Thought I would post this here in case the info was interesting / helpful for anyone who is in the market for an iMac.
I live in Seattle, WA. I decided to upgrade my current machine to a 27'' i5 iMac to do my audio / visual work. I drove down to Portland, OR, to see friends, and picked up a machine while I was there (tax free, with education discount). The Apple guy told me it was a week 8 iMac. When I unboxed it back at home, I found that the optical drive scratched discs, the display had a bright spot near the top, and there was a subtle warming tint across the bottom of the display. The warming probably wouldn't be an issue with a lot of users, but for anyone doing photo or video work it wouldn't be acceptable.
I took the computer in to the Seattle University Village Apple Store, who were great and agreed to let me exchange the defective machine for one of theirs without charging me tax on the exchange, which they normally would do. I decided to set up my new computer in store to make sure it checked out. I looked at 4 machines; 3 had optical drive issues, and 1 had more severe screen tinting. They told me to come back in a few days when they got a new shipment of computers.
When I went back, Mark the Business Manager met with me and said that their store had just received their first shipment of i7 iMacs, which was previously just a build to order option online. These iMacs were only a few weeks old, and he claimed he had unboxed a few and that they were all "post-display issues". He upgraded me to an i7 FOR FREE and I ended up with a beautiful, uniform display.
Bottom line? Apple factory quality control sucks, Apple Store customer service is amazing (thanks again Mark, Jenn, and Michael). If you're looking to get a 27'' iMac, the recent run of i7's look to be a safe way to go.
-Nick
I live in Seattle, WA. I decided to upgrade my current machine to a 27'' i5 iMac to do my audio / visual work. I drove down to Portland, OR, to see friends, and picked up a machine while I was there (tax free, with education discount). The Apple guy told me it was a week 8 iMac. When I unboxed it back at home, I found that the optical drive scratched discs, the display had a bright spot near the top, and there was a subtle warming tint across the bottom of the display. The warming probably wouldn't be an issue with a lot of users, but for anyone doing photo or video work it wouldn't be acceptable.
I took the computer in to the Seattle University Village Apple Store, who were great and agreed to let me exchange the defective machine for one of theirs without charging me tax on the exchange, which they normally would do. I decided to set up my new computer in store to make sure it checked out. I looked at 4 machines; 3 had optical drive issues, and 1 had more severe screen tinting. They told me to come back in a few days when they got a new shipment of computers.
When I went back, Mark the Business Manager met with me and said that their store had just received their first shipment of i7 iMacs, which was previously just a build to order option online. These iMacs were only a few weeks old, and he claimed he had unboxed a few and that they were all "post-display issues". He upgraded me to an i7 FOR FREE and I ended up with a beautiful, uniform display.
Bottom line? Apple factory quality control sucks, Apple Store customer service is amazing (thanks again Mark, Jenn, and Michael). If you're looking to get a 27'' iMac, the recent run of i7's look to be a safe way to go.
-Nick
