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

[WilliamG]

And for what it's worth, here's my iMac week 2, that I received 2 weeks ago. I consider it to look even better than that huge list of pictures, but it's still NOT PERFECT, even though a lot of you might believe it to look that way according to these pictures:

My iMac, week 2, i7:

 

[WilliamG]

Every monitor I own has a sort of tint.
My ACD 23" goes on the pinkish while my MBP goes on the yellowish.

I dont really care since once calibrated you really can't tell.
I will certainly keep my 27" iMac unless something is seriously broken (once I receive it).

+1. Very few people seem to understand this.

 

[Kristine]

Apple Store have arranged to pick up my iMac next week and offered me a refund and have suggested I purchased the 27" iMac model, which I am considering.

 

[09iMac=Fail]

...ALL LCDs will have some degree of tint. THAT is my argument. HOW much tint is dependent on the production line/panel variance.

I agree, but the question you need to ask is whether or not the tint is consistent throughout the entire screen. This is what all the fuss is about. A yellow tint on half of the screen is not normal and all panels are not like that.

Your screen looks great William! Is it perfect? No. It would make me perfectly happy though.

Let's not say that since no screens are perfect, be happy with inconsistent ones.

 

[slicecom]

Let's not say that since no screens are perfect, be happy with inconsistent ones.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[WilliamG]

I agree, but the question you need to ask is whether or not the tint is consistent throughout the entire screen. This is what all the fuss is about. A yellow tint on half of the screen is not normal and all panels are not like that.

Your screen looks great William! Is it perfect? No. It would make me perfectly happy though.

Let's not say that since no screens are perfect, be happy with inconsistent ones.

I still disagree. . All the panels I've owned have casts in areas, not everywhere.

 

[ugokutana]

Apple Store have arranged to pick up my iMac next week and offered me a refund and have suggested I purchased the 27" iMac model, which I am considering.

27" should be a better choice if you don't change your iMac every year. Well, I really enjoy my i7 although my first one had a bad yellow tinge. It's really awesome and nice to work on a 27" screen.

 

[Tookay]

Just received a week 47 2009 21.5" yesterday, and out of the box, it suffers from very significant yellowing, beginning from the bottom left and fading into the centre. After working with the iMac for an hour or so, the yellowish display is nearly nauseating to look at. I also have six stuck pixels with the iSight. Not a big deal there, but I cannot continue with the yellow display.

Having been a dedicated Mac user for 12 years now, I can't even remember how many Macs I have bought. This is definitely the most disappointing quality issue I have ever experienced with Apple. I suppose I'll call Apple and join the queue for repair or replacement...seems like sort of a revolving door. Better yet, I might just return this one for a refund and wait until Apple sorts out their quality issues and refreshed the iMac with a display that I can work with.

 

[macatak911]

That is the most pathetic display I have ever seen. From looking at it, I'd think your computer was about 20 years old and about to die. Get it fixed! Doesn't it bother you, or is it not that apparent unless you are trying to view a solid color or 2?

Yeah will be calling Apple this week. Only have one month till out of warranty.

Yeah it's really annoying, very obvious.

 

[iDocism]

I can't believe this is still a problem... wait... yes I can believe it is still a problem. Why though?

 

[Sir Cecil]

Having been a dedicated Mac user for 12 years now... This is definitely the most disappointing quality issue I have ever experienced with Apple....Better yet, I might just return this one for a refund and wait until Apple sorts out their quality issues...

Welcome! After 12 years as a dedicated Mac User, it's good to see you posting here for the very first time.

 

[spr0cket]

Yellow Tinge

I have a 27 inch, i7, week 50 Imac. It has a subtle yellow increase in the bottom part of the screen, noticeably in the bottom right quadrant. Therfore I decided to measure the difference with a colour temperature meter.

The variation between the top left and top right corners of the screen is about 90 Kelvin. (Barely noticeable - and I am used to grading films!) The variation between the bottom left and bottom right corners of the screen is about 300 Kelvin. The difference between the top left and bottom right corners is over 700 Kelvin. Hard proof. Your eyes do not deceive you.

It would seem that there is obviously an inherent design fault with these monitors and therefore the chances of receiving true colour consistency across the display unlikely. No doubt, some will be more acceptable than others and additionally there will be some users who will not be fussy enough to notice and complain.

Unless everyone (and I mean EVERYONE with a faulty display) returns their computer to Apple, nothing will change. Apple will sweep the complaints under the proverbial carpet, and pretend everything is hunkydory.

I'm going to visit my local Apple store and get my meter out... !

 

[Sir Cecil]

there is obviously an inherent design fault with these monitors

Another first-time poster. Welcome!

 

[Btom]

I have a 27 inch, i7, week 50 Imac. It has a subtle yellow increase in the bottom part of the screen, noticeably in the bottom right quadrant. Therfore I decided to measure the difference with a colour temperature meter.
........

Some users reported the yellow tinge changing with time, which would suggest panel aging, so even a uniform screen may turn bad, if it comes from the faulty batch.

Tom B.

 

[PICART]

Every monitor I own has a sort of tint.
My ACD 23" goes on the pinkish while my MBP goes on the yellowish.

I dont really care since once calibrated you really can't tell.
I will certainly keep my 27" iMac unless something is seriously broken (once I receive it).

