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27", 21.5" iMac Owners, test your screen for yellow tint issue here
- Thread starter tapplox
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Mine just shipped today (gift for my wife). It was delayed 3 weeks but shipped before their estimated ship date by almost two weeks. It is a week 05. Fingers crossed.
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/01/the-faulty-imac-saga-chapter-3-we-have-apples-internal-memo/
The Faulty iMac Saga, Chapter 3: We Have Apples Internal Memo
By Mark Wilson on January 30, 2010 at 4:00 AM
While Apple released the iPad this week, we scored their internal work order admitting the iMacs yellow screen problem, and one of our readers may have figured out how to fix it.
Can You Safely Buy a New iMac Yet?
Nope.
Why?
In the last week, 10 readers have reported receiving yellow screened iMacs the majority of whom are on their third system. Both the yellow/flickering screens have yet to be fixed.
Whats Being Done?
Weve seen two very interesting developments since the last iMac update. First, Apple delayed shipments on new 27-inch iMacs (but not 21-inch models) for three weeks in what we can only assume is an attempt to fix any manufacturing/shipping issues. Meanwhile, theyre addressing the flickering problem, again, with a second patch thats coincidentally arriving in roughly three weeks itself.
The Leak!
Heres Apples internal guide on the jaundiced screen problem. Obviously, theyve noticed customer complaints, no matter what customer service might tell you.
The main points you should take away from this memo are that Apple knows about the problem but wants you to ignore it, theyre choosing to replace screen components rather than complete iMacs (bad news for those of you who rightly desire a purely new product off the line), and again, Apple seems to be arranging a fix in three weeks time that Im guessing correlates with the main 27-inch iMac delay. Oddly enough, Apple makes no mention of 21-inch systems having yellow screens, even though problems have been reported (albeit not as often).
What Could Be Wrong?
The same reader who tested the colour temperatures of his yellow iMac display last week and coincidentally fixed his jaundiced iMac without knowing how he did it thinks he may have figured out the issue:
I now am fairly certain that the yellowing of the display is a manufacturing defect involving the distance between a layer of material used to diffuse the LED backlight and the LCD panel. To show a perfectly even colour, this light scattering panel has to be absolutely flat and free of any warping, kinking, or thickness defects. It is this layer that I believe is at fault, and causes the colour to drift and give the perception of yellow stripes, fields, and corners.
This would be absolutely consistent with the reports of horizontal and vertical stripes (a vertical or horizontal kink) or corners (a bad tuck). I believe these defects may not appear in the factory. Rather, with the rough handling the monitors receive when shipped this layer gets knocked out of alignment.
I dont know what Apple could do to solve this problem, other than a wholesale change of manufacturer for the panels, or a complete redesign of the panels themselves to better pin the diffusion layer.
It also explains why my careful assembly and dis-assembly resulted in the yellowing disappearing. By being cautious, I basically returned the monitors to the original factory state of perfect alignment.
If anyone wants to test this theory on their own machine, let us know how it went at submissions@gizmodo.com. Just use caution, as Ive heard cracking your case this deep may void your warranty.
Quote of the Week, Apple Apologist Edition
Running a business is difficult.
How Can you Test Your Machine?
A flickering screen will be immediately obvious. As for issues where the bottom half of the screen looks a bit yellow, you can confirm those suspicions here.
Keep those updates coming to submissions@gizmodo.com. I urge you all to tweet this story to get the word out. The louder everyone complains, the less iMacs Apple will sell and the more likely this saga will have a happy reasonable ending.
And maybe, just maybe, Apple will choose to test their new products on someone other than their customers next time.
Mark Wilson's "leak" is old news. Even I reported it here yesterday, after simply telephoning Apple and asking them about it. What is the use of a publication that reports stuff as a "leak" after it's already available to anyone who asks?
Worthless publication.
Worthless publication.
I think the "leak" memo is believable and interesting.
Unlike Wilson, I see no nefarious motives on Apple's part. The memo's instructions seem reasonable and it points to a resolution for those affected in a short time.
Hi, I am on my second iMac i5 now, same issue here.
First one: Week 53
Second one: Week 48
Both with yellow tinge issue.
I will get a refund next week.
First one: Week 53
Second one: Week 48
Both with yellow tinge issue.
I will get a refund next week.
Second iMac 21.5 just arrived today - week 52 unit. So far it looks much better. If I look really hard, there might be some extremely slight yellowing on the lower eighth of the display, but it's uniform across the display and not noticeable at all during normal use. In fact I only see it now with the screen all white as opposed to before when it was visible with mostly white scenes. I used to notice the yellowing when browsing this forum, now it looks great.
The uniformity or lack thereof was the cause for the return of the first unit (week 51). There was a distinct 'splotchiness' which made the yellow much more visible depending on the part of the screen you happened to be viewing. This unit seems to be uniform with any variations subtly spread out (which is the way a display should look).
I'll see how the screen fares over the next several days, but so far it could be a keeper (crosses fingers).
The only problem is that my Lacie Time Machine drive crapped out and I have to rebuild the machine again. Not a huge deal since I have most of the stuff on an external drive and still have the mini I migrated from, but it did suck.
The uniformity or lack thereof was the cause for the return of the first unit (week 51). There was a distinct 'splotchiness' which made the yellow much more visible depending on the part of the screen you happened to be viewing. This unit seems to be uniform with any variations subtly spread out (which is the way a display should look).
