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Dirt BEHIND glass of 24" iMac

maverick808

maverick808

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 30, 2004
1,145
156
Scotland
I got a replacement 24" iMac because my first one arrived with numerous problems (scratched screen, noisy fan, flickering display). For the first 10 minutes I thought the replacement was perfect but then I noticed a tiny speck of dust on the display that I couldn't clean. I realised it was behind the glass.

I was about to call Apple and get yet another replacement sent out but I saw the disassembly pictures and noticed the glass was only held on by magnets and that they took it off using a suction cup tool. I didn't have one but I went to the car and brought back my TomTom GPS holder, which uses a suction cup to attach to the windscreen. Amazingly, this worked brilliantly and the glass part came off easily. I cleaned the dirt off the back and put it back on and now the machine is indeed perfect.

Taking the glass off was one of the easiest things I've ever done as far as computer maintenance goes. It really is just a few magnets holding it on and when you have the suction cup on it then it just simply pops out.

I noticed that the entire section really is just a black border, some magnets, and the glass, and that the screen obviously doesn't reflect much at all with the glass off. I imagine it'd be very easy for a third-party to make a section that was just the black border, without the glass, for those that don't like the gloss. In the meantime, if you hate the gloss with a passion the machine works just as well, and actually looks decent, if you just leave the glass section off altogether!
 
OllyW said:
Can you explain how the magnets hold the glass on?

Obviously glass isn't a magnetic material, are the magnets bonded onto the glass?
Click to expand...

The glass section and the black border are flat. There are magnetic metal sticks that come out of this section and slide into holes on the actual iMac. Give me a sec and I'll take a pic.
 
Here's a close up of the magnetic poles that slide into the holes. Sorry, but as the screen picks up dirt so easily I didn't want to take off the bezel again as it'd undoubtedly pick up more dirt and I'd have to clean it again, so I just opened it slightly and took the pic that way instead.
 
That is so simple.. Ive got an XDA orbit car holder which should work then.. when i get my imac ill try it if im really bored.
 
maverick808 said:
The glass section and the black border are flat. There are magnetic metal sticks that come out of this section and slide into holes on the actual iMac. Give me a sec and I'll take a pic.
Click to expand...

maverick808 said:
Here's a close up of the magnetic poles that slide into the holes. Sorry, but as the screen picks up dirt so easily I didn't want to take off the bezel again as it'd undoubtedly pick up more dirt and I'd have to clean it again, so I just opened it slightly and took the pic that way instead.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up :)

I guess that's why they have the black border, to cover up all the fittings.

Like you said in the first post, it probably won't be long until a border is available so you can use it without the glass fitted.
 
maverick808 said:
Here's a close up of the magnetic poles that slide into the holes. Sorry, but as the screen picks up dirt so easily I didn't want to take off the bezel again as it'd undoubtedly pick up more dirt and I'd have to clean it again, so I just opened it slightly and took the pic that way instead.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this mav! I have a feeling there will be 3rd party border only pieces coming real soon with different colour choices! ;)
 
thanks maverick! i just bought the 24" imac 2 weeks ago and noticed the tiny specks of dust which i thought were digs or scratches on the screen at first and was just about to head back to the store and exchange my imac. then i realized they were located on the other side of the glass. i just need to find a suction cup to remove the glass now :)
 
Very cool, Mav. I've actually got an uncle who owns a metal shop that specializes in black oxidizing part. It's some sort of chemical process that is used for rust and wear treating, but also turns the metal flat black. It's much better looking and MUCH longer lasting than paint. Once I get a new iMac I'm planning on making some very precise measurements and having him machine up a border only pieces and oxidize it. If all goes well we should be able to get something really nice looking together... If he's able to make something nice I'll see about going into business with him and sell them to all the glossy-haters!
 
mrgreen4242 said:
Very cool, Mav. I've actually got an uncle who owns a metal shop that specializes in black oxidizing part. It's some sort of chemical process that is used for rust and wear treating, but also turns the metal flat black. It's much better looking and MUCH longer lasting than paint. Once I get a new iMac I'm planning on making some very precise measurements and having him machine up a border only pieces and oxidize it. If all goes well we should be able to get something really nice looking together... If he's able to make something nice I'll see about going into business with him and sell them to all the glossy-haters!
Click to expand...

i want one!!

maybe some sort of acrylic or matte glass would be a good material to minimise glare and get RID of that awful awful glossy-pc look of the 'almost' beautiful imac.

honestly apple, what the hell were you thinking, i mean really come on, its 2007 people dont take this kind of bull anymore, if consumers demand, then they MUST get.. after all its our money at the end of the day.. we make that company ticck..
 
One question, many posters are talking about a border only surrounding the screen. Wouldn't that leave sort of a hole or recessed area where the LCD screen resides? It doesn't sound like it would look nice. With the glass in place everything is all flat surfaced and flush.
 
Schtumple said:
Well that's me sorted then, just gotta make the backing plain aluminum too and itll be lush
Click to expand...

Two problems: 1) aluminum is non-magnetic, so it wouldn't stick. 2) It might look cool at first, but really, the ideal is a flat black border around the display. It increases the perceived contrast ratio and color saturation of the screen.

wilmor42 said:
i want one!!

maybe some sort of acrylic or matte glass would be a good material to minimise glare and get RID of that awful awful glossy-pc look of the 'almost' beautiful imac.

honestly apple, what the hell were you thinking, i mean really come on, its 2007 people dont take this kind of bull anymore, if consumers demand, then they MUST get.. after all its our money at the end of the day.. we make that company ticck..
Click to expand...

I'm emailing with him currently to sort out if he has the equipment to do the cutting as precisely as it would need to be... that's the real hang up. There's probably only tolerance for a couple millimeters in something like this. If he can do it, I'll likely launch a small site with some info and pre-order stuff to see of we can get enough interest to make it worth while for him to do a run.

HLdan said:
One question, many posters are talking about a border only surrounding the screen. Wouldn't that leave sort of a hole or recessed area where the LCD screen resides? It doesn't sound like it would look nice. With the glass in place everything is all flat surfaced and flush.
Click to expand...

Yes, there'd be a dip from the border of the screen the the screen itself. The best solutions would be either a piece of anti-glare coated glass (expensive), or the border with a small bevel to help give the illusion of flushness (simple). If you look at a regular LCD display, you'll see that (most of the time) the screen is recessed into the casing and the surrounding border is beveled. Most people would never notice it.
 
Anybody have any pictures of the iMac WITHOUT the glass attached?

I'm very interested in this... I also wonder if it calibrates better without the glass.
 
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