector 3232
6.05 GB/sec

I will add the geekbench score when only geekbench is running soon, when i have finished doing everything
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[dny731]

I'm on my 2nd stock 21.5 i3 3.2, same yellow screen issue. I did a search on youtube for basic boot vids of recent 21.5 imacs and here are some examples, usually the bottom towards the right is yellower.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIiV7JOjwgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9McqCuP5QAY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7DQtR2SiE @4:10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv1YmvHGad4 @6:50

some that look fine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsVN5X6V7jk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb37xwLODKA

[Film&Commercial]

I am sorry I have put this comment just now in a wrong thread, but this is the right place for it.

There seems to be more wrong with just an Yellow Screen Problem. The right version is the first replacement and the second replacement on is the left.
I would have agreed with the first replacement if there was no Yellow tint to it...but after comparing it with the second replacement...Holy ****

The second replacement had little yellow tint and I was about to agree to it, but the longer the iMac was on the more noticeable the yellow tint became.

The first time I called they were very friendly and I got a replacement in no time. The second time I called they were less friendly. The last time I called for the fourth iMac the guy was very unfriendly and said, no it is not common that you had any replacements. You should go to a store and have it checked maybe Apple doesn't replace it because your Yellow Tint falls within the 'norms' of Apple's yellow tint thing.

So, A professional computer used by professional photographers have to deal with the Yellow Tint?

[mattnotis]

I am sorry I have put this comment just now in a wrong thread, but this is the right place for it.

There seems to be more wrong with just an Yellow Screen Problem. The right version is the first replacement and the second replacement on is the left.
I would have agreed with the first replacement if there was no Yellow tint to it...but after comparing it with the second replacement...Holy ****

The second replacement had little yellow tint and I was about to agree to it, but the longer the iMac was on the more noticeable the yellow tint became.

The first time I called they were very friendly and I got a replacement in no time. The second time I called they were less friendly. The last time I called for the fourth iMac the guy was very unfriendly and said, no it is not common that you had any replacements. You should go to a store and have it checked maybe Apple doesn't replace it because your Yellow Tint falls within the 'norms' of Apple's yellow tint thing.

So, A professional computer used by professional photographers have to deal with the Yellow Tint?

The left one looks pretty much fine, IMO. But the right one...yeesh!:eek:

[dsc888]

I have to concur with those who got a good 27" imac. I got mine this weekend from the local Apple store. I got the i7 and it's perfect or at least as good as they come. Like some here, I had gotten my money back after 4 bad ones about 2 months back with the early 2010 units. The yellowing was in the bottom 3rd and bugged me on many of the black and white images I was trying to edit in Photoshop and Lightroom.

Apple tends to use a warmer white point from the factory which gives skin more pop and is easier on the eyes. But at least now the warmer tones are on the "entire" screen.

[MathijsDelva]

So, i received my 2nd 21.5" replacement and i'm fine with it. It does show a slightly warmer tint towards the right lower corner, but it's not that bad. Also, the brightness buzz is gone. The HD does make the same noise, but i can live with it.

Let's hope the tint doesn't get worse..

[kristian21]

I received my 27" iMac 2.93 GHz quad core and have zero issues. I looked for the bleed and gray bars but can't see anything. Comparing screens to my early 2008 MacBook pro the iMac is way better. No hard drive noise and no whining. I ordered my online and I believe it was shipped from the states because in the trackig I didn't see anything about china.
The only thing I noticed is that the back gets quite hot compared to my first iMac core duo but it is way more powerful then the core duo so I can understand that. I have no issues with the new iMac so far.

[87vert]

21.5" LED core i3 picked up Sunday at Best Buy, No problems so far, no yellow screen. I love this thing.

[GCardoso]

Just got my base 21"5. Flawless.
:apple:

[Tigerman82]

I received my 21.5" iMac i5 3.6GhZ today. There are zero dead pixels, no noise (this thing is silent!), no backlight bleeding and only very mild yellow tint (the dark grey bars are identical, the lower light grey bar is different but not that yellow). I'm very pleased with this iMac and will for sure keep it.

