27", 21.5" iMac Owners, test your screen for yellow tint issue here

[Philz]

Just thought all should know–

I know no one will believe me on this, but my 27" I've had since august is 100% a OK. Even ran a diagnostic benchmark test before and after with my DataColor Spyder Elite 3 (with 4.0 software) and it too thinks the same(you can run it all over the screen if different quadrants, etc). Very nice monitor to calibrate, looks superb afterwards. I could tell with original factory calibration you might "think" it looks yellow from one side to the next but that is because the rods/cones in your eye and such an expansive screen (matte solves a lot of that oddly, but they don't offer a matte iMac).

Regardless continue running around with you heads cut off in this thread. For those researching to get one, do realize these are probably the few that have had bad ones compared to overall sold. Only problem is they start to see it in other iMacs they get back.

Sidenote: This was an issue with the 09's, i saw them in the store and they looked despicable. It's been fixed with '10 (or at least mine, probably one of the first custom builds out of the factory. I ordered within minutes of it being released lol! Running with 2TB and 256gb SSD combo)

 

[benh911f]

Just thought all should know–

I know no one will believe me on this, but my 27" I've had since august is 100% a OK. Even ran a diagnostic benchmark test before and after with my DataColor Spyder Elite 3 (with 4.0 software) and it too thinks the same(you can run it all over the screen if different quadrants, etc). Very nice monitor to calibrate, looks superb afterwards. I could tell with original factory calibration you might "think" it looks yellow from one side to the next but that is because the rods/cones in your eye and such an expansive screen (matte solves a lot of that oddly, but they don't offer a matte iMac).

Regardless continue running around with you heads cut off in this thread. For those researching to get one, do realize these are probably the few that have had bad ones compared to overall sold. Only problem is they start to see it in other iMacs they get back.

Sidenote: This was an issue with the 09's, i saw them in the store and they looked despicable. It's been fixed with '10 (or at least mine, probably one of the first custom builds out of the factory. I ordered within minutes of it being released lol! Running with 2TB and 256gb SSD combo)

Why would no one believe you? I don't think anyone ever said that they are all defective, but just based on this thread, there are clearly a number of defective ones that have been produced. I'm not sure how you consider people trying to obtain a properly working machine and converging with others, "Running around with our heads cut off."

 

[cc1013]

This is my first post as I am a Mac noob. I just received my 27" iMac 2.8GHz i5 on Friday and am happy to report no yellow screen issues. We purchased through apple.com with an EPP discount. Loving this system! Quite the upgrade from our 2004 Dell Dimension desktop system.

 

[krravi]

"I could tell with original factory calibration you might "think" it looks yellow from one side to the next but that is because the rods/cones in your eye a"

Wonder why the rods/cones/squares/ellipses in our eyes always notice the yellow on the right hand lower corner and not the other way around?

Why not the top or the left? After all its a rectangle we are looking at and its symmetrical ! And all the others cant be wrong.

I have the same rods and cones when i am looking at my samsung and its perfect.

My rods must know a defective screen when they see it

 

[rnelan7]

Just got a 27" and there is no yellowing

 

[Philz]

"I could tell with original factory calibration you might "think" it looks yellow from one side to the next but that is because the rods/cones in your eye a"

Wonder why the rods/cones/squares/ellipses in our eyes always notice the yellow on the right hand lower corner and not the other way around?

Why not the top or the left? After all its a rectangle we are looking at and its symmetrical ! And all the others cant be wrong.

I have the same rods and cones when i am looking at my samsung and its perfect.

My rods must know a defective screen when they see it

If it's not in all corners (which quite a few say it is here, like the bottom half, or bottom two corners) that's normally from simply looking at it off angle, try sitting away from the screen (so that the edges are not in your periphery) and you might notice it's suddenly more uniform.

I'm not saying everyone is a nutters, just that some aren't used to the large size of the screen. I had a friend that also got a 21.5 in mid-2010 that was using it with the imac floating above his keyboard. He was maybe ~8 in away from the screen. No wonder his eyes hurt (had it near highest setting) and he thought it was yellow...

 

[MacHamster68]

8 inches is indeed a bit to close ,guess he needs some glasses
i sit about 3 - 4 feet away from my 17 inch iMac and i find it close for a 17 inch screen already , so as i used my mates 27inch imac i felt the just comfortable to use distance is about 8 feet away from the screen if someone needs to sit closer to read then my advice is to see a optician

 

[krravi]

If it's not in all corners (which quite a few say it is here, like the bottom half, or bottom two corners) that's normally from simply looking at it off angle, try sitting away from the screen (so that the edges are not in your periphery) and you might notice it's suddenly more uniform.

