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Is it safe to buy new 27 inch iMac i7?

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xboxbuckeye

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 29, 2009
9
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As someone who has been waiting to buy an iMac for over a month and reading all the screen issues, I have to ask - is it even worth it to buy an iMac (27 inch core i7) right now?

I have a VERY old PC and have been waiting for a nicely priced i7 system with a great screen - and obviously the iMac is that system. I will do bootcamp and W7 so to me, this is the perfect machine....

Should I take the plunge and buy one and hope it is free from error or wait another month or so (I'd like to take advantage of the cheaper iWork and printer rebate if possible).

Would love to hear your thoughts on actual failure rates and if you think this is a risky purchase at this point....
 
xboxbuckeye said:
As someone who has been waiting to buy an iMac for over a month and reading all the screen issues, I have to ask - is it even worth it to buy an iMac (27 inch core i7) right now?

I have a VERY old PC and have been waiting for a nicely priced i7 system with a great screen - and obviously the iMac is that system. I will do bootcamp and W7 so to me, this is the perfect machine....

Should I take the plunge and buy one and hope it is free from error or wait another month or so (I'd like to take advantage of the cheaper iWork and printer rebate if possible).

Would love to hear your thoughts on actual failure rates and if you think this is a risky purchase at this point....
Click to expand...


No, Apple Execs don't even know how big the issue with the screens is or how to fix it..

why buy an iMac to bootcamp W7 (not even supported yet) ? why not just buy an equivalent PC and with the change buy a house..??;)
 
I would say buy now... Not even going to go in to detail. Buy Applecare. Wouldn't bother with a desktop, you won't be much better off money wise when you have the same spec.
 
I just got mine today and it is perfect. Check the iMac issues site, most people seem to be getting good ones now. i would not hesitate to order.
 
My second one is better than the first, but still certainly not perfect. Go for it, if you don't mind a bit of hassle. Worst come to worst, you CAN return it for a refund.
 
DarwinOSX said:
I just got mine today and it is perfect. Check the iMac issues site, most people seem to be getting good ones now. i would not hesitate to order.
Click to expand...

Not quite.. have a look at imac.squeaked.com, 5 out of 8 week-52 owners are reporting yellow screens.
 
MrT-Man said:
Not quite.. have a look at imac.squeaked.com, 5 out of 8 week-52 owners are reporting yellow screens.
Click to expand...


I just looked at that site, on your suggestion.

I noticed this there too (quote): "The vast majority of computers received by customers are problem free."

So I guess it depends on which part of imac.squeaked.com one prefers to focus upon.
 
I was the same way as you, then I said what the heck, and went for it.

Got a perfect machine.
No issues whatsoever.

So.. not EVERY single one is broken.
I'd say maybe 5 out of 10,000 have a defect.
 
mtnDewFTW said:
I was the same way as you, then I said what the heck, and went for it.

Got a perfect machine.
No issues whatsoever.

So.. not EVERY single one is broken.
I'd say maybe 5 out of 10,000 have a defect.
Click to expand...

I'd say your number is way off. I've checked 3 local Best Buys, 4 local Futureshops and 2 local Apple Stores and have not found ONE display model that doesn't have the yellow tinge.
 
Bryan Bowler said:
and the endless debate continues...
Click to expand...

That may be... but i can't believe its really in small numbers anymore.
I'm reading so many user comments where a second or third exchange results in again a yellow screen. I myself didn’t believe it and went for it...
On this moment I’m waiting for my second exchange... The first was a week 47, the second a week 50 and the third... I still not know.
It looks like Apple support is on holiday... Waiting for more than a week to get an RMA e-mail... Called them yesterday (again) .. they mentioned the holiday season as reason. And that’s it… my first exchange was a lot faster.

I wish Apple was more communicative about the problems at hand.
 
I still haven't run the firmware update on my week 48 i7 because I never had any problems to fix and have absolutely no complaints. It's perfect.

I love this machine. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
 
any ideas whether they still use the Seagate drives on the new ones? And indeed, I would wait too..gonna wait till the middle of March.
 
Given the number of repeat blinkers and yellow tingers people are receiving as replacements the second and third machine in a row, not to mention the survey results, the proportion of defective iMacs is very substantial - I would wait until Apple has figured the cause of and fixed these issues unless you don't mind a blinking, uneven yellow screen.
 
archipellago said:
pay tax on tax.?

bonus..!
Click to expand...
Please. So paying the same money for a 24" comparably equipped machine from HP, Dell, or Sony is considered what? You get what you pay for pal. Apple's pricing is right in line with comparable products.

There is no Apple "tax". They just don't participate in the low-margin bargain computer market nor computer designs they don't like. For the most part they only sell mid to high end machines and have a great business doing so. The exception is you can get a much better deal on a tower computer with equivalent sized monitor from HP or Dell, but Apple rejects that design for their mainstream products because it goes against their philosophy of simplicity in function and design. And yes, you will pay a little more for design and the excellent support that backs their machines. If you don't care about that, then I encourage you to buy from another maker, but don't make up your own reality about a "tax" that has no bearing in facts.

Of course it is safe to by the 27" iMac, we have several here at work and they are fantastic machines. Apple has sold more than 1 million of these machines already. Yes, some small percentage have had problems, which is too bad, but that is true for nearly every product you can buy.
 
JimAtLaw said:
Given the number of repeat blinkers and yellow tingers people are receiving as replacements the second and third machine in a row, not to mention the survey results, the proportion of defective iMacs is very substantial - I would wait until Apple has figured the cause of and fixed these issues unless you don't mind a blinking, uneven yellow screen.
Click to expand...
Not sure I agree with your generalization on the scale and whether or not this is just the normal, average failure rate for an electronic device. It is hard to make call on something like this without real data and evidence. It is too bad for those poor people that have problems, but forums and the Internet are not the best sources for facts and data and it is biased because the vast majority of people that don't have problems don't peruse the issue related sites. It is safe to say Apple has sold more than 1 million of these things. If just 1% have problems of these types, that is 10,000 people. Yes, of those it could happen again given the simple odds. That would mean at least 100 people would have a 2nd failure.

Computers are complex machines and utilize parts from a variety of sources. All of those components have failure rates and some computers have higher failure rates than others, but it is hard to say whether or not there was a specific breakdown on anyone's part.

Search any computer model (or any product with complex parts, such as a car or TV for that matter) from any manufacturer and you will find lots of information about problems.

It is great that people can share their experiences online and learn from each other, but lets keep things in perspective and proper context. For the overwhelming majority these machines are working great. If not, it would be front page news.
 
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