The only problem I have had is with my Logitech diNovo Keyboard Mac Edition (uses a mini USB receiver). For some reason I couldn't get the iMac the recognize it, then it started working by accident and it tends to stop working everytime I plug, say, a USB memory stick to the other USB slots. I'm writing this with the keyboard now so it does work (and I tested it with an XP-laptop and it connected immediately and worked flawlessly) so I guess there is something wrong with the handshake between the USB receiver and the iMac.

[Tobster3]

No Yellow tint, no humming brightness, no buzzing hard drive, no dead pixels.

LOVING MY NEW i5 iMAC

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=995765

[KyleKlink]

I cannot wait until this "yellow tint" nonsense is over....

[lwien]

I cannot wait until this "yellow tint" nonsense is over....

For the majority of recent buyers, it is over.

[easepease]

For the majority of recent buyers, it is over.

agreed... i saw one in January... since then of the hundreds i have seen none have had issues

[lwien]

This poll needs to stay on the first page, if nothing else than to remind people that the majority of the new 2010 iMacs are just fine.

[Deedolito]

Just got the 27" iMac i5. Screen is brilliant, the machine is running perfectly & silent.

[boa]

I received my BTO iMac 21.5' i5 last week, and, of course, has the yellow tint on the bottom half. There's no need to run bar tests, I notice it on everyday use and the gradient it inflicts on backgrounds really annoys me.

I planned to buy an iMac last year, but I've been reading these forums since then and all I could read was about yellow tint issues, so I did not buy it 'till this year's refresh, although I knew I had a good chance of suffering from it too.

What I really can't understand is that, in a whole year, no one (Apple, technics, etc...) has found an exact explanation for why is this happening, and a solution, and if anyone did, I missed it. So, is it bad LCDs? bad screen fixation? unsolvable issue by design? I can't stand this silence...

I indeed have seen good screens. I went to an authorized shop this weekend and checked the screens. All 27-inchers were flawless, but all 21.5-inchers were yellow. And, from what I read in here, it seems now 21.5-inchers are suffering more from it than 27s. What's going on here? Did Apple start using good screens on 27s 'cause lot of people willing to use it for professional tasks were returning them, and they think they can still fit bad screens in the 21.5s 'cause we don't care?

Of course, I called AppleCare and they offered a replacement, but they did not seem to be familiar with this issue, which I find really unbelievable taking into account the chances I could get a yellow machine if it was a minor flaw. Spoke to an authorized technical service too and they did not know either, btw... The replacement is arriving next Wednesday, I guess it'll be yellow too... but it is worth the shot, I guess... crossing fingers.

[lwien]

The replacement is arriving next Wednesday, I guess it'll be yellow too...


Why are you assuming that? The majority of 21.5's in this poll are perfectly fine.

[boa]

Why are you assuming that? The majority of 21.5's in this poll are perfectly fine.

Well, 20/52 (38% of flawled screens) does not seem a VERY GOOD rate to me :(That, and that all 21.5s I've seen in stock suffered from it. Oh, and those stories about getting bad screens even after 4 or 5 replacements! Hope I'm lucky enough, tho!

[lwien]

Well, 20/52 (38% of flawled screens) does not seem a VERY GOOD rate to me :(That, and that all 21.5s I've seen in stock suffered from it. Oh, and those stories about getting bad screens even after 4 or 5 replacements! Hope I'm lucky enough, tho!

When you were in the store and noticed that all of the 21.5's had a yellow tint, did you mention that to anyone there, and if so, what was their response?

[kazmac]

I did all the tests and, thankfully, nothing on my new entry-level 21.5 iMac. (3.0 Ghz, 500 GB hd etc.)

I was so pleased that there are none of the problems of the late 2009 model I returned in early March. No high pitched whiney noise, no yellow tint, no backlight bleed and no optical drive/hd issues.