I'm not saying everyone is a nutters, just that some aren't used to the large size of the screen. I had a friend that also got a 21.5 in mid-2010 that was using it with the imac floating above his keyboard. He was maybe ~8 in away from the screen. No wonder his eyes hurt (had it near highest setting) and he thought it was yellow...

Okay i see your point. Yes my present monitor when looked at an angle has the tendency to show all colors, since its not IPS. But when looked straight its perfect.

And for those who sit 8 feet away with a 27 inch, how do you read the characters in the screen? My eyesight isnt the best in the world wearing a trifocal. Max distance for my monitor is like a feet or two....

 

[batmodem]

I just bought an 21.5 iMac for photography and has a the yellow tinge thing on the bottom half of the screen. The computer was made in Shanghai and the week is 36 (Sept). I wanted to post this as reference.

The real question is if anyone is working photography on an imac with the yellow tinge and how they workaround this if even possible at all. When I tilt the screen back the yellow effect fades a little but I don't want to spent all the time tilting the screen to check color on pictures. I think that if you look at the display perpendicular to the bottom border the yellow fades so I'm considering turning it upside down and changing the angle using software .

Also is very annoying to see content on web pages change color as I scroll up and down. This is crazy I know.

 

[talia262]

Purchased my first mac computer yesterday. I love it except for the yellow screen. Interestingly, I also got a week 36 imac.

 

[cc1013]

Possibly a stupid question...how do you know which week your iMac was produced?

 

[krravi]

Possibly a stupid question...how do you know which week your iMac was produced?

Enter your serial # here

http://www.chipmunk.nl/cgi-fast/applemodel.cgi

or

http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

 

[cc1013]

Enter your serial # here

http://www.chipmunk.nl/cgi-fast/applemodel.cgi

or

http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

Thanks!

 

[bombertaylor]

This is strange but why I see yellow tint everywhere with my 21' iMac.Is it because optical effects when you tried to look for yellow tint?

 

[krravi]

This is strange but why I see yellow tint everywhere with my 21' iMac.Is it because optical effects when you tried to look for yellow tint?

Do you have another monitor to compare? If the other monitor is clean and the iMac gives out the yellow tint, then you need to replace it.

 

[batmodem]

Do you have another monitor to compare? If the other monitor is clean and the iMac gives out the yellow tint, then you need to replace it.

Actually the first thing is try to calibrate it first. Mine with the included ICC Profile called "iMac" is VERY warm (as in yellowy whites) after calibration with the included tool I get a more neutral whites/grays in the top but still yellow bottom.

 

[bombertaylor]

I tried to compare my iMac with Macbook pro with my eye.I could see my iMac display yellowish but uniformly across the entire display.But I use my camera to compare I see they are the same.My eyes wrong or my camera?.Here the pic.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Here at the front



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[krravi]

From what i see from the picture so far, the iMac does start with a bluish white on the left to the warm white/yellow to the right. Or was that because of the camera angle? Certain camera CCD's/Lenses also cause purple fringing around the edges of a bright object(From a certain angle) and i bet thats the blue/purple line i see on the left and top. I do see a slight yellow tint in the middle like a ping pong bat ever so lightly... very lightly. But i am looking at a picture through my monitor, so i could be wrong.

But, your iMac screen is way better than the one i bought. Mine not only had yellow tint, but looked like ghosts of yellow christmas trees on the lower bottom. Must be the festive season!.

Its hard to say looking at a picture, but from what i can see IMHO, your screen looks good.

Try calibration or playing around with gamma or native point till it doesnt bother you anymore.

But if it bothers you or, its worse when looked at it in real then see what your replacement options are.

 

[bombertaylor]

As I know this issue pretty wide spread so I just wonder whether my monitor is acceptable or when I replace with another even worse?.My iMac is mid 2010 but they still havent fix it.This is my 1st Mac pretty disappointed !

 

[batmodem]

As I know this issue pretty wide spread so I just wonder whether my monitor is acceptable or when I replace with another even worse?.My iMac is mid 2010 but they still havent fix it.This is my 1st Mac pretty disappointed !

To my untrained eye it seems ok. If its uniformly yellow a calibration would -in theory- correct it. Try using the included calibration tool. What week is your imac?

