27" iMac Shipping Times Slip to Two Weeks Amid Screen Flickering Complaints

[ericinboston]

I would freak out if I just plopped $2000+ for a personal computer that acts anything like that video clip!

And 84 PAGES worth of complaints?! Sounds like poor quality control if you ask me.

Is it me or is Apple starting to get a black eye from the latest iMacs?

-Eric

 

[Jayomat]

Why would you be angry? If you receive an iMac with a fault, you return it and get a new one. No reason to be emotional about it.

this is why... thx jaw^^

Yeah, it's not like it's a huge hassle or anything (at least a 30 minute initial phone call, box the malfunctioning iMac up, take the iMac to FedEx or UPS, wait for Apple to process your RMA, wait apparently weeks for Apple to build your replacement iMac, pay your credit card bill when in fact you don't even have the product, the thought of "Do I have enough credit to let Apple place another $1700+ authorization on my debit/credit card?", be home so you can sign for your iMac again, the added stress of will it make it before Christmas if it's a present, etc).

To top it off, it's Christmas and Apple's call volume and ordering system is at its peak for the year.

If I just purchased a $1700+ machine that had these issues, I would be angry too. Returns are a PITA. Especially this time of the year.

 

[daneoni]

lol...oh Rev A products...how you never cease to amuse

 

[kernkraft]

Freshboooooooy!

We pay Apple premiums just so that we don't have to face such things that the unfortunate and unprivileged peasants of the PC world do. I am disappointed, but knowing Apple they will set everything all right.

Macrumors newbie, you should put LTD on your buddy list. You know, you are not better just because you purchased a PC in a flashy aluminium case designed by Apple. With this manner, guess, who the real peasant is!

One of the points of buying an expensive computer would be that they get it right the first time. If your computer is defective, any manufacturer will rectify it within the statutory warranty period, that does not make Apple special. But frankly, they could accept that something is wrong.

 

[AppleZwei]

This is interesting. I've yet to see one bad iMac screen from the 27" -and we've sold nearly 100.

 

[mmdc]

Perhaps when these issues become resolved, there will be plenty of 27" refurbished iMacs to scoop up!

 

[RazHyena]

The 27 inch iMac has really had a seriously bad launch. And the problems continue...

I hope the 21.5 inch model doesn't suffer from this problem. Can anyone verify that?

 

[AppleZwei]

Hmm awesome stats mate, but i find that bit hard to believe.


Below is for laptops but you get the idea.
http://theappleblog.com/2009/11/17/apple-ranks-a-lackluster-fourth-in-notebook-reliability-study/

Thing is, components die, if you are telling me you did not have a HD faliure in 120 macs since 1990, no way! Sorry mate, individual components in computers are not that reliable, and that is nothing to do with Apple. I would dream to have a HD that lasted for more then 10 years.

Only 10,00 computers in that survey? Yep. In Australia? Yep. Doesn't mention that Square Trade is a warranty service company, not a research firm.

I think I'll trust Consumer Reports that puts Apple #1 in reliability. Couple of million computers there.

 

[billimek]

The flickering happened with mine as well (quad-core). The menu bar also crashed a few times. I returned it to the Apple store closest to me and was just given a new one. Apple didn't tell me what the problem was. Here is a picture of the menu bar crashing when I was on skype.

Also, thank you to everybody in the community for all the helpful information you've provided over the year that I've logged in to learn about the mac product. Finally made the conversion to a mac product from windows a couple weeks ago.

Hey Leonidas21, I have a week 49 27" i7 iMac and got the same exact type of screen problem that you show in the screenshot, but when I was booted into Windows 7 via bootcamp. I just assumed that it was related to windows 7 and/or the windows drivers for the display adapter.

It happened two times - the same problem with the 'bottom' of the screen showing up near the top along with the weird piano-key type distortion pattern. 'm not getting any flickering so far.

Are others having the same type of garbled display that you show?

Are others getting

 

[peskaa]

Hey Leonidas21, I have a week 49 27" i7 iMac and got the same exact type of screen problem that you show in the screenshot, but when I was booted into Windows 7 via bootcamp. I just assumed that it was related to windows 7 and/or the windows drivers for the display adapter.