I'm glad I'm went with the iMac :). So after 1 new and 2 refurbs, yeah! This is the first time in over 11 years I bought a stock machine.

[boa]

When you were in the store and noticed that all of the 21.5's had a yellow tint, did you mention that to anyone there, and if so, what was their response?
I explained my case to the apple guy there, and told him that 27s in there were perfect but 21s not.. and one of the things he replied was: "buy a 27 then"... Didn't really feel like pushing more, to be honest... would have been worthless. I'm from Spain btw.

I did all the tests and, thankfully, nothing on my new entry-level 21.5 iMac. (3.0 Ghz, 500 GB hd etc.)

I was so pleased that there are none of the problems of the late 2009 model I returned in early March. No high pitched whiney noise, no yellow tint, no backlight bleed and no optical drive/hd issues.

I'm glad I'm went with the iMac :). So after 1 new and 2 refurbs, yeah! This is the first time in over 11 years I bought a stock machine.

So you could notice a yellow tint in your previous 2009 model and you can't in the new in 2010? That's nice to hear, enjoy your machine!! :)

[kazmac]

I explained my case to the apple guy there, and told him that 27s in there were perfect but 21s not.. and one of the things he replied was: "buy a 27 then"... Didn't really feel like pushing more, to be honest... would have been worthless. I'm from Spain btw.



So you could notice a yellow tint in your previous 2009 model and you can't in the new in 2010? That's nice to hear, enjoy your machine!! :)

That's right boa, I got the 3.0 Ghz, 500gb entry level iMac.

[Film&Commercial]

So, i received my 2nd 21.5" replacement and i'm fine with it. It does show a slightly warmer tint towards the right lower corner, but it's not that bad. Also, the brightness buzz is gone. The HD does make the same noise, but i can live with it.

Let's hope the tint doesn't get worse..

I hope your not serious about settling with a malfunctioning (HD makes noise and the yellow tint, what will get worse see other threads) machine at that price.

My last replacement is on his way, keep you updated.

I do believe Apple made improvements on 27", yes indeed, but not with the 21.5". Maybe this is a strategy and they make more money on the 27". The 21.5" however a mostly defective. I have had my several replacements, I have checked iMac selling stores. And every time when I compare the 27" with the 21" the difference is just un-freakin-believable.

Un-freakin-believable.

[boa]

I do believe Apple made improvements on 27", yes indeed, but not with the 21.5". Maybe this is a strategy and they make more money on the 27". The 21.5" however a mostly defective. I have had my several replacements, I have checked iMac selling stores. And every time when I compare the 27" with the 21" the difference is just un-freakin-believable.

Un-freakin-believable.
I'm really sad that you're confirming what I thought about the new difference in display quality of 27 vs 21... Hope you're lucky with the one coming, tho, and can bring some hope to us!! Please!!!

[thedoor1]

the 27" i7 2.93 4x2gb 2tb+SSD. Will post results.

(I wanted to pre-post so I'm in the sample pool ex ante, not a guy showing up just to complain. I think there is way to much adverse selection when people check troubleshooting forums to see if there is trouble).

Of course, this ploy could just be a ruse to exploit this! ;)

j/k of course!


Finally had a chance to unpack it. I don't see a yellow tint. Cringed a little on the nebula start up graphics as the lower right corner was black and reflecting the wall behind me... too bad there aren't Matte screens.

I have it sitting next to my G5 and I can't tell the i7 is even turned on based on sound. Relative screen brightness is just ridiculous.

Going to vote it's a winner; haven't done all the tests yet, but I don't see a glaring bad pixel anywhere or hear a rumble. (I haven't loaded anything on the 2TB yet, so not even sure it has spun).

[flyguyjake]

I'll share my experience...

My 1st iMac I configured with i7 1tb&ssd from Apple.com. It arrived on time but had a screen issue in the lower right area. It was like a mark behind the LCD but in front of the LED backlight. It looked like a small mark covering about 4 pixels. Also it had the fuzzy gray bar horizontally across the lower portion.