 

[krravi]

As I know this issue pretty wide spread so I just wonder whether my monitor is acceptable or when I replace with another even worse?.My iMac is mid 2010 but they still havent fix it.This is my 1st Mac pretty disappointed !

I think that depends on what your perception is. Open something like Wikipedia or anything with a white background, scroll up and down and if the difference is very noticeable, then you are never going to be satisfied with it. But if you cant notice the color right away and have to look hard to find it, then i think you can just not think about it and use it for what it is.

For peace of mind, call apple support and ask them what your options are. Maybe they will replace it, so you can put this behind and enjoy your machine.

 

[bombertaylor]

I have week 45 , does older iMac the more yellowish it get?.I am graphic design so color accuracy is pretty important to me.Do you think color calibration tool like Eye Spider would fix this?.The thing is I dont know how much yellowish is the norm.I tried to go out to see iMac in display but I think the ambient light in showroom hide the yellow.

 

[krravi]

I have week 45 , does older iMac the more yellowish it get?.I am graphic design so color accuracy is pretty important to me.Do you think color calibration tool like Eye Spider would fix this?.The thing is I dont know how much yellowish is the norm.I tried to go out to see iMac in display but I think the ambient light in showroom hide the yellow.

I had the same issue or worse and i am not a graphic designer, but it was bothering me. So i returned it as it was only a day old and got a mini. Hooked it up to my Samsung monitor and i am happy. Yes it used core 2 duo, but for what i do, i think it holds its own. I upgraded my RAM and going to upgrade the hard disk today. Then i think i am set for a couple years.

In your case if color accuracy is important to you, then i guess you should call apple and ask them what they can do.

Color spider will fix it as its an external device. But if you place the spider where you think there is a tint, then what will that do to the rest of the screen?

 

[cz9h3d]

Groan.... my 27" i7 iMac is a year old. The bottom 1/3 of my screen is quite yellow, but I just try to ignore it. I check back here every few months to see if I should attempt to have it corrected, but I'm not seeing a lot of "they replaced my screen and now it's great" comments! My 6 year old Dell IPS 24" display is flawless, I don't understand my my $2k+ Mac can't be the same.

Aw well - I bought Applecare. I'll keep checking back.

 

[Omek]

Groan.... my 27" i7 iMac is a year old. The bottom 1/3 of my screen is quite yellow, but I just try to ignore it. I check back here every few months to see if I should attempt to have it corrected, but I'm not seeing a lot of "they replaced my screen and now it's great" comments! My 6 year old Dell IPS 24" display is flawless, I don't understand my my $2k+ Mac can't be the same.

Aw well - I bought Applecare. I'll keep checking back.

It's been a year for me as well. The yellow tinge on the bottom of my 27" is not as bad as others, so I've still been waiting for this to be solved. I even wrote a plea email to Steve Jobs to urge him to offer a trade-in option for when they release the new re-designed iMac, which might actually be soon according to macrumors: https://www.macrumors.com/2010/12/15/imac-and-macbook-pro-upgrades-in-first-half-of-2011/

I think everyone with this problem should email Steve or Apple and let them know that we would appreciate a trade-in deal for new iMacs. Replacement screens do not work. I believe it's a flaw in the physical design of the iMac, so asking Apple to replace the screen is not going to do anything. In fact, in most cases that I've seen on here and on other Mac forums, the yellow tinge problem has only gotten worse after several screen repairs and/or replacements.

It's just unbelievable that the iPad and the Macbook Pros have better displays than the 27" iMac. It's a $2K machine, and the screen should be practically flawless. Why more people have not said anything to Apple about this issue, I have no clue. All the tech blogs have completely stopped covering the issue. They say to just contact Apple and they will offer to replace your screen. But we've all seen how that doesn't work. So why exactly aren't more tech blogs out there still getting on Apple about this issue?

There's one way to make this all go away. All Apple has to do is offer a trade-in on their new iMac. I'm sure most people would be grateful just to have a normal display again, and I think they would appreciate some honesty from a company that we have loyally supported for many years. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever had a glaring issue with an Apple product. I've never been disappointed with my Macs, but this is the worst mess I've ever seen from Apple. They need to acknowledge that this issue still persists, and offer a decent trade-in solution.

Someone needs to hold them accountable, and I'm hoping all the tech blogs out there will start covering this issue again until Apple finally offers a real solution.