S-IPS panels can be identified buy a slight purple hue on blacks when viewed from a wide angle.
I have used many different ips monitors and they all have that purple hue. Even imac 27 has it. THATS NORMAL.
But yellowish tint is not normal. Its not normal that on top of the display is "cold" gray, and on the bottom "warm" gray. As graphic designer I would't pay so much money for faulty display.

 

[Frith]

Another first-time poster. Welcome!

What's the implication here?

I was a first time poster as well after receiving my first yellow display. As such my involvement in this thread was actually relevant. Yours seems to be increasingly less so.

 

[09iMac=Fail]

What's the implication here?

I was a first time poster as well after receiving my first yellow display. As such my involvement in this thread was actually relevant. Yours seems to be increasingly less so.

Agreed 1,000%, but try not to feed the trolls. It's best to just ignore them and their childish remarks.

 

[iDocism]

I might just return this one for a refund and wait until Apple sorts out their quality issues and refreshed the iMac with a display that I can work with.

Exactly! Why is this so hard for people to do? First, its going to eliminate your frustration and you can get on with business. Second, if more people just got a refund instead of exchanging several times and still not getting it right, Apple would definitely (maybe) get on the ball and fix it right.

I sent mine back in December, I'm not paying anyone 2k to be their beta tester.

 

[Jasonx010]

First post here........

Spent today looking for a replacement iMac.....spent hours in PC world trying different machines didn't find one which was yellow free.

Apple in london are denying any yellow problem and claim they have never heard of it before. Hmmmmmmm

 

[slicecom]

Exactly! Why is this so hard for people to do? First, its going to eliminate your frustration and you can get on with business. Second, if more people just got a refund instead of exchanging several times and still not getting it right, Apple would definitely (maybe) get on the ball and fix it right.

I sent mine back in December, I'm not paying anyone 2k to be their beta tester.

Not everyone has another computer laying around that they can use in the meantime. I for example, sold my MacPro 1,1 for a 27" iMac, so I can't just return it and wait it out.

 

[IndustrialSpace]

Welcome! After 12 years as a dedicated Mac User, it's good to see you posting here for the very first time.

Another first-time poster. Welcome!

Agreed 1,000%, but try not to feed the trolls. It's best to just ignore them and their childish remarks.

I agree, this sir cecil guy is quite an annoyance. Never posts anything productive. He's most likley a lonely guy with low self-esteem who still lives at home. These are characteristic comments for this type of individual. Pay him no mind. Hes a troll.

 

[pionata]

S-IPS panels can be identified buy a slight purple hue on blacks when viewed from a wide angle.
I have used many different ips monitors and they all have that purple hue. Even imac 27 has it. THATS NORMAL.
But yellowish tint is not normal. Its not normal that on top of the display is "cold" gray, and on the bottom "warm" gray. As graphic designer I would't pay so much money for faulty display.

Of course it's not normal to have a different tint in different areas of the screen, but why can't you compensate with colour calibration if it's a yellow tint equally dispersed? That is a technical detail I can't quite understand.

 

[Ecoh]

Of course it's not normal to have a different tint in different areas of the screen, but why can't you compensate with colour calibration if it's a yellow tint equally dispersed? That is a technical detail I can't quite understand.

I think in most 27" iMac cases ( maybe all ) , the yellow tint is not equally dispersed. It is stronger at the bottom and lighter at the top. Whites look blue at the top and yellow at the bottom. Calibrating will not fix it, as it would always be cooler at the top and warmer at the bottom.

It is normal to get a screen from the factory with some sort of cast to it. Just look at the line up of television screens in a store display, they are all slightly different. If it is evenly dispersed, no problem, just calibrate the display.

 

[paulrbeers]

Happy to report that my 27" iMac does not suffer from gradient yellow tinge. With that said, could the whole screen be an ever so slight tinge of yellow....Maybe but at least it is the whole screen and I assume I could adjust it.

If I compare the color of my screen to the crappy two TN panels that flank it on both sides, I can tell you it is definitely a whiter white. Not nearly as yellowed as those two ugly beasts (one is hooked via DVI to my mac mini and the other is hooked to a Network Media player for television and DVD playback).

 

[blur001]

Getting a refund.

Update (few days later):

Second paragraph has more interesting developments.

I call the company that was suppose to be replacing the screens for us in the morning, they said the replacement screens have arrived but the video cables will take an additional week to get here. The tech said they had experience fixing the yellow tint problem (he said they fixed about 7) and that the cable isn't necessary. So I scheduled an appointment for Friday.

At 4:30pm APPLE calls me to check up on the status of my repair, I told them the same thing I just told you guys above. Then they said "We would actually like to replace those computers for you." I told him I was worried about getting three more machines with the Yellow tint problem and he says...

"We were told by the apple engineers that the problems have been fixed"

I was worried about the 3 week backorder but he said orders related to issues with yellow tint will have precedent so we should have our computers in a week.

Now I'm just waiting for emails with further instructions on how to send back the current 3 machines.

I will update on the status and screen test results for the new machines when we get them.

(Update)
I've sent all three machines back weeks ago. Apple called today and said my replacement will be delayed for another 3 weeks. We were given an option to get a full refund so we went for the refund. The End.