I called in to customer service and was told that I would have to get it looked at by an Auth. Apple repair center or the Apple store. They would "asses" if a screen replacement was necessary. I was like... Um it's 1 day old, no you're not tearing it apart... She was like, then return it... I was like... well bitch maybe I will. It was ONLY $3,000 freakin dollars!!!

So I went down to BBuy and looked at their in store display. It looked good. So I bought an i3 there. Got it home and sure as hell if that screen wasn't yellowed! I about fell off the chair. Packed that sucker back up and got an exchange. Brought that machine home (3rd 27") and it has two bad pixels. But the problem is again behind the LCD panel & in front of the LED backlight.

So from my experience none of the three panels are "perfect", but the last one is the closets. So there is still issues with 1) Fuzzy gray lines 2) Yellowing 3) Spots or marks behind the panel but in front of the backlight.

[SiMBa37]

Well, 20/52 (38% of flawled screens) does not seem a VERY GOOD rate to me :(That, and that all 21.5s I've seen in stock suffered from it. Oh, and those stories about getting bad screens even after 4 or 5 replacements! Hope I'm lucky enough, tho!

Unfortunately there is nothing about his poll that makes it scientific (I.e random sample) or representative of all new imac owners. What this poll does say is that on an Apple product troubleshooting forum (which is why most people find this site) a large proportion of users experience a yellow tint. Also realize the poll does not guarantee that some people aren't voting more than once.

[kazmac]

My base 3.0ghz, 500gb, 21.5 is just fine.

I am glad I don't have to install Shades, F.Lux etc. as the machine is just fine on 45-50% brightness at all hours. I won't be installing that screen brightness update software from Apple.

So I hope that encourages other myopic folks to consider an iMac. I was really worried that the brightness issue and the resolution would be problems for me (as they have been on other Macs I've tried this year), but both are just fine.

No backlight bleed, yellow tint, dog-whistle whine and my hard drive is really quiet as is the cd-rom drive. This the iMac I know and love, a perfect machine that is easy to use and stress-free.

[pterosaur]

Doing setup and migration (from Tiger) even as I type. The display is perfect--no yellow, no bands, no stripes, no backlight bleed; and if there is a whistle I don't notice it and my wife (who can hear high pitched sounds better than I) hasn't said anything.

BTO in Elk Grove, ordered Wednesday, arrived Saturday. 27-inch quad core i5, 1TB HDD, SSD, 12 GB RAM, Magic Trackpad, external combination 1.5TB HD and FW/USB/SATA hub, external speakers with front headphone jack (Creative Inspire T12), wired keyboard with number pad, wired Mac Pro optical mouse. Also a nice new computer desk.

woot!

[Iamthinking]

Sending back 21.5" base model number 2...and counting. Display is horrid. It's like Steve Jobs is taking a piss on the bottom left of each unit as it leaves the factory. Maybe he's trying to tell me to dig deeper and get the 27", which seems to have little to no yellowing since the spring.

[t0316kcw]

my iMac/i7 looks fine :cool:

[Crunch]

Took me a few tries, but this machine just ROCKS! Gorgeous! Powerful. Just perfect. :)

[mocsharp]

Got my 2010 iMac i5 from MacConnection and I am happy with it.

This is the (lucky) 7th 27" iMac and the screen is very good compared to the previous 6 i Had(returned).

$1949 - $100 rebate - 4% fatwallet cashback.

[Alexandrebr]

Received my 21.5 Core i3 3.2GHZ yesterday (build week 24): it is a lemon!! There is definitively a yellow tinge on the bottom right of the screen. Send back tomorrow to Apple and ordered a refund. So this issue is NOT solved (for 21.5)...

[boa]

Are there really GOOD 21.5' displays among the iMacs? cause I can't believe I am so unlucky (nor people that got like 5 replacements and none was fine)...

100% of the 21.5's I've seen so far have the yellow tinge issue... so, one of both: all the bad screens are being dropped in my country, or, by statistics, the results in this poll make no sense.

