2013 iMac Light Bleed Issues

[codeoverride]

I'm on my fourth and final iMac. Every one of them had significant light bleed issues around the edges of the display blooming inward. Unfortunately I need a computer right now. What really irks me is what Apple says on the iMac features page:

"LED backlighting offers instant-on, uniform brightness with no waiting."

Very unhappy customer. In order to keep my sanity I decided to stop sending them back

 

[All Taken]

I'm on my fourth and final iMac. Every one of them had significant light bleed issues around the edges of the display blooming inward. Unfortunately I need a computer right now. What really irks me is what Apple says on the iMac features page:

"LED backlighting offers instant-on, uniform brightness with no waiting."

Very unhappy customer. In order to keep my sanity I decided to stop sending them back

My advice:

-Go to local Apple store
-Grab the nearest smug teen genius
-Explain you have issue with your purchase and would like to inspect a new unit before purchase
-Tell smug genius to go fetch you a machine
-Wait 50 minutes or more for return of smug genius
-Unpack your ingenious blanket or similar
-Place blanket over head and iMac
-Check backlight in darkness of said blanket or similar
-Smile at genius and ask for another
-When you are happy pay the genius and leave

 

[autopoiesis]

My iMac 27'' arrived last week and everything went fine, until I discovered some backlight bleed issues in the bottom left corner (or is that simply this normal IPS-glow)? This white spot is actually only visible while watching movies or gaming, especially when the background is dark/black. I attached some pictures below (50% and 100% brightness). I assume the other corners are fine / or at least something I can live with. But this bottom left white thing?

Actually I was considering an exchange, but after reading multiple stories about exchange iMacs being worse than the original, I'm close to giving it up.. What do you think?

 

[All Taken]

My iMac 27'' arrived last week and everything went fine, until I discovered some backlight bleed issues in the bottom left corner (or is that simply this normal IPS-glow)? This white spot is actually only visible while watching movies or gaming, especially when the background is dark/black. I attached some pictures below (50% and 100% brightness). I assume the other corners are fine / or at least something I can live with. But this bottom left white thing?

Actually I was considering an exchange, but after reading multiple stories about exchange iMacs being worse than the original, I'm close to giving it up.. What do you think?

That's a typical LCD screen.

 

[autopoiesis]

That's a typical LCD screen.

ok. but the strange thing for me is, my previous iMac 27 (okt 2010) doesn't have these kind of screen issues (it's still in use by a friend of mine so I can easy compare the screens), or at least they are not visible for me..

 

[All Taken]

ok. but the strange thing for me is, my previous iMac 27 (okt 2010) doesn't have these kind of screen issues (it's still in use by a friend of mine so I can easy compare the screens), or at least they are not visible for me..

I'll expand a bit more as it was a pretty short reply - By typical I meant that an LCD screen has various tolerances, we'll ignore Apple's tolerance and try and broaden out industry wide for this type of panel. The screen you have is within the tolerance manufacturers and consumers expect. Your previous iMac may not have had this type of backlight bleed in any of the other corners but this looks more like a viewing angle difference when facing the screen. If you're unhappy with it and want to try for a display more to your liking i'd try the Apple store and test a unit before making the purchase.

EDIT:

I can reproduce this. The inner panel of the LCD screen is sealed with a black electrical tape. If I remove the tape ever so slightly from the corner of the display I can increase the intensity of the white light to the outside of the iMac. Looks as though it could be the way in which your particular screen was 'taped' up around the edge of the LCD and the LED diffuser. Just a theory.

 

[autopoiesis]

EDIT:

I can reproduce this. The inner panel of the LCD screen is sealed with a black electrical tape. If I remove the tape ever so slightly from the corner of the display I can increase the intensity of the white light to the outside of the iMac. Looks as though it could be the way in which your particular screen was 'taped' up around the edge of the LCD and the LED diffuser. Just a theory.

ok, that sounds reasonable. so it's rather an manufacturing defect than an LCD-Screen "side effect"? .. Whatever it is, that's a good point with an Apple store purchase. The best way to get an iMac with a good screen is to test it there before buying.

 

[autopoiesis]

I'm on my fourth and final iMac. Every one of them had significant light bleed issues around the edges of the display blooming inward. Unfortunately I need a computer right now. What really irks me is what Apple says on the iMac features page:

"LED backlighting offers instant-on, uniform brightness with no waiting."

Very unhappy customer. In order to keep my sanity I decided to stop sending them back

could you please post pictures of your screen?

 

[WilliamG]

My iMac 27'' arrived last week and everything went fine, until I discovered some backlight bleed issues in the bottom left corner (or is that simply this normal IPS-glow)? This white spot is actually only visible while watching movies or gaming, especially when the background is dark/black. I attached some pictures below (50% and 100% brightness). I assume the other corners are fine / or at least something I can live with. But this bottom left white thing?

Actually I was considering an exchange, but after reading multiple stories about exchange iMacs being worse than the original, I'm close to giving it up.. What do you think?

The top left and top right corners are normal. Sit right in front of those corners and the light "bleed" will disappear (it's viewing angle deficiencies, not bleed). That bottom left, specifically, looks like light bleed. Unfortunately many iMacs have it, and whether the owner notices it depends greatly on their ambient light conditions and whether they do anything other than surf the Internet etc.

 

[autopoiesis]

The top left and top right corners are normal. Sit right in front of those corners and the light "bleed" will disappear (it's viewing angle deficiencies, not bleed). That bottom left, specifically, looks like light bleed. Unfortunately many iMacs have it, and whether the owner notices it depends greatly on their ambient light conditions and whether they do anything other than surf the Internet etc.

I notice it while watching movies and gaming. But 80% of the time i write emails, papers, do some cpu-intense statistical calculations and surf the internet, i mean things, which don't really depend on backlight issues. The only thing that I found pretty weird is to spend about 2.000 € on such a machine and then to lose time founding out whether those light bleeds are normal or not.

 

[WilliamG]

I notice it while watching movies and gaming. But 80% of the time i write emails, papers, do some cpu-intense statistical calculations and surf the internet, i mean things, which don't really depend on backlight issues. The only thing that I found pretty weird is to spend about 2.000 € on such a machine and then to lose time founding out whether those light bleeds are normal or not.

I hate to use the word "normal," but...