I'll see how the screen fares over the next several days, but so far it could be a keeper (crosses fingers).
The only problem is that my Lacie Time Machine drive crapped out and I have to rebuild the machine again. Not a huge deal since I have most of the stuff on an external drive and still have the mini I migrated from, but it did suck.
Wait to buy new iMac 21.5"?
I am a long time Mac user looking to replace my iMac G5 for a the new 21.5 iMac.
Wow...sounds like all the screens are
yellow? Is this mainly a problem for the 27 i5 iMac or is it a problem for both?
My old iMac screen is perfect, maybe older is "better" for now?
I am a long time Mac user looking to replace my iMac G5 for a the new 21.5 iMac.
Wow...sounds like all the screens are
yellow? Is this mainly a problem for the 27 i5 iMac or is it a problem for both?My old iMac screen is perfect, maybe older is "better" for now?
Well, that gives me a bit of hope for the 27" iMacs. The gradient issues with the 24" have never been acknowledged by Apple as far as I know.
actually it's funny how I can see the yellow tinge while looking at the full-size picture since I got the yellow tinge, too
.. basically amplifies your yellow tinge 
This one is almost perfect one,mine is coming next week,Gosh how i wish for an option like yours.(first order,no returns yet)
FYI i checked three '27 IMACS in a local retail store,only ONE had screen this GOOD.Another one was more yellow,and the third one was abominable.
BTW running yellow tinge screen tests in the store leaves sales people extremely nervous.
The Yellow tinge is not so bad?
Hi everyone,
I have a Week 53 27"iMac i7. Had it for a month now. It runs great with no flickering or black outs in OSX or Windows 7. However, it has a slight yellow tinge that is uniform from the bottom 1/3 of the seen. It has annoyed the heck out of me since I received the system, when reading on MacRumors as the windows have white in them. Again, it is not harsh but once you know it is there you can not ignore it.
I have calibrated the color on it and experimented with many profiles and I came up with one that actually makes the yellowing go away! This is on my machine and I am not sure it would work on others. I calibrated the white point to a little bluer color (it is still very bright white) The stock calibration is very yellow creamy white. You will have to experiment a bit with this setting. It took many hours of testing and walking away from the screen to do this. I did find one that pretty much eliminated the yellowing and still retains its bright white attributes.
I am not sure this would work with a screen that suffers from darker yellowing than mine. Give it a try and see how it works! Also, I do not keep the brightness on high it is about 75% brightness.
It is so nice to be able to read this forum without that distinct color contrast now.
Hoping this helps some who are in 'waiting' like myself for a fix.
Regards,
-Linda
Hi everyone,
I have a Week 53 27"iMac i7. Had it for a month now. It runs great with no flickering or black outs in OSX or Windows 7. However, it has a slight yellow tinge that is uniform from the bottom 1/3 of the seen. It has annoyed the heck out of me since I received the system, when reading on MacRumors as the windows have white in them. Again, it is not harsh but once you know it is there you can not ignore it.
I have calibrated the color on it and experimented with many profiles and I came up with one that actually makes the yellowing go away! This is on my machine and I am not sure it would work on others. I calibrated the white point to a little bluer color (it is still very bright white) The stock calibration is very yellow creamy white. You will have to experiment a bit with this setting. It took many hours of testing and walking away from the screen to do this. I did find one that pretty much eliminated the yellowing and still retains its bright white attributes.
I am not sure this would work with a screen that suffers from darker yellowing than mine. Give it a try and see how it works! Also, I do not keep the brightness on high it is about 75% brightness.
It is so nice to be able to read this forum without that distinct color contrast now.
Hoping this helps some who are in 'waiting' like myself for a fix.
Regards,
-Linda
I can't see it. I hope my replacement is as good as this one -- totally acceptable, to me at least.
This has been mentioned before. When you capture an image of the screen internally via software, it will capture an image of what the physical screen should be displaying. Not what your eyes will see though. The problem occurs when the screen tries to duplicate the image physically. You have to take a picture of the monitor. Yes, that image looks perfect on my display too.
Yep, my week 52 looks even better than that. If I go all-white screen I'd probably notice it. But that's not real use and thus far mine looks great.
It's not the yellowness per se that does it, it's the lack of uniformity - i.e. 'splotchiness.' That screenshot does not show what I had on my first week 51 - areas of yellow with distinct boundaries to adjacent bluer areas.
It's not the yellowness per se that does it, it's the lack of uniformity - i.e. 'splotchiness.' That screenshot does not show what I had on my first week 51 - areas of yellow with distinct boundaries to adjacent bluer areas.
My i7 will be here mid-next week...
hey guys.
long time lurker, first time poster.
My order number is W6785XXXX ... how do I determine the week/batch from this .. from what I understand it's the two numbers following the first two... making it wee 85? obviously not...
Thanks
hey guys.
long time lurker, first time poster.
My order number is W6785XXXX ... how do I determine the week/batch from this .. from what I understand it's the two numbers following the first two... making it wee 85?
obviously not... Thanks
hey guys.
long time lurker, first time poster.
My order number is W6785XXXX ... how do I determine the week/batch from this .. from what I understand it's the two numbers following the first two... making it wee 85?
Thanks
Go here:
http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php