My 1st replacement has arrived today (2nd Mid2010 iMac I receive), and it has the issue just like the original one, but this time a little greener... The one that we have at the office where I work has the issue too, and also the ones I've seen at the store... I'm getting really tired about this, and I don't have time to play returning machines... I really want this machine, but I really can't understand how these things happen, and why at this point there is no explanation about how to fix it (...or if it can be fixed without having to return your machine infinite times in a leap of faith hoping the next one will come with a nice screen, which most likely will not)...

[mattnotis]

Heading to the Apple Store in a few days to get my 21.5'' one. FINGERS CROSSED!:)

[amiralmuminin]

I am on my 3rd 27" iMac i7. All of them have had annoying backlight issues. The first two made an electrical buzz when dimmed. The one I'm using now is silent when dimmed, but creates a dog whistle noise when increasing the brightness level...this high pitched frequency is sustained when brightness reaches a certain level. In all cases, the noisy backlight could only be heard when the iMac had been on for more than a couple of minutes, or reached a certain temperature.

I got all of these machines from a nearby Apple retail store. At this particular store, I dealt with two different geniuses that were very helpful, and--though the sound could not be heard in the store--they gladly switched out the computer...twice. Assuming they had been sent a bad batch after discovering a 3rd noisy backlight, I packed up the machine for what I hoped would be the last time and drove it to a retail store location further from my house. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

The genius I spoke with there was not particularly helpful, in fact he sort of made me feel crazy because he couldn't hear the sound seconds after powering up the machine in that noisy store. He ran some pointless diagnostics test and basically said that he couldn't help me and that "he wouldn't worry about it," and that "it's probably normal." (I am not convinced this is normal...especially because I don't hear the whistle until the machine gets warm...not to mention that I just went through two others that did not whistle.) I was tempted to ask for a full refund, but I really can't be without this machine, and I didn't want to be hit with a restocking fee since the "genius" didn't consider the computer defective. I decided to take it home and try to live with it.

It's worth noting that none of the 27" iMacs I brought home had dead pixels, yellowing, or any other common display problems. All three would have been perfect if not for the backlight issues (display issue? inverter? PSU?). All of this swapping and exchanging has me feeling like a pest, but it is very quiet where I have the computer, and I must manage the sound in this environment the best that I can since I work with a lot of audio. As I type this, I can hear the dog whistle...subjectively getting louder as my ears hone in on it. This may well drive me insane.

I spent a decent amount of money on a machine that is going to essentially be my workstation for the next few years. I see no reason why it should have problems out of the box. Not sure what I'm going to do about it though.

[cobrasneverdie]

screen is great! no issues hopefully
running i5 quad

[kazmac]

as it was when I first posted here about it several weeks ago.

Thankfully, the 3rd party software hiccup and my old external G-Drive were the culprits. So base i3 iMac is just fine. No yellow tint a month in, no dog-whistle noises, fast start up etc.

All that said, this probably will be my last iMac given how little I do beyond writing, surfing and maintaining music/movie collection.

[FredLo]

I was a bit worried when I ordered my 21.5" iMac with all I heard (yellow tinge, high pitch noise and noisy HD), but I just received it and it is really flawless! I may be lucky as well as I got the western digital 1TB hard drive, which is completely silent.

Have fun with yours!

[ian2000]

I was also a bit concerned with all of these potential iMac issues. I bought the first one from a retail store, and it was flawless except for the noise from the Seagate 1TB drive. It's used in a very quiet room, and I found the noise to be a bit distracting so I decided to return it and buy a customised-to-order model from the website. I have to say, this machine is absolutely brilliant. I went for the 2TB Hitachi drive and the SSD option - certainly expensive but worth the extra in my opinion. There's just a little background fan noise, and the Hitachi drive (when it's used) is virtually silent. Also no humming, screen or build quality issues - and I'm very fussy! It was also well packed in a strong brown outer box and arrived from China in pristine condition. Sorry for those experiencing issues with their iMacs, but there are good ones available.