It happened two times - the same problem with the 'bottom' of the screen showing up near the top along with the weird piano-key type distortion pattern. 'm not getting any flickering so far.

Are others having the same type of garbled display that you show?

Are others getting

Like this?

My iMac did this within an hour of being unboxed, and has had flicker issues since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND9-aNr_fQ0
Just watch it go, complete with the black screen total failure

 

[InfoTime]

Ordered and installed an i7 for a client. Works perfectly.

 

[leonidas21]

Hey Leonidas21, I have a week 49 27" i7 iMac and got the same exact type of screen problem that you show in the screenshot, but when I was booted into Windows 7 via bootcamp. I just assumed that it was related to windows 7 and/or the windows drivers for the display adapter.

It happened two times - the same problem with the 'bottom' of the screen showing up near the top along with the weird piano-key type distortion pattern. 'm not getting any flickering so far.

Are others having the same type of garbled display that you show?

Are others getting

Apparently there are others that are having the same problem. It's just tough to tell how big it is because Apple will not address it in the public. I don't think they will unless it reaches a critical level (like xbox for MSFT). When I brought my first unit in one of the genius bar employees tried "inducing a load" until it crashed. It took about five minutes but one of the programs that was running crashed. When I was at home the flickering always preceded the menu bar crash. I wasn't running bootcamp or anything intensive. The first time it happened was while running iPhoto and the second time was during a skype conversation.

 

[tombb]

cent cent

After following the forums here and at Apple's web sits, it's my guess that long(er) delivery times on the 27" iMac are primarily due to high demand, and not due to a production line retool.

Demand is probably high because:
1. The 27" iMac was recently released.
2. It's right before Christmas.
3. The new iMac has garnered good reviews in the mainstream Apple press (e.g. MacWorld).
4. It's perceived as representing good bang-for-the-buck (in the Apple universe).
5. The showroom models are flat out gorgeous (sexy).

Witness the large number of knowledgeable enthusiasts (e.g. active MacRumors members) who purchase the thing despite the fact it's revision A and despite the flurry of complaints we're seeing. I'm anticipating getting two myself, one to replace my wife's aging iMac, and one to replace my old G5 PowerMac workhorse. The i7 would end up providing me approximately 90% of the productivity of a somewhat comparable octo MacPro system--at half the cost!

I predict that the ComputerWorld article (despite the typical circular Internet reporting) will lead to a little more mainstream pressure for Apple to publicly and/or quickly address the current issues.

I also predict that a combination of software/firmware tweaks will fix the flicker/ticking problems and that the cracked glass handling/packaging problem has already been fixed. The "yellow tinge" problem may be different in that it may involve some inherent property of the panels or interaction between the panel and other hardware. (Do LCD panels interact with thermal/RF/magnetic sources? Any LCD engineers out there care to weigh in? I prefer not to experiment on my own monitors.)

Since (in my opinion) the yellow tinge is the only real "show stopper," I plan to go back to Best Buy and check out the showroom model again. To be honest, when I first saw the posted picts of the yellowing problem, I thought I would need to stop by my friendly neighborhood optometrist's office on the way home. It turns out that the "suboptimal" LCD monitors hooked up to the "suboptimal" PCs at work may have de-emphasized the color difference. When I got home and fired up the ACD, I could indeed see the difference (whew).

The gradient, especially if it is minor and/or rarely visible (i.e. only visible under rarely-encountered circumstances), may not be an issue to me, especially since my job does not rely on exact color accuracy. Hence the trip back to Best Buy.

Maybe I should leave my VISA at home, just in case I get "the urge"...

 

[leonidas21]

After following the forums here and at Apple's web sits, it's my guess that long(er) delivery times on the 27" iMac are primarily due to high demand, and not due to a production line retool.

Demand is probably high because:
1. The 27" iMac was recently released.
2. It's right before Christmas.
3. The new iMac has garnered good reviews in the mainstream Apple press (e.g. MacWorld).
4. It's perceived as representing good bang-for-the-buck (in the Apple universe).
5. The showroom models are flat out gorgeous (sexy).