[Crunch]

This thread has been going strong for weeks and weeks and looking at the "score" so far, it appears that currently a whopping 1 in 5 (20%) of actual buyers have issues with their iMac's!

Where is the Quality control at Apple? I truly love my 27 incher but it took me four times to get to this one. "Only one" of mine were screen issues and there are some people who argue that "...well, it's an All-in-One, so you have to take into account the fact that there is a multitude of components that can fail, and...".

And Nothing! I would argue that laptops are "All-in-One" portable computers as well where we, as Mac users, can't even get at a failing battery if we were so unfortunate to be dealt that card. MacBook's and MacBook Pro's do not have anywhere NEAR this type of quality issue that the iMac does.

I love my iMac, but it's too bad that it's such a crapshoot to get a working (in all aspects) machine.

[symbology]

This thread has been going strong for weeks and weeks and looking at the "score" so far, it appears that currently a whopping 1 in 5 (20%) of actual buyers have issues with their iMac's!

Where is the Quality control at Apple? I truly love my 27 incher but it took me four times to get to this one. "Only one" of mine were screen issues and there are some people who argue that "...well, it's an All-in-One, so you have to take into account the fact that there is a multitude of components that can fail, and...".

And Nothing! I would argue that laptops are "All-in-One" portable computers as well where we, as Mac users, can't even get at a failing battery if we were so unfortunate to be dealt that card. MacBook's and MacBook Pro's do not have anywhere NEAR this type of quality issue that the iMac does.

I love my iMac, but it's too bad that it's such a crapshoot to get a working (in all aspects) machine.

It took you 4 times to be happy, I am on #5 and while the display is nice, this thing has a noisy fan. Were you able to vote each time you took home a crapy iMac? Me neither. The numbers in this poll do not reflect the large number of "replacement" iMacs.

[easepease]

I am on my 3rd 27" iMac i7. All of them have had annoying backlight issues. The first two made an electrical buzz when dimmed. The one I'm using now is silent when dimmed, but creates a dog whistle noise when increasing the brightness level...this high pitched frequency is sustained when brightness reaches a certain level. In all cases, the noisy backlight could only be heard when the iMac had been on for more than a couple of minutes, or reached a certain temperature.

I got all of these machines from a nearby Apple retail store. At this particular store, I dealt with two different geniuses that were very helpful, and--though the sound could not be heard in the store--they gladly switched out the computer...twice. Assuming they had been sent a bad batch after discovering a 3rd noisy backlight, I packed up the machine for what I hoped would be the last time and drove it to a retail store location further from my house. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

The genius I spoke with there was not particularly helpful, in fact he sort of made me feel crazy because he couldn't hear the sound seconds after powering up the machine in that noisy store. He ran some pointless diagnostics test and basically said that he couldn't help me and that "he wouldn't worry about it," and that "it's probably normal." (I am not convinced this is normal...especially because I don't hear the whistle until the machine gets warm...not to mention that I just went through two others that did not whistle.) I was tempted to ask for a full refund, but I really can't be without this machine, and I didn't want to be hit with a restocking fee since the "genius" didn't consider the computer defective. I decided to take it home and try to live with it.

It's worth noting that none of the 27" iMacs I brought home had dead pixels, yellowing, or any other common display problems. All three would have been perfect if not for the backlight issues (display issue? inverter? PSU?). All of this swapping and exchanging has me feeling like a pest, but it is very quiet where I have the computer, and I must manage the sound in this environment the best that I can since I work with a lot of audio. As I type this, I can hear the dog whistle...subjectively getting louder as my ears hone in on it. This may well drive me insane.

I spent a decent amount of money on a machine that is going to essentially be my workstation for the next few years. I see no reason why it should have problems out of the box. Not sure what I'm going to do about it though.

GO in again if its not TOO far and get a different genius... just say you were in before and it has not stopped and its not normal. Just be nice and honest and say its hard to live with, a lot of times a different genius will trade it out even if that one did not.

[Tigerman82]

This thread has been going strong for weeks and weeks and looking at the "score" so far, it appears that currently a whopping 1 in 5 (20%) of actual buyers have issues with their iMac's!

I wonder what the percentage is of people who first had an otherwise perfect iMac but with a little yellow tint and who then exchanged and kept on getting iMacs with other problems as well (problems you really notice such as HDD noise or backlight bleeding). I know these iMacs shouldn't have any problems, but I do sometimes wonder why people so easily return their iMacs if there is only a little yellow tint (unless of course they are professional photo editors). I mean I know you can detect the yellow tint with the grey bar test but in regular use I can't see mine. That's why I stuck with my iMac which is otherwise perfect.

[Iamthinking]

That's why I stuck with my iMac which is otherwise perfect.

..that's why Apple will never get around to fixing their shoddy equipment and this problem will pervade - people like you willing to accept crap and piss on those not willing to.

If this was *any* other computer company putting out this level of "quality" for the price premium they charge, their ass would be held to the fire and heads would roll.

Much as Apple fanbios would like everyone to believe they are not zealots, a quick read on problem forum threads shows that it's all too evident that they have earned the name...

[newmacnooby]

i finnally got my imac i5 its perfect the hard drive might be a little noise at times but its perfectly usableit runs great i get to play on it and do all kind of stuff, im still getting used to it as i come from a PC, loving the screen...:D

and to the guy above me every PREMIUM company has its flaws mercedes, Lamborgini... etc and i hardly believe that if you get a faulty Brand new Gallardo lets say you got a little tiny bit of discoloring on the hood they will exchange it for an other car, but hey i dont own a lambo so who knows.

[Tomple]

Im reaaaaaallly loving my new iMac 27
:):):)

[amiralmuminin]

GO in again if its not TOO far and get a different genius... just say you were in before and it has not stopped and its not normal. Just be nice and honest and say its hard to live with, a lot of times a different genius will trade it out even if that one did not.

I followed your advice and sure enough, a different genius heard me out and agreed to replace the iMac. You'd think after 3 crappy machines, I would have learned my lesson. The one I'm on now has a dog whistle more pronounced than the last and a bunch of other issues as well. The machine makes a ticking sound when powered off (that's right, OFF), the bluetooth file transfer is incredibly slow (not sure if this is a hardware problem), the machine refuses to go to sleep automatically, and, perhaps worst of all, it's got the ugly yellow tinge--most apparent in the bottom left hand corner.

I packed the bad boy up and took it all the way back to the retail store, thinking that the problems would be easy enough to demonstrate. I spoke to two geniuses, mostly about the tinge (while the other stuff is annoying, I can't deal with this anymore...I wanted them to just fix the tinge on this machine and I could move on with my life). The first "genius" told me that the newer models had a firmware update that solved the tinge problem (turns out this is not true). I tried to demonstrate, and it wasn't working out--the "genius" couldn't see the subtle variation. He called another technician out to take a look and what followed was the most ridiculous corporate display I've witness in all my years as a consumer. I pulled up gray-barred test pages that clearly illustrated the nasty tinge across the bottom half, and watched two adult men pretend that they didn't see what I was talking about. I got one of them to concede that there could be a slight variation, but it disappeared when he was looking at the screen perpendicularly (which is funny, because the only time I notice the tinge is when I look at the screen perpendicularly).

The genius told me that the machine would pass all their spec tests, and that he couldn't exchange or return it without charging me a restocking fee. He said if I did decide to exchange it, it would be a gamble, and the machine could have problems that I considered even worse (yeah tell me about it). Then he told me that I should feel lucky that I don't have any dead pixels or other anomalies. WTF?

I didn't even both mentioning the other problems. I took my machine and left. The return date has come and gone and I think I'm stuck with this machine...my 3rd replacement and by far the worst iMac I've brought home in this horrible horrible experience.