Witness the large number of knowledgeable enthusiasts (e.g. active MacRumors members) who purchase the thing despite the fact it's revision A and despite the flurry of complaints we're seeing. I'm anticipating getting two myself, one to replace my wife's aging iMac, and one to replace my old G5 PowerMac workhorse. The i7 would end up providing me approximately 90% of the productivity of a somewhat comparable octo MacPro system--at half the cost!

I predict that the ComputerWorld article (despite the typical circular Internet reporting) will lead to a little more mainstream pressure for Apple to publicly and/or quickly address the current issues.

I also predict that a combination of software/firmware tweaks will fix the flicker/ticking problems and that the cracked glass handling/packaging problem has already been fixed. The "yellow tinge" problem may be different in that it may involve some inherent property of the panels or interaction between the panel and other hardware. (Do LCD panels interact with thermal/RF/magnetic sources? Any LCD engineers out there care to weigh in? I prefer not to experiment on my own monitors.)

Since (in my opinion) the yellow tinge is the only real "show stopper," I plan to go back to Best Buy and check out the showroom model again. To be honest, when I first saw the posted picts of the yellowing problem, I thought I would need to stop by my friendly neighborhood optometrist's office on the way home. It turns out that the "suboptimal" LCD monitors hooked up to the "suboptimal" PCs at work may have de-emphasized the color difference. When I got home and fired up the ACD, I could indeed see the difference (whew).

The gradient, especially if it is minor and/or rarely visible (i.e. only visible under rarely-encountered circumstances), may not be an issue to me, especially since my job does not rely on exact color accuracy. Hence the trip back to Best Buy.

Maybe I should leave my VISA at home, just in case I get "the urge"...

Tombb,

If the reason is high demand then the guys working at Apple failed their business 101 class in college. One of the worst things a business can do is not have product. Especially during the holidays. When they do most of their sales (40%). That's hilarious if you actually believe that.

 

[stoutboy1]

This is old news

It has been at 2 weeks for uhm... 2 weeks. 2 weeks would be great if they would really ship it in two weeks. It's much longer for most i'd guess. For me it has been for sure. I have given up hope and expect it to show up when it does. I hope the computers speed will make me forget about the slow getting it here.

 

[pcorajr]

yep I WILL NEVER BUY REV A of anything from Apple again. I did this when the first Alum iMac's cames out back in 07. So far the computer has been back in for repair 4 Times. 2 of those where for 5+ days. NEVER EVER AGAIN.

 

[nycdesigner]

It's not the hardware, it's the interface that makes a Mac...

I think I'll trust Consumer Reports that puts Apple #1 in reliability. Couple of million computers there.

If you can get OSX to run on some other hardware, then do it...and until then, quit whining about problems every manufacturer has, REV A or not.

Wanna deal with Dell at Christmas, have fun!

 

[pctomac99]

I ordered mine december 9th, but as of today, it shows as "prepared for shipment". Others ordering around that day report shipment as well. I guess apple either found a fix faster then expected or managed to catch up with the orders. Mine was scheduled to ship on Dec 23rd (27" i7, 8GB RAM)

Typically, Apple tends to overestimate shipping times (I guess better to under promisse then over promisse).

Lets hope it will arrive without flickering or other issues.

I ordered mine on the 7th and shipped today the 14th so it's arriving pretty soon. I suspect the 2 week delay might actually have to do with holiday demand just like they said.

I imagine Apple had a few bad apples that got shipped to customers. If they did have an issue it's probably a few bad graphics boards or a bad LED display connector or something like that that was overlooked at the assembly factory.

Hope mine will be ok.

 

[Foxer]

Like this?

My iMac did this within an hour of being unboxed, and has had flicker issues since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND9-aNr_fQ0
Just watch it go, complete with the black screen total failure

I had the same thing. Biught the quad core i5 the first day they showed at the local Apple Store, it started doing that screen tearing shown here and flickering on the next day. I spoke to a genius, who hadn't heard of the problem at that time, but suggested I make a time-log of any future occurences. It started doing it alot the next day. I took pictures and borught it back to the store for a new one five days after purchase, along with the "log." They asked me to send them the photos and kept the log, they said that it would be forwarded to Apple "beacuse they always want to know about problems with new products." They gave me a new machine and I'm at about a month without any problems yet (touch wood).

 

[AppleMojo]

Where is the original thread on this? I remember reading hundreds of posts where members called the people with the issues whiners/complainers who should basically be lucky to order from a company as glorious as Apple.

Now that Apple issued such a shoddy product their profit is going through the floor with all of the returns/repairs/delays.

Remember last month when some rabid fanboys here knee-jerk (reaction) barked that this wasn't "news" and "just a fleeting rarity" (cracked screens, flickering)? Where are ya guys now?

Seriously?! So unless you had some secret insight into this issue, it was complete speculation that the problems they were experiencing in those early days were anything but random and unrelated.

You had a 1 in 2 chance of being correct, and if you want to play longer term percentages with Apple products, you'd lose.

When the next news article points at an exploding iPhone, i'd really be interested to hear your unbiased secret insight! After all, that turned out to be a big fat nothing.

Oh, and guessing that a new product will have issues is like guessing that the sun will come up tomorrow. Stating the obvious doesn't make one smarter.

And when you file your next guess with us, fill us all in on your experience in designing, developing and deploying technology to a global community. I know I'd love to hear it.

Annoying like the idiot at the end of the movie that says "Oh, I totally knew that was going to happen.".

#stupidity

If you can get OSX to run on some other hardware, then do it...and until then, quit whining about problems every manufacturer has, REV A or not.

Wanna deal with Dell at Christmas, have fun!

Exactly. Well said.

I'll end up waiting until after the first of the year to put in an order... Just watching what happens until then.

As history has shown here on the forums, most of the hardcore whiners don't have the cash to buy any of this hardware anyway. Apparently they are trying to justify their not being able to afford it by posting about how crappy it is.

#sad

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

EXACTLY. They should be ashamed of themselves. Fellow forum members spent thousands, including me, only to have a sh*tty product on our desks that needs replacement.

Oh God... that's terrible.
You have to spend hours of your day getting a replacement.
Apple is such a horrible vicious company for doing that to you.

 

[AppleMojo]

Tombb,

If the reason is high demand then the guys working at Apple failed their business 101 class in college. One of the worst things a business can do is not have product. Especially during the holidays. When they do most of their sales (40%). That's hilarious if you actually believe that.

Sorry to post 3 in a row... but I had to comment on this silly comment.

So did Sony fail business 101 with the Playstation? How about Nintendo with the Wii, Amazon with the Kindle or Barnes and Noble with the Nook? How about Pictionary man last year?

What about the Zhu Zhu pets everyone was trying to get this year? How about specific Star Wars lego sets this year?

I'd really be interested in you sharing with us your experience in production and delivery. More specifically, how you would get so much product onto store shelves that it would never run out and still be profitable when the holiday rush is over.

As a society, we just need to stop tolerating these type of crap comments. Apparently all of these guys are brilliant entrepreneurs who turned down offer after offer from Apple. #sarcasm

Whining that a company has failed business 101, while they're at home adding up their bank overdraft fees.

 

[mossback]

We pay Apple premiums just so that we don't have to face such things that the unfortunate and unprivileged peasants of the PC world do. I am disappointed, but knowing Apple they will set everything all right.

This really gets to the heart of it for me. I've been waiting months now to buy the i7 version but want to be certain the issue is not hardware related before I pull the trigger. This is enough of an issue on Apples own forums that I wish they would at least acknowledge it. Such a simple gesture would go a long way. When I bought the first aluminum iMac those too had intermittent display issues and it took a few months to get everything sorted out. The overall trend here is not good.

No doubt, when this is finally resolved for these 27" models it will be a truly awesome computer.

 

[The Samurai]

Just to add to this thread, my quad core i5 has been working a treat. Its been on for approx 12 hours+ a day since 19th Nov 2009 and no bugs/crashes/errors/flickering/noise issues whatsoever.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Don't buy any of that cheap